UPMC and Xiangya Hospital Open International Medical Center in China
By: Wendy Zellner
Less than a year after signing an agreement with Xiangya Hospital in China to establish an international medical center, UPMC and its partner on July 21 completed the first phase of this effort to introduce the highest standards of health care to Hunan Province.
Since the collaboration was announced in August 2014, UPMC has worked closely with staff at Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, to extensively renovate four floors of an existing 14-story tower, including 36 beds and two floors of outpatient clinics. UPMC has also trained key staff in such areas as customer service, infection control, Joint Commission International accreditation processes and post-hospital care.
Ultimately, the Xiangya International Medical Center (XIMC) will be expanded to 200 beds within the 3,500-bed hospital. The facility will offer world-class care to private-pay patients under a government-backed effort to relieve overcrowding in public hospitals by cooperating with private facilities.
“This first step for XIMC represents a new standard of care in China and paves the way for staff and patients throughout the entire facility to benefit from what is learned and practiced at this hospital within a hospital,” said Jack Berkebile, vice president of operations in China for UPMC International Services. “Our Chinese partners have been eager to transfer the best of what UPMC has to offer in terms of patient care and the patient experience to this already highly regarded hospital in Changsha.”
The partnership has involved efforts by more than 20 UPMC employees, while a dozen nurses, doctors and other staff from Xiangya have been trained at UPMC East in Monroeville, Pa. Another 20 XIMC staff members are expected to participate in training at UPMC facilities this year as part of the five-year agreement.
Established in 1906, Xiangya Hospital is affiliated with the prestigious Central South University in Changsha, the capital of central China’s Hunan Province. With more than 80 clinical departments, Xiangya serves more than 100,000 inpatients and more than 2.1 million outpatients annually.
Ultimately, the Xiangya International Medical Center (XIMC) will be expanded to 200 beds within the 3,500-bed hospital. The facility will offer world-class care to private-pay patients under a government-backed effort to relieve overcrowding in public hospitals by cooperating with private facilities.
