(Full article by Cindy Peh on Hospital Management Asia)

It achieved its fourth consecutive JCI accreditation with an impressive compliance score of over 98%.

In April 2025, FV Hospital has successfully achieved its fourth consecutive Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation, the globally recognised gold standard in healthcare quality and patient safety.

It is one of a select few in Vietnam, the first in Southern Vietnam, and just over 1,000 hospitals across the world, to earn JCI’s Gold Seal of Approval. The hospital first achieved JCI accreditation in 2016, with subsequent re-accreditations in 2019, 2022 and 2025, following JCI’s three-year evaluation cycle.

This accomplishment is no easy feat given JCI’s rigorous accreditation process and extensive requirements, which requires adherence to over 1,200 guidelines spanning all aspects of hospital operations – from medication and facility management to surgical safety, infection control, and patient-centred care. A team of expert surveyors conducts a comprehensive week-long onsite evaluation involving interviews with staff, patients, and leadership, along with physical inspections and reviews of records, for a complete evaluation of the organisation’s safety and quality standards.

Thanks to its organisation-wide commitment to quality and safety improvement, FV Hospital achieved an impressive compliance score of over 98% this year, its highest-ever score so far.

One key ingredient to success: Quick adaptation to change

While the hospital has already successfully undergone three accreditation cycles, each assessment demands quick adaptation to change, as JCI updates its standards every three years to align with the rapidly evolving healthcare landscape and each cycle of the accreditation assessments at FV were conducted under the newer edition. So it is a dynamic process where the hospital not only must remain compliant with the existing standards, but also needs to comply with the completely new ones.

The most recent 8th edition introduced significant changes, including a new chapter on sustainability setting out requirements for activities reducing the use of environmental resources, mitigating the environmental impact of supply chain, and assessing environmental risks and scenarios.

Another new chapter, Healthcare Technology (HCT) set expectations and requirements from the use of electronic medical records (EMRs) to telehealth capabilities, use of artificial intelligence (AI), patient data protection, cybersecurity, and governance.

With the new 8th edition standards published in July 2024 and taking effect from 1 January 2025, the FV team had only 6 months to prepare before their re-accreditation assessment in April 2025.

“JCI standards are centred on patient safety, which has long been embedded in our daily routines. Having achieved JCI accreditation three times already, we were already familiar with the framework. When new standards are introduced, our approach is to study them, retrain our staff, and integrate the updates into daily practice,” said Dr Jean-Marcel Guillon, CEO of FV Hospital.

“One challenge is complacency. When you’re confident in your systems, it can be easy to become overly self-assured. That’s why maintaining a mindset of continuous improvement is essential.”

The hospital noted that key factors contributing to its success include:

• Experience in flexible survey formats: FV Hospital successfully passed both physical and virtual survey formats, proving its capability to adapt to changing circumstances while maintaining rigorous standards.
• Internal preparation and self-assessment: For the 4th accreditation survey, the hospital team has taken ownership of accreditation preparations, eliminating the need for external mock surveys by JCI consultants. This approach has not only built internal capacity but also fostered a culture of continuous quality improvement and encouraged shared responsibility in patient safety.
• Leveraging technology: FV Hospital has maximised the use of cutting-edge technology, including advanced tracer methodologies, to streamline processes, enhance data analysis, and drive informed decision-making.

The value of international accreditation

A 2023 study of Chinese hospitals found that those which pursued JCI accreditation recorded greater growth in visits and revenue compared to those who did not. For patients, both local and international, JCI’s stamp of approval provides assurance of the quality and safety of care.

External, independent accreditation programmes such as JCI also help hospitals benchmark performance and drive ongoing improvements based on internationally accepted standards across clinical and operational domains.

“Consistently passing JCI assessments, with increasingly stringent standards, proves that FV’s quality is on par with leading hospitals in Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore, while our costs remain just half as high,” said Dr Guillon.

“Twenty-two years ago, before FV Hospital was founded, we set a clear vision to become one of the best hospitals in Asia. This vision has guided our mission to earn the trust of our patients. Achieving JCI accreditation four times in a row is a strong testament to that ambition – and a reflection of our ongoing commitment to grow stronger, always placing the patient at the centre of everything we do.”

Upcoming quality improvement efforts at FV Hospital

Nonetheless, quality is a continuous pursuit. Mr Mohd Fazli Shuib, Director of Quality and Risk Management at FV, reaffirmed the hospital’s commitment to striving for ever-higher levels of operational and clinical excellence.

“When we talk about JCI, we are referring to patient safety and the quality of care, which is a continuous journey rather than a final destination,” he emphasised. “The standards set by JCI are regarded as the minimum benchmarks that FV strives to meet and the patient safety standards at FV is beyond JCI’s. The recent changes by JCI serve as a stepping stone, bringing FV closer to the highest levels of patient safety we aim to achieve.”

He added: “After successfully navigating four accreditation cycles under four different standards over the past decade, spanning various hospital settings and circumstances, FV Hospital has attained a remarkable level of sustainability. This milestone enables us to strive for even higher maturity and reliability in hospital operations, with a steadfast focus on best practices for patient safety and quality care.

“By embracing these strategies, we’ve demonstrated our commitment to delivering exceptional patient care and ensuring the highest standards of quality and safety. As we continue to evolve and improve, we’re poised to set new benchmarks for excellence in healthcare,” he concluded.

Dr Jean-Marcel Guillon, CEO of FV Hospital, will be speaking at the upcoming HMA 2025 conference, to be held in Ho Chi Minh City from September 10 – 11. Don’t miss this chance to hear from leading Vietnamese and regional healthcare leaders – click here to find out more: https://www.hospitalmanagementasia.com/events/hma-2025/