Around 87% of health establishments meet “quality of care requirements”, but 9% must initiate rapid improvements, while 4% are judged “not certified” for quality deemed “insufficient”, an “unprecedented” figure , indicated the High Authority of Health (HAS) on Wednesday.
The HAS evaluates the 2,500 public and private health establishments in France every four years, based on more than a hundred criteria updated in 2020-2021. These criteria relate to aspects such as the relevance of actions, risk management or respect for patients’ rights, but do not take into account access to care.
According to Lionel Collet, president of the HAS, the current certification campaign, which is coming to an end, has made it possible to render 70% of the decisions. Partial results “confirm the quality of care” in 1,419 establishments (87%), of which 374 (23%) even obtained the mention “high quality of care”.
However, 144 establishments (9%) will have to demonstrate “rapid improvements” within 6 to 12 months, and 70 establishments were not certified, their quality of care being considered insufficient.
“Very good results” in Paca
Of the “disparités régionales significatives” were observed: the Antilles, Corsica and Normandy encountered more difficulties, while the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, Occitanie and Réunion obtained “very good results”.
University hospital centers (CHU) and cancer centers generally meet expectations well. On the other hand, certain small general establishments, with reduced volumes of activity, as well as structures specializing in psychiatry, are struggling more, underlined Patrick Méchain, head of the HAS certification department.
Certification decisions are often based on compliance with so-called criteria. “imperatives”. According to Mr. Méchain, elements such as patient consent, respect for their privacy, the fight against mistreatment and the management of post-partum hemorrhages in maternity hospitals are generally well respected.
On the other hand, efforts are expected on sensitive points such as “miners’ environment” hospitalized in adult wards, “management of vital emergencies” et “controlling the risks associated with drug treatments”.
An uncertified facility is not necessarily dangerous for patients, otherwise “it would close”, reassured Mr. Méchain. However, it must quickly implement actions to guarantee constant security.
- Campaign results are publicly available via the online tool “Qualiscope” from the HAS here
