July 24, 2024

Israel’s Ministry of Health has published its 2023 Report on Quality Care Indices. The report offers a comprehensive picture of the country’s healthcare system and found that Hadassah Ein Kerem and Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospitals met 100% of the indicator targets, topping the table of Israeli hospitals. 

More than 80 quality standards were checked at general, geriatric, rehabilitation, and psychiatric hospitals. The indicators measure the speed, quality, and safety of treatment. General hospitals were evaluated on the prevention of infections, stroke treatment, rapid emergency treatment, anesthesia and ventilation, dialysis, and premature infant care. Despite the war that broke out in the last quarter of 2023, there have been no significant changes in meeting the quality-of-care targets. 

One of the oldest indicators in the program measures the time from arrival at the emergency room with suspected stroke to imaging (CT or MRI of the head). The target is 25 minutes, but the average in Israel is 24 minutes, an improvement of 4 minutes compared to 2019. Among the large hospitals, Hadassah Ein Kerem leads in the large hospital category with 21 minutes, followed by Ichilov and Soroka (23), Sheba (24), Beilinson, Shaare Zedek, and Rambam (25). Waiting times above the target were measured at Assaf Harofeh (28), Hillel Yaffe (29), and Kaplan hospital (62 minutes). The shortest waiting time for a test was recorded at Assuta Ashdod (19 minutes) and Barzilai (22).

Among the indicators evaluated in psychiatric hospitals is the indicator of psychiatric readmission within a month of discharge. The target is 15%, but the national average is 17.8%. The lowest readmission rates were found at Rambam (5%), Hadassah (6%), and Ichilov (7%).