As businesses in several industries become more globalized, healthcare is not being left behind: Several hospitals and health systems in the United States have established partnerships or affiliations with provider organizations outside the country's boarders.
The following are 14 hospitals and health systems that currently have partnerships or affiliations with foreign hospitals. The list was developed through review of prior Becker's Hospital Review coverage and a database of foreign hospital partnerships kept by the American College of Healthcare Executives and the American Hospital Association. Email Heather Punke at hpunke@beckershealthcare.com with comments or additions for this list.
Partnerships are listed in alphabetical order by the U.S. hospital or system.
1. Saranac Lake, N.Y.-based Adirondack Health and Livingstone General Hospital in Livingstone, Zambia, formed a partnership in 2010. The New York system is helping Livingstone General obtain equipment, drugs and medical consumables.
2. Alegent Creighton Health in Omaha partnered with Machame Lutheran Hospital in Machame, Tanzania, in 2001. While helping the Tanzanian hospital provide services, the partnership also helps Alegent Health fulfill its mission and was encouraged by church sponsor.
3. Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock has a partnership with the Instituto Nacional De Rehabilitacion in Mexico City, Mexico. It was established in 2009 to help the foreign partner improve quality and patient safety, establish evidence-based protocols and implement new medical procedures.
4. Cleveland Clinic signed a consultation deal with Peking Union Medical College, an academic medical center in Beijing, in 2013. Cleveland Clinic physicians are consulting on the opening of a new brain health facility, training experts at Peking Union on Parkinson's disease, dementia and strokes. Cleveland Clinic is also opening a clinic in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
5. Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center in Sioux Falls, S.D., has partnerships with two foreign hospitals: Santa Josefina Hospital in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and the Haitian Clinic in Jeremie, Haiti.
6. In 2006, Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul, Minn., partnered with Teleton Hospital in Santiago, Chile. Through the partnership, Gillette Children's can learn from Teleton Hospital about how they care for children with disabilities while also helping Teleton educate its healthcare professionals.
7. Hartford (Conn.) Hospital established a partnership with Qilu Hospital-University of Shandong in Jinan, China, in 1987. The partnership aims to improve quality and patient safety, establish evidence-based protocols and conduct clinical research, among other objectives.
8. Burien, Wash.-based Highline Medical Center and Hue Medical College/Hue Central Medical Center in Hue, Vietnam, formed a partnership in 2003. Along with helping the Vietnamese hospital use new medical procedures, the partnership also has an objective of impacting healthcare policy.
9. Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Medicine International has an affiliation agreement with Hospital Moinhos de Vento of Porto Alegre in Brazil. The agreement was formed in 2013 to promote knowledge transfer and research between the two organizations.
10. Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, S.D., partnered with YMCI Calmette Medical Investment and Management Company to develop a pediatric clinic in Kunming, China. YMCI Calmette will own the clinic, and Sanford World Clinic will manage its daily operations. They announced the partnership in November 2013.
11. Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital partnered with Gansu Provincial Hospital in Lanzhou, China, in 2010.
12. Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center's commercialization arm, Wake Forest Innovations, signed a memorandum of understanding with Seoul, South Korea-based CHA Health Systems in 2013.
13. Sault Ste Marie, Mich.-based War Memorial Hospital partnered with Sault Area Hospital in Ontario, Canada, in 2000 to help the Canadian hospital provide healthcare services.
14. Searcy, Ark.-based White County Medical Center is partnered with Brian Lemons Memorial Hospital in Nhowe, Zimbabwe. It was established in 2009 to help the foreign hospital obtain equipment, drugs and medical consumables.