Israel’s Ministry of Health recently published data indicating that Rambam’s Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery is excelling in its patient services.
Doctors performing a neck surgery
at Rambam HCC.
Photo Credit: Spokesperson's Office, RHCC
Recently published Israel Ministry of Health statistics demonstrate that Rambam's Department of Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose, Throat), which has only an average number of beds compared to other hospitals in Israel, has treated more patients than any other hospital in the country, while maintaining extraordinary levels of patient satisfaction.
Up until five years ago, surgeries performed in the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at Rambam were consistent with the national average. Since then, the department has been on a sharp upward trajectory. According to a recent Ministry of Health report, Rambam's Department of Otolaryngology treated more than 4,500 people during 2016, as many as were treated comparable departments of all hospitals in the Jerusalem and Tel Aviv regions.
What is their secret?
According to Professor Ziv Gil, the department’s Director, everything begins and ends with the desire to provide patient-centered, high quality care, using the most advanced and innovative techniques available.
Rambam’s Department of Otolaryngology provides diagnoses and treatments related to the head and neck, including head and neck tumors, which often require complex surgeries involving extensive excision and reconstruction. Some of their exceptional services include:
-
Clinical services and treatment decisions provided by a multi-disciplinary team within the framework of the only center in the country dedicated to diseases of the head and neck.
-
Allowing patients to select their surgeon, and provision of a personal nurse manager, at no extra charge.
-
Readily available personal phone numbers of the department director and other senior staff for patients and their families, to promote comfort and security and to facilitate timely and effective communication.
-
Availability to patients throughout Israel via clinics centrally located in Tel Aviv, via the framework of Israel’s public health system.
Evidence of the success of Rambam's Department of Otolaryngology can be seen from the results of multiple measures of quality, including: the low percentage of patients requiring readmission after hospitalization; the low average hospitalization time for patients; a very short waiting time for an appointment with a specialist and to schedule surger—generally only a few days.
In fact, by every measure of activity included in the Ministry of Health report, Rambam's Department of Otolaryngology stands in first place nationwide. For example, in 2016 more than 4,500 patients were hospitalized in the department, 93% of which were admitted for elective surgery. This is 2,700 more surgeries than the next department on the Health Ministry's list and 4.6 times the national average. In addition, more than 25,000 patients were examined over the course of the year in the clinics. Notwithstanding the large number of patient visits and surgeries, the level of patient satisfaction was an astonishing 95%.
"In the last five years, The Department of Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery is the only one in Israel that offers patients the ability to select a surgeon at no extra charge, although this option is provided by many other health services around the world," explained Professor Ziv Gil. "The success of our department is underscored by the national authorities, who have determined that this is the true path to advance an egalitarian health system, and we hope that other otolaryngology departments around the country will join us in implementing the initiatives that are working so effectively here at Rambam."