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Premium healthcare close to home

Intro
Committed to healing patients through comfort and advanced medical support, Peter Makowski, CEO of American Hospital, gives us an insight into their recent partnership with the prestigious Mayo Clinic.
The American Hospital Dubai (AHD) has a rich history dating back to 1996, when the concept of international healthcare was alien in the region. The hospital was conceived by a prominent Emirati family that recognised the need of providing quality healthcare within the region. Numerous patients who resided in Dubai had to constantly travel to get their healthcare needs met, which was highly inconvenient. “A number of members of the family voraciously studied the U.S. healthcare system, where they spoke to physicians, board members and nurses, and toured hospitals. The family wanted to emulate an American hospital here, in terms of its focus on quality, mission, vision, values, policies and procedures that many hospitals in the U.S. developed. The governing board bylaws and medical staff bylaws were thoroughly analysed and implemented into AHD. The success was inevitable, as the reputation of the hospital gained over the past 20 years speaks for itself,” explains CEO Peter Makowski. “The overall vision was not only to adhere to the American healthcare standards, but to ensure that the quality outcomes were as good, if not better. The family also strived to be pioneers in healthcare by introducing new programmes and services here, so patients do not have to seek healthcare abroad,” he adds.
Vision
They say that an organisation is only as good as the person running it. For Makowski, an organisation is only as good as its employees, therefore providing copious support and training for his team is paramount. Since joining the American Hospital in 2014, the CEO has been the man behind many integrations and notable partnerships, including the prestigious affiliation with the Mayo Clinic. “I have lived in the U.S. with a career based in Los Angeles, California, where I was exposed to a variety of cultures. Our task was to conform and respect different cultures with dignity, while adhering to hospitals’ standards from an accreditation and licensing standpoint. The experience was extremely rewarding and helpful in making a move to Dubai.”With a common denominator of values and vision, Makowski felt that American Hospital was the perfect example of breaking conventional barriers by employing atypical features. Unlike many regional healthcare facilities, the ambience of AHD transcends the typical standards of excellence. “The owners had a clear vision in terms of design. With roots in the hospitality sector, they wanted to incorporate luxe comfort, which was a concept ahead of its time. We believe in the notion ofa ‘ healing hospital’ , and there is scientific evidence that proves that a healing environment plays a big part in the recuperation of patients. It reduces anxiety and improves quality of care. Patients are usually anxious and concerned when they check into a hospital, therefore it is our responsibility to ensure that we provide them with an environment that has a calming effect. If you look at our design, it doesn’ t have an institutional feel. An important aspect is that every patient has a private room. When you look at the ambience, whether it isthe paintings, flooring, materials on the wall, ceilings, lightings, and natural light, all these have an impact; each meticulously thought through when this hospital opened its doors,” he said.
The Mayo advantage
Makowski added: “The connection with Mayo Clinic is probably, if not the first, the second proudest accomplishment I have had in my career. The prestige and reputation that Mayo Clinic has in the U.S. and across the globe is amazing. The U.S. News and World Report last year named the Mayo Clinic as the best healthcare system in the country. Mayo Clinic has been operational for 150 years and achieved remarkable feats with a strong educational and scientific base. This combination has served the organisation well over their 150-year history.”The partnership provides residents in Dubai and the GCC with direct access to the Mayo Clinic through the American Hospital. “When we were going through our process with due diligence, I visited Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota and was surprised to hear that there are 3,000 active UAE residents that routinely get their care at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. So, bringing Mayo Clinic closer to home is very exciting for me, as well as the organisation. The Mayo model believes that healthcare is local and should be provided close to home,” Makowski said. There are six components involved with the Mayo affiliation. AskMayo Expert is an online point of care tool designed by Mayo Clinic physicians. This clear, concise resource offers disease management, care guidelines, treatment recommendations and reference materials for a wide variety of medical conditions. eConsults connect AHD physicians with Mayo Clinic experts when they require additional input regarding a patient’ s care. Patient education offers members access to Mayo Clinic’ s library of patient education for use with AHD patients. The material includes 2,500 pieces written inan easy-to-read format. Grand rounds are recorded and archived by Mayo Clinic physicians and scientists in a variety of specialities. These presentations are available for viewing and earning CME credit. Healthcare consulting opportunities are designed to assist AHD and realise the desired level of operational, financial and patient care excellence through identified opportunities and shared experience in line with its strategic goals. Lastly, eTumor Boards are live video conferences that promote educational and informal discussion on the management of complex cancer cases with Mayo multidisciplinary panel and other providers within the network. “The question I am always asked is, how much does the patient pay for this? The answer is zero. From our affiliation agreement with Mayo Clinic, we manage all the financial aspects, as we want the patient to benefit from these resources. Attaining the Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation is an arduous process and we are proud to be the first hospital in the region who is JCI-certified. We are continuously trying to innovate to better help our patients, such as a breakthrough known as a stereotactic treatment for tumours, which was newly introduced in the UAE and GCC. Our linear accelerator in radiation therapy is remarkable. Our first case was a 29-year-old man who had a lesion in his brain. Typically, you would have to make an incision in the head, but with the stereotactic procedure, you can narrow the radiation and take out the tumour without an incision or damaging any surrounding tissue. This procedure took less than four minutes and the patient was discharged the same day. Our new radiation oncologist is able to do this with brain lesions and lung lesions as well, which is just extraordinary,”he concludes.

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