For the first time: The index of the level of care and service in internal departments has been published - what is the ranking of the hospitals in Haifa?

(haipo) – The Ministry of Health has published for the first time the index for improving service and quality in the internal departments of public hospitals in Israel, as part of a comprehensive move to improve the internal hospitalization system and reduce the burden on the system. Among the hospitals examined were the three medical centers of Haifa: Rambam, Bnei Zion and Carmel.

The index, developed by the Ministry of Health, is based on a number of key parameters designed to assess the level of care and service in internal medicine departments.

The components measured:

10% – Staffing rate of specialist and intern physicians per bed, in accordance with the recommendation of the Tour Kaspa Committee, with a target of 0.42 doctors per bed.
7.5% – Rate of shifts staffed by a registered nurse who has taken a course on a relevant basis.
7.5% – Rate of nurses who have completed advanced training in relevant fields.
25% – Readmission rate within 7 days of discharge – An indication for quality primary care.
35% – Average patient service score, according to a survey conducted in the internal medicine departments.
15% – Conducting an internal service survey and service improvement initiatives Inside hospitals.

Hospitals in Haifa

The main hospitals in Haifa – Rambam, Bnei Zion and Carmel – participated in the new index, with each of them presenting different achievements in different areas, with all three appearing in the top ten among hospitals in the country in most indices. In the index of the rate of readmissions within 7 days of discharge – one of the most significant indices – Rambam ranked second, followed by Carmel and Bnei Zion in third and fourth places, with the lowest rate of readmissions.

• Rambam – The large medical center in the north excelled in the availability of doctors and nurses, but encountered challenges of high workloads, especially in the winter months.
• Carmel – Recorded significant improvement from previous years, especially in the availability of medical staff and the service rating from patients.
• Bnei Zion – Ranked high in patient experience and service metrics, but needs to improve the availability of staff and physical resources.

Minister of Health, Uriel Bosso:
"Internal wards are a central pillar of the health system and play a crucial role in treating the most complex patients. The Ministry of Health is constantly working to expand the facilities and reduce the workload in the wards, with an investment of tens of millions of shekels, including increased manpower, additional beds and new initiatives such as home hospitalizations."

Director General of the Ministry of Health, Moshe Bar Siman Tov:
"Publishing the indicators makes it possible to examine the quality of service and treatment at the national level and continue to improve hospitalization conditions. At the same time, we are taking additional steps, such as expanding home hospitalizations and adding beds, to reduce pressure from the internal departments."

The challenges and steps forward

Despite the encouraging data, significant challenges remain in the healthcare system. In Haifa, where the population is aging and therefore requires medical services more frequently, the burden on internal medicine departments is still high, and the need to increase the number of beds and improve services remains.

As stated, from the perspective of the Ministry of Health, this is just the beginning and the intention is to add and publish periodic indicators and through them monitor the improvement processes in public medical centers, with the aim of bringing about further improvements in the level of service and the quality of medical care, in Haifa and in Israel in general.