Doha: A team from Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Center for Patient Experience and Employee Engagement (CPESE) has been recognized for its efforts to create a better experience for the healthcare provider’s patients.

The team recently won two awards at HMC’s annual employee recognition event, the Stars of Excellence Awards. The award recognized the group’s success in improving patient experience by unifying its service under a single customer service brand – Nesma’ak. The name Nesma’ak, which means ‘We are Listening,’ was chosen to reflect HMC’s focus on better engagement with patients and the public.

The Nesma’ak Customer Service Program was launched in June 2016 and included the creation of a five-digit patient call center telephone number – 16060 – which was implemented to make it easier for patients and visitors to remember should they need to ask questions, change their appointments, make comments, or provide feedback.

Since the program’s launch, patient feedback has increased by more than 500% and over the last 15 months, a total of 8,745 written comments and 3,537 written compliments have been received.

Mr. Nasser Al Naimi, Deputy Chief Quality Officer for the Center for Patient Experience and Staff Engagement and Co-Director for the Hamad Healthcare Quality Institute said: “This is a great achievement for HMC with the results of this project exceeding international benchmarks. Winning two awards – the Managing Director’s Award and the Star of Excellence for Patient Experience Award - encourages our team to work even harder towards making even more improvements and innovations that will expand the quality of healthcare services at HMC, and consequently enhance the patient experience and their level of satisfaction.”

Mr. Al Naimi added: “Patient-centered care is at the heart of everything we do. By listening to our patients and using our call center, website, and customer service desks as channels to engage in dialogue with our patients, we are working to ensure patients feel confident in their treatment journey, feel connected to their care teams and engaged in their own care. Our ultimate goal is to deliver the best patient experience possible and we believe the implementation of the Nesma’ak program is helping us achieve this.”

“I take this opportunity to congratulate the Nesma’ak team who have worked hard to design and deliver a service which ensures that no matter what questions or concerns our patients have, they will always be supported by a friendly face at our customer service desks, a helpful voice on the end of the phone line, or a helping hand at the other side of our website,” Mr. Al Naimi concluded.

The Nesma’ak program has also been recognized internationally, winning awards at the Middle East Customer Experience Conference & Awards 2016. The program won awards in two categories: ‘Best Implementation of a Customer Experience Program’ and ‘The Customer Experience Program of the Year.’

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About Hamad Medical Corporation
Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) is the main provider of secondary and tertiary healthcare in Qatar and one of the leading hospital providers in the Middle East.

For more than three decades, HMC has been dedicated to delivering the safest, most effective and compassionate care to all its patients.

HMC manages twelve hospitals – nine specialist hospitals and three community hospitals – as well as the National Ambulance Service and home and residential care services.

In January 2016, HMC achieved the significant distinction of becoming the first healthcare system across the globe to have all its hospitals accredited by Joint Commission International under the Academic Medical Center accreditation program. Additionally, the National Ambulance Service, Home Healthcare Service, Stroke Service and Palliative Care, have all received this prestigious accreditation since 2011.

To meet the needs of a rapidly growing population, HMC has announced ambitious plans to expand capacity across its network through to 2030.

HMC is leading the development of the region’s first academic health system – combining innovative research, top-class education and excellent clinical care – and is committed to building a legacy of healthcare expertise in Qatar. HMC collaborates with key partners who are experts in Qatar and beyond, including Weill Cornell Medical College-Qatar, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and Partners Healthcare, Boston.

HMC is also the first hospital system in the Middle East to achieve institutional accreditation from the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education – International (ACGME-I), which demonstrates excellence in the way medical graduates are trained through residency, internship and fellowship programs.

For more information please visit: www.hamad.qa  or contact Noimot Olayiwola, Media Project Manager Tel: (00974) 44390945; Mobile: (00974) 55568709; Email: nolayiwola@hamad.qa  

© Press Release 2017