Health City Cayman Islands

Health City Cayman Islands is a JCI[1] accredited tertiary care hospital in the Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory,[2] specializing in chronic and acute cardiac, orthopedic, bariatric, neurological, and pediatric cases. The medical travel focused hospital has provided affordable healthcare solutions to over 14,000[3] adult and pediatric patients who primarily reside in the Caribbean, Latin American, United States, and Canada. The 104 bed hospital is seen by the Government of the Cayman Islands as a key driver in the diversification of the country's economy[4] and has gained its support.[5][6]

Health City Cayman Islands
Narayana Health
Ascension Health
Geography
Location High Rock, East End, Cayman Islands (British Overseas Territory), Caribbean, Cayman Islands
Coordinates 19.297535, -81.158066
Organisation
Care system Private
Hospital type Tertiary Care, Medical Travel, Affordable Healthcare
Services
Standards Joint Commission International
Beds 104
History
Founded February 2014
Links
Website http://www.healthcitycaymanislands.com/

Background

Health City Cayman Islands was born from the vision of internationally renowned heart surgeon and humanitarian Dr. Devi Shetty[7] and is supported by two major healthcare organizations, Narayana Health in India and Ascension Health, the largest non-profit health system in the United States.

Narayana Health is one of the world’s most cost-efficient healthcare service providers, balancing quality healthcare with affordability, transparency and compassion. Dr. Shetty serves as chairman of Narayana Health and oversees a network of 32 hospitals across India and the Cayman Islands. Ascension is the largest non-profit health system in the US and the world's largest catholic faith-based health system. All three organizations – Health City Cayman Islands, Narayana Health and Ascension – have shared values and are dedicated to the mission of transforming the future of healthcare[8] to make high quality care accessible to all.

History

The 107,000 square foot facility, opened in February 2014, becoming the first advanced medical facility and tertiary care hospital in the Cayman Islands. In April 2015, the hospital was awarded the gold seal of approval from Joint Commission International (JCI), the worldwide leader in accrediting quality healthcare organizations. Health City is the largest hospital in the Caribbean to receive JCI accreditation to date.

Hospital Mission and Model

Mission

Health City Cayman Islands is committed to delivering world-class healthcare that is accessible and affordable for all, including those who are poor and vulnerable, through innovative, internationally staffed and recognized medical centers of excellence. Its centers are characterized by compassionate and exceptional experience for patients and staff, high quality, and low cost, and reflect a world culture and healing environment that are comfortable for any guest from around the world.[9]

Model

Clinicians at Health City work in integrated teams – which means care is coordinated and streamlined – instead of having each physician work in their own silo. Part of the teamwork concept is making group decisions about what implants to buy and what drugs to use. Instead of each doctor choosing his own knee or hip joint replacement, for example, the doctors as a group decide on single supplier and then negotiate with that supplier for steep discounts.[10] A practice that cut the standard cost of a surgical stent in half.

Surgeons are rigorously trained to perform a higher volume of procedures compared to the US standard. Dr. Shetty believes that the more surgeries a surgeon performs, the better they get at the procedure and can achieve higher quality outcomes. An American surgeon typically does three or four surgeries a week. At Health City's hospitals, surgeons typically perform two or three surgeries a day – six days per week.[10]

The hospital also offers transparent pricing that includes a bundled, flat rate for hospital stay, airfare, ground transportation and hotel arrangements for the patient and a caregiver. Unlike US hospitals, patients know what care is going to cost in advance and the hospital will supply indicators of quality (mortality rates, infection rates, readmission rates, etc.) that are on par or superior to US hospital standards.[10]

Core Values[11]

Facility and Current Operations

The hospital was designed and constructed by DeAngelis Diamond Healthcare Group, a member of the United States Green Building Council. The structure reflects the founders’ commitment to self-sufficiency, sustainability and their mission of providing high-tech affordable healthcare in a setting which places patients’ well-being, safety and dignity, first and foremost. The 104-bed tertiary care hospital features a reinforced roof, walls, doors and windows and was built to withstand the rigors of a Category 5 Hurricane and shield all of its critical assets from flooding.[12] There are back-up generators with built-in power redundancies that allow for 10 days of 100% power, independent of the grid; an advanced ventilation system that blocks potentially contaminated air from reaching beyond the rooms of infectious patients; a system that allows the hospital to create its own medical grade oxygen by pulling it out of the air and distilling it in-house; an automated air-conditioning that cuts energy consumption costs by monitoring foot traffic and only gives air where needed; and a solar farm that reduces the hospital’s energy consumption by almost 50%.

Location and Satellite Offices

The tertiary care hospital is located on 1283 Sea View Road, near High Rock in the East End District of Grand Cayman. Is it a 30-minute drive from the Owen Roberts International Airport, with direct flights that take 1 hour from Miami, Florida and 45 minutes from Kingston, Jamaica. Other weekly direct flights to Grand Cayman include those from Havana, London, La Ceiba and many other North American cities such as: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago – ORD, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Newark, New York – JFK, Philadelphia, Toronto, and Washington, DC – Dulles.

In 2016, Health City opened a Canadian satellite office located in Hamilton, Ontario. This office is staffed by local Canadian healthcare professionals that work closely with other in-country medical practitioners who want to move their patients off long waiting lists and refer them to Health City Cayman Islands for non-emergency procedures. Health City’s Canadian office fields general inquiries about the Cayman Islands' hospital; coordinates phone consultations with Health City’s physicians and patient care teams; secures travel arrangements and supports patients’ journeys to and from the Cayman Islands; and connects with Canadian healthcare providers and translation services where necessary to ensure continuity of care.

Features

Private Patient Room
Waiting Room Flooded with Natural Light
Scenic Walking Path on Health City Campus

Sustainability and Conservation Efforts

In 2015, Health City's sustainability efforts resulted in 3.6 million gallons of water saved and 2.7 million gallons of sewage effluent was diverted from ground disposal.[13] A waste reduction and landfill diversion initiative, which included recycling and onsite medical waste treatment, was also introduced and yielded a result of 60% of total waste being diverted from landfills. In terms of electricity conservation, the Caribbean hospital’s infrastructure includes a building management monitoring system, as well as an HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system diversification. The official conservation report showed that energy savings for 2015 were over 2 million Kwh saved, just under 145,000 gallons of diesel saved and 3.5 million pounds of carbon saved.[14]

Technology

According to Robert Pearl, executive director and CEO of the Permanente Medical Group, the largest integrated healthcare system in the U.S., Health City is bringing together the “healthcare service of Bangalore and the technology of Silicon Valley.”[15] Health City utilizes an integrated patient data platform called iKare. This system, which is accessed by an iPad beside each hospital bed, constantly monitors individual patient’s clinical data and current medications to recommend specific protocols. The system also monitors the patient’s vitals. If they fall beyond the accepted range, it will immediately alert the staff. There’s also the patient portal called “My Health City,” which can be accessed by the patient or authorized caregiver. This portal allows approved users to quickly see test results, upload medical records, and message his or her doctor. Also, it gives the patient access to a private app store with games and entertainment and Skype to contact friends and family members back home.

Clinical Specialities

Departments

Health City Cayman Islands offers medical care in the following specialties:

Milestones

General

As of March 2016:

Cardiology

As of March 2016:

Orthopedics

As of March 2016:

Future Expansion and Additions

Plans for expansion and additions to the Health City compound include:

References

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