PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL MEDICINE® NEWS BUREAU
Contact: Leonard N. Karp
lkarp@philadelphiamedicine.com
215-735-3989
Philadelphia International Medicine and Clinica Indisa Sign Health Gateway
Philadelphia - Philadelphia International Medicine® (PIM) and Clinica Indisa have signed an agreement to work cooperatively in areas including training and education, patient care, second opinions and intellectual exchanges. The agreement - a Health Gateway - establishes a formal relationship between the two organizations and creates a framework to expand business opportunities.
Clinica Indisa represents PIM's first Gateway in Chile, and its ninth Health Gateway in five countries around the world. "Each Health Gateway is unique, but all are designed to improve the exchange of medical information and patient care in the collaborating organizations," said Andrew Wigglesworth, president and CEO of Philadelphia International Medicine. "The Health Gateway is a means for physicians and hospital administrators in Santiago and Philadelphia to learn from each other. It will result in better patient care, new ideas, and new knowledge."
Juan Antonio Guzman, chairman of Clinica Indisa, emphasized that the importance of the agreement "is the real possibility of exchanging knowledge and technology for the patients and medical staff of our hospital center, and also for the teachers and students of Andres Bello University."
One immediate project that is part of the Gateway is the development of a second opinion program. Through this program, physicians in PIM hospitals will provide treatment alternatives to physicians at Clinica Indisa, after reviewing medical reports and other diagnostic information. Certain high risk, specialty care patients may also be referred to PIM for treatment in Philadelphia. "This is a great opportunity for our patients, who will be able to consult through the second opinion program international experts of the highest level," said Guzman.
The Health Gateway also establishes long-term goals to identify business opportunities and achieve an economic return to the communities in Santiago and Philadelphia. The hospital has embarked on a plan to build its research capabilities into advanced medical investigation, and that working with PIM will help establish Clinica Indisa as a key research center in Chile.
Clinica Indisa is one of the 10 more important private health centers in Chile, and the first to achieve ISO 9,000 certification, a form of international accreditation. It has 95 beds and is about to double its size over the next two years. It employs 500 persons and 240 physicians in more than 40 specialties. More than 5,500 surgeries were performed at the hospital last year, and the facility recorded 25,000 patient days.
Philadelphia International Medicine is an organization that provides medical and patient support services to international patients. It also provides continuing medical education and health care training and education to international physicians, administrators and other practitioners. As the international department of several Philadelphia-area hospitals, international patients gain access to physicians and hospitals rated among the best in the world through one telephone call to PIM. You can reach PIM by calling 1-215-735-3575; fax, 1-215-790-1267; or e-mail, physicians@philadelphiamedicine.com. You can find out more about PIM through its Website at www.philadelphiamedicine.com.