The FCV's Cardiovascular Institute receives Accreditation in Health with Excellence.

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Bucaramanga joins Bogotá, Cali, and Medellín as the only territories in Colombia with hospitals accredited in health with excellence, the highest recognition granted by Icontec.
The hospital was recognized for implementing technological advances to guarantee patient safety and creating a culture of continuous improvement.

Bucaramanga, January 2023. The FCV Cardiovascular Institute became the first hospital in Santander to receive Health Accreditation with Excellence, the highest quality recognition granted by Icontec. To achieve this classification it is necessary to obtain more than 400 points, out of a total of 500, in a detailed evaluation that considers factors such as humanization of care, technology management, patient safety, social responsibility, organizational culture, and risk approach and management.

Achieving this seal is a great challenge. Of all the healthcare institutions in the country that have undergone this voluntary evaluation process, only 57 achieved accredited status (more than 280 points). Within that group, only six currently surpass the 400-point barrier to be accredited with excellence.

"We were the first institution in Colombia to be accredited by Icontec (2005) because we focused on quality care from the outset. All this work over many years to achieve continuous improvement was what led the National Health Accreditation Board to give us this recognition," says Víctor Raúl Castillo Mantilla, president of FCV.

Among the items highlighted by Icontec is the application of technological advances in clinical management, such as the implementation of the QR code on the user identification handle, the creation of the APP to guarantee the correct administration of medications and blood products, and the strengthening of the transfusion process with the implementation of the closed circuit to manage all the steps in the process safely.

As part of the strategy to provide high-quality care, there is also the certification of different services as centers of excellence. "Those groups work around a pathology, are internationally accredited, and specialize to achieve the best clinical results. At the Instituto Cardiovascular, we have Centers of Excellence for infarction, liver transplant, renal transplant, heart failure, artificial heart transplant, myocardial revascularization, and Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), which are emblematic services of our organization that place us to be leaders in Latin America," explains Olga Moreno Calderón, manager of the hospital.

These recognitions, added to others such as accreditation from Joint Commission International (the most demanding health evaluation institution in the world) and HIMSS 7 certification, which guarantees that it is a hospital with the highest digital maturity, were also relevant for the final decision. "The board considered that the work of the hospital is an example of a continuous and permanent improvement that can serve as an example for other institutions and the healthcare system in general," Icontec stated in its notification letter.

Besides focusing on healthcare processes, the accreditation body also noted the efforts made to strengthen the hospital's organizational structure with the creation of the operational efficiency office, the patient experience department, and the investment in infrastructure for the benefit of patients, family members, and collaborators. "The accreditation with excellence is a recognition of all the teamwork, commitment, and permanent effort to build an organizational culture for the continuous improvement of our processes," said Jaidy Pérez Prada, head of Planning and Quality at the hospital.