And the importance of international patients is evident. “Our Delhi hospital alone admitted 12,000 foreign patients last year, most of whom needed high-end, super speciality surgeries. Typically, these patients are charged more as we provide them a whole bouquet of services and package deals that include flights, transfers, hotels, treatment, better rooms and post-operative care facilities. So although they may comprise 15 to 18 per cent of our total patients, they bring in much higher revenues,” explains Anil Maini, president, corporate development of the Apollo Hospitals Group.

With each such patient shelling out an average of Rs 3 lakh on treatment, it’s little wonder that Indian hospitals are spending big to procure such certifications. As Bomi Bhote, CEO of Pune’s Ruby Hospital says, “Typically, a certification like JCI requires a spending of roughly $100,000 as it requires a comprehensive rewriting of protocol and innumerous consultancy work. And this is over and above any infrastructure upgradation work that may be needed.”

Despite the expense involved, most hospitals feel such recognitions are essential to place Indian healthcare firmly on the global map. “Moreover, most of the global insurance companies like SAS have begun to demand such accreditations and recommend only certified hospitals to their clients,” says Dr B.K. Trivedi, CEO of Pune’s Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital, which is also vying for international accreditions. These days, Trivedi adds, Indian insurance companies and big corporate houses are also demanding top standards.

While most hospitals may be opting for such accreditations to boost their outpatient revenue, the biggest beneficiaries would be domestic patients. “For instance, most of these accreditations prescribe detailed parameters on quality standards, benchmarks, metrics and compliance norms, ensuring gold-standard quality,” says Bali.

... contd.