Steward International
27 March 2019
Dubai Healthcare City Authority Collaborates With US-Based Steward Health Care To Strengthen Patient Care
Dubai Healthcare City Authority (DHCA), the governing body of the Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC) free zone, and Steward Health Care International (Steward), one of the largest physician-led, privately-held hospital operators in the United States (US), today announced plans to evaluate potential areas of collaboration in relation to the delivery of healthcare services in the DHCC free zone.
In line with the UAE Vision 2021 that aims to transform the UAE into one of the most innovative in the world, within the health sector, DHCA will explore improvements in areas including primary care; individualized care delivery models to reduce high-cost interventions; and key indicators such as average length of stay and bed occupancy.
The partnership was signed by Omar Oumeish, Chief Operating Officer of DHCA, and Armin Ernst, President of Steward, in the presence of senior management from both parties, in Dubai Healthcare City.
Speaking about the global collaboration, Oumeish said, “Strategic partnerships and cooperation agreements with global institutions have been the cornerstone of our success, charting DHCC’s growth since its founding 16 years ago. We are keen to continue to leverage international expertise and identify new mechanisms to stimulate growth for the DHCC free zone, and build on its competitive advantage. With a shared interest to improve healthcare delivery, our partnership with Steward will help strengthen DHCC’s growth plans, and develop stronger and more innovative services.”
DHCC has become a hub of specialized healthcare including organ transplantation with two of the four licensed health facilities for transplantation in the UAE located in the free zone. As of 2018, hospitals, outpatient medical centers and diagnostic laboratories in DHCC offer more than 150 plus active specialties with licensed professionals. In total, the free zone recognizes more than 500 specialties including medical, nursing, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and dental.
Steward, which operates 36 hospitals across the US and Malta, has spent the last decade perfecting a unique vertically and horizontally integrated model that achieves the highest quality care, increases patient access, and substantially reduces total medical expenses.
Speaking about the partnership, Dr Armin Ernst, President of Steward Health Care International explained that innovation was at the forefront of the Steward model. He said, “As a physician led organization, we are constantly working to find innovative, cutting edge ways of treating our patients and improving the quality of care delivered. Steward’s award-winning model has been a great success in the United States, and we are excited to be teaming up with DHCA to design a model of care which exceeds the expectations of all those seeking care in Dubai Healthcare City.”
The partnership marks Steward’s first presence in the Middle East after expanding operations outside the US in 2018.
About Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC)
Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC) is a free zone committed to creating a health and wellness destination.
Since its launch in 2002 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the free zone has worked towards its vision to become an internationally recognized location of choice for quality healthcare and an integrated center of excellence for clinical and wellness services, medical education and research.
Located in the heart of Dubai, the world’s largest healthcare free zone comprises two phases. Phase 1, dedicated to healthcare and medical education, occupies 4 million square feet in Oud Metha, and Phase 2, which is dedicated to wellness, occupies 19 million square feet in Al Jaddaf Dubai, overlooking the historic Dubai Creek and the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary.
The free zone is governed by the Dubai Healthcare City Authority (DHCA) and regulated by the independent regulatory arm, Dubai Healthcare City Authority – Regulation (DHCR), whose quality standards are accredited by the International Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQua).
DHCC has clinical partners including hospitals, outpatient medical centers and diagnostic laboratories with licensed professionals, strengthening its medical tourism portfolio. Representing its network of support partners, retail and non-clinical facilities serve the free zone.
DHCC is also home to academic institution the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, part of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Academic Medical Center. The free zone’s integrated environment provides leverage for potential partners to set up operations to promote health and wellness.
For more info, visit www.dhcc.ae.
About Steward Health Care
Steward Health Care is the nation’s largest private, for profit physician led health care network in the United States. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Steward operates 37 hospitals in the United States and the country of Malta that regularly receive top awards for quality and safety. The company employs approximately 40,000 health care professionals. The Steward network includes multiple urgent care centers and skilled nursing facilities, substantial behavioral health services, over 7,900 beds under management, and approximately 2.2 million full risk covered lives through the company's managed care and health insurance services. The total number of paneled lives within Steward's integrated care network is projected to reach three million in 2018.
The Steward Health Care Network includes five thousand physicians across 800 communities who help to provide more than 12 million patient encounters per year. Steward Medical Group, the company's employed physician group, provides more than six million patient encounters per year. The Steward Hospital Group operates hospitals in Malta and nine states across the US, including Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah.
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