Third Party Certification System regarding Service Quality of Healthcare Advice with a Particular Focus on the Metabolic Syndrome

Kajiki, Shigeyuki

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Ground Floor (Cancun Center)

Shigeyuki Kajiki, Occupational Health Traning Center, University Of Occupational And Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan

Naoto Ito, Occupational Health Training Center, University Of Occupational And Environmental Health, Japan, Kitakyushu, Japan

Suo Taira, Occupational Health Training Center, University Of Occupational And Environmental Health, Japan, Kitakyushu, Japan

Masako Nagata, Occupational Health Training Center, University Of Occupational And Environmental Health, Japan, Kitakyushu, Japan

Yukari Maeno, Dept. of Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

Yoko Hatono, Dept. of Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

Tomofumi Sone, Dept.of Public Health Policy, National Institute of Public Health, Wako, Japan

Koji Mori, Occupational Health Training Center, University Of Occupational And Environmental Health, Kitakyusyu, Japan

Introduction
With the start of healthcare advice with a particular focus on the metabolic syndrome in 2008 in Japan, many social insurance bodies and companies have outsourced their healthcare advice. However, it is difficult for them to ensure better outsourcer without any information regarding service quality. We have researched various kinds of third party certification systems to discuss appropriate third party certification system for the program.

Methods
Subjects: Functional assessments of 1) occupational health services, 2) a complete medical check up facilities, 3) hospitals, 4) third party of welfare services, 5) human service called COA(Council on Accreditation) and 6) Privacy mark systems, 7) ISO series and OHSAS 18001.
Survey methods: We looked into all the systems from the web sites and conducted facing interviews with the secretariats of them. Then we discussed what elements the system should have.

Results
We confirmed that various third certification systems have already been introduced into the field of healthcare and welfare, the purposes and intents of the systems are diverse, sequential processes are similar.
After discussion, we concluded that the third party certification system for the healthcare services need requirements that encourage service providers to improve quality continuously, education for qualified investigators and evaluators, processes of assessment, advantages of getting certificate.

Discussion
Since healthcare advice is a human service, it is difficult to set up objective criteria for assessments and the quality of healthcare service is not guaranteed even if certification license is obtained. Voluntary improvement activities for the systematic progress in the service, ability assessments of healthcare practitioners and PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) works are quite important. We have to consider deeply the trade-off relations between accuracy and generality in the criteria of the system and its needs, thinking additionally about the advantages and features and limits of existing systems.

A1707 Third Party Certification System regarding Service Quality of Healthcare Advice with a Particular Focus on the Metabolic Syndrome