Hadassah Hospital’s Bone Marrow Transplant Department Receives International Acclaim
Hadassah Hospital’s Bone Marrow Transplant Department Receives International Acclaim
In a first for Israel, Hadassah Medical Organization’s Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cancer Immunotherapy Department has recently received full accreditation by the Joint Accreditation Committee ISCT-EUROPE & EBMT (JACIE), Europe’s only official accreditation body in the field.
JACIE inspectors, who spent a month at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem to inspect the department, included European bone marrow transplant experts and top department heads from the University Hospital of Basel in Switzerland and from the university hospitals in Bristol and London in the United Kingdom. They reviewed all areas of activity in Hadassah’s department, including the daily work, exacting protocols, and infrastructure for complex procedures conducted in the department. Hadassah is the first of the large departments in Israel to receive accreditation for the clinical side as well.
JACIE inspectors expressed their satisfaction and admiration for the high quality of the department, as follows:
• The department’s medical, clinical, nursing, and quality-assurance procedures; laboratory procedures for collection and processing; and transplant coordination procedures were all written meticulously and professionally, and, most importantly, implemented exactly.
• The medical and nursing staff, the laboratory teams, and the transplant coordinators all demonstrated knowledge, professionalism, and dedication. Particular mention was made of the cooperation, the pride of the department, and the positive and supportive atmosphere within the teams.
• Dr. Sigal Grisaru, Quality Manager of the department, and Yevgeny Frank-Kamenetsky, the department’s head nurse, received a commendation for the quality and safety of all areas related to bone marrow transplants and cellular therapy.
• Department Director Prof. Polina Stepensky, who assumed the position at the beginning of 2017, was commended for leading the team to achieve high-quality transplants, patient treatments, and advancing clinical and basic research.
“This accreditation places Hadassah’s department in line with the best transplant centers in the world and will enable the introduction of advanced cellular therapies for complex patients who currently are not able to receive treatment in Israel,” said Prof. Stepensky.
“Preparing the department for accreditation was a complex process that requires knowledge in the areas of regulation, forming protocols, and quality programming,” said Prof. Stepensky. “For this purpose, we relied on the services of the GSAP consulting firm, which specializes in the process of regulation, clinics, quality, and validation in Israel and throughout the world.”
This accreditation demonstrates excellence in the quality of patient care for these complicated medical cases. In 2017 Hadassah completed a record amount of transplants with outstanding results by any standard.
Prof. Zeev Rotstein, Director General of Hadassah Medical Organization, said, «The bone marrow transplantation department at Hadassah is considered one of the leading departments in Israel and abroad. Experts from all over the world consult with Prof. Stepensky when treating complex patients and make life-saving decisions with her. Now, the department’s abilities and professionalism received accreditation from the official world body, whose representatives did not hide how impressed they were with the department. This is the excellence that we strive toward in every department at Hadassah.”