OTTAWA - Accreditation Canada International has been commissioned to carry out accreditation assessments for health care institutions in Lebanon on behalf of the Ministry of Public Health. The Lebanese Ministry has turned to Accreditation Canada for its expertise in assessing the quality and safety in health care facilities.

Accreditation Canada has teamed up with a local firm, the United Management Bureau (UMB) to meet the specialized needs of the Lebanese Health Care Accreditation Framework. The work will include the training of local surveyors and the assessing of hospitals which will lead to an understanding and plan for necessary improvements and recommendations. The partnership with UMB will maximize the benefit of shared extensive experience - UMB with their expertise in management systems coupled with Accreditation Canada's excellent knowledge and understanding of principles of accreditation.

The quality of hospital care in Lebanon has moved from a focus on physical structure and equipment to a multidimensional approach, emphasizing managerial processes, performance and output indicators. "Quality improvement principles and hospital accreditation address issues of quality of care deficiencies and harmful/wasteful practices. This partnership between Accreditation Canada and UMB is essential to implement the mandate of supporting the Lebanese Ministry improve quality and safety of care in Lebanon", said Mohamad Fawaz, Managing Partner at UMB.

Using Lebanese standards, the partnership between Accreditation Canada and UMB will play a key role in assisting in the objective of upgrading the quality and safety of care in Lebanon. "The breadth and reach of the focus quality and safety in health care continues to expand. Our experience and flexibility is a benefit which we bring to international markets with pride," said Wendy Nicklin, President and CEO, Accreditation Canada.

Accreditation Canada International specializes in exporting health accreditation expertise to global frontiers. Accreditation Canada (www.accreditation.ca) is a not-for-profit, independent organization that provides national and international health and social service organizations with a voluntary, external peer review to assess the quality of their services based on standards of excellence. Accreditation Canada's programs and guidance have been helping organizations strive for excellence for more than 50 years.