Chances to Understand the Best Hospital Practices

HMA, founded in 2002, is a venue for senior hospital managers in Asia to update themselves annually and to meet their counterparts in Asia. HMA 2009 is the first ever organized in Vietnam.

 

Actually, in previous HMA conferences, many Vietnamese hospital managers were invited to join but the number was limited. The reasons may be that we were still not familiar with HMA, or we did not recognize the importance of HMA, and it may have been due to economic difficulties, etc. Having recognized the importance of HMA 2009 which Vietnam is the host, I hope HMA 2009 will attract many managers from Vietnamese hospitals.

 

Although HMA 2009 takes place in the period of the economic downturn, its scale still remains. HMA 2009 is expected to be successful because Vietnam is one of 10 countries with a high possibility of recovering from the global economic crisis at the fastest pace.

 

HMA 2009 attracts many media partners including CMP Media Asia Pteldid, Austro Menlatry and Services Ltd, Medical Tribune, Medical Progress & MIMS, The Employer Magazine, Trainer Magazine, Masso PR, 4 Vietnamese media partners including Tuoi Tre Newspaper, Thanh Nien Newspaper, Tap san thoi su y Hoc Tp.HCM and Vietnam Business Forum (VCCI).

 

The intensive two-day event features 40 information-packed workshops and 8 plenary sessions, covering hot topics in hospital management in period of economic turmoil and on how to be well prepared for recovery.

 

There are six hot topics to be discussed, namelyFinance and administrative management in economic turmoil; Effective hospital management; Patient safety project, Quality administration and customer service; Skills of hospital managers; Marketing & PR. In addition HMA 2009 also pays attention to solutions including Globalization – a must for recovery preparation; How to cut price while causing no impacts on service value; Cooperation of hospitals to reduce expense.

 

There are 15 award categories to be granted. The number of awards changes year by year depending on organization board, advisers, and the Committee of HMA as follows:

Customer Services, Marketing & PR, brand management, IT and E-Commerce project, Quality management, Human Resource Development, Technical Service Improvement Project, Anti-infective projects, Internal Service Project, Community Service, Special award (only one in 2002), Lifetime achievement award, Risk management and patient safety, Governance and corporate social responsibility, Room service Improvement Project, Internal customer service project.

HMA 2009 has an additional award- internal customer service award.

 

Compared with neighboring countries, Vietnam has political stability, a peaceful country with friendly people. For health services, we have a renewable health care system, ½ subsided health care management interlaced with ½ market healthcare management. So Vietnam is deserved to be the host of HMA. This creates conditions for Vietnam to open the visions to the world.

 

Having participated in several HMA conferences in other Asian countries, I think that the conferences are very important and special for Vietnam. I used to hope that HMA conference would be held in Vietnam someday. I tried to persuade HMA’s managers and of HCMC Healthcare sectors of HCMC People’s Committee, Ministry of Health as well as Medical Association, MPS to bring HMA 2009 to Vietnam.

I was impressed by the way they organized HMA. It was a one stop or one package method from transmitting, discussion and learning together between delegates. I also saw a serious and professional manner, a feeling of security. It was very highly disciplined and friendly.

HMA aims neither at private nor public hospitals, but hospital managers or event at human resource managers, marketing and administrative managers, to make sure that they know how to do, where to start, how to evaluate their works to bring best services to patients and for themselves.

In other countries, there remains a differentiation between private and public hospitals, but it is the differentiation in finance not in structures or management of hospitals.