Tamil Nadu tops NABH healthcare quality metrics

The Insurance Regulatory Development Authority (IRDA) has made it mandatory for any hospital empanelled to avail of the cashless treatment facility to adhere to the quality guidelines laid down by the NABH – the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers. A circular issued on July 29, 2016, by Yegnapriya Bharat, Joint Director – Health at IRDA says “All providers offering cashless services for allopathic treatment shall meet with the PreAccreditation Entry Level Standards by NABH... within a period of two years from the date of notification of these Guidelines.” 

BG Menon, MD, ACME Consulting, opines that such a measure has brought in transparency in the healthcare sector as hospitals need to be transparent about the charges on an end-toend basis. “Be it a key surgical procedure or doctor fees or any other aspect of pricing, hospitals have to be open about it,” he says noting that with more entities getting certified, it would bring in pricing stability also. Every year, there is a 15 to 20% rise in charges. 

For instance, the cost of a bypass procedure has doubled in the last two years with hospitals charging anywhere between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 4 lakh for it. The demand for quality healthcare from the people has provided an impetus to improve efficiency in the healthcare field. “You will be surprised to note that three-fourth of the total number of hospitals that are NABH-certified are from the south! Around 600 hospitals in the country have the NABH approval helping them position themselves as a quality healthcare provider. 

Delhi, for instance, has around 70 hospitals covered under the NABH exercise while Chennai city is second with 35 hospitals completing the elaborate certification procedure,” he told DTNext. But if you go through some more statistics, you will note that 110 hospitals in the southern state have made it possible for TN to achieve the pole position. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala follow in the order. 

So, how does this whole thing operate? A one-time fee of a few lakh of rupees is what is needed to fall into the NABH rigour on a full-scale basis. People can look at NABH approved facilities for their healthcare as NABH-certified hospitals must go through stringent quality process.  “Typically, a 150-bed hospital will take 15 months to complete this exercise. With the IRDA mandate, we notice more hospitals eager to complete their quality checks,” Menon said. 

Nearly two decades ago, ACME embarked on a novel initiative by entering a technical collaboration with Thomsun Consulting, a global healthcare consulting major, to provide certification based quality management consulting services specifically to the Indian healthcare sector. After helping the Bengaluru-based Mallya hospital to achieve the ISO 9001 certification in 1998, ACME has come a long way. It has assisted more than 100 private hospitals in the country to get on the quality bandwagon. 

Of course, there is a flip side to it as well. For instance, the NABH guidelines are strict about keeping critical care equipment in designated places. They should not be stored in basements. But, hospitals tend to bypass the surveillance protocol (done every 1.5 years) as they are unable to adhere to the prescribed quality standards format. Not surprising, therefore, that large hospitals do drop out of the programme, the main reason behind NABH suspending the approval of a leading hospital caught in the eye of storm during Chennai floods last year. Every stage of the quality process is displayed on the NABH site. Intensive and exhaustive quality controls mean hospitals flouting norms do not get certified. 

The accreditation is valid for three years.  On its part, the state government continues to keep a hawk eye on the healthcare sector, taking corrective measures as and when the need arises.