Massachusetts General Hospital and Jiahui Health co-hosted Mass General Hospital and Jiahui Health Day at on Nov. 19th 2019 in Shanghai. Massachusetts General Hospital, founded in 1811 and located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the original and large teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The Mass General Hospital Research Institute conducts the large hospital-based research program in the nation, with an annual research budget of more than $1 billion and comprises more than 8,500 researchers working across more than 30 institutes, centers, and departments. In August 2019, the MGH was once again named #2 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report in its list of "America’s Best Hospitals." In December 2016, Mass General and Jiahui Health signed a long-term collaboration agreement to further strengthen our collaboration. This relationship includes consultation from Mass General regarding overall planning for Jiahui International Hospital, operations management, and medical training with a focus on the development of a Cancer Center of Excellence and nursing. Dr. Paul Busse, Dr. Kenneth Tanabe, Dr. Ephraim Hochberg, and Dr. Dennis Sgroi from Mass General Hospital Cancer Center (representing radiation, surgical, and medical oncology, along with pathology) participated in the Mass General – Jiahui Health Day; they interacted with cancer patients from Shanghai together with Dr. John Hsiang, Dr. Andrew Zhu, and Dr. Lily Zhou from Jiahui International Hospital.
Jiahui International Hospital opened to the public in October 2017 and is the first foreign-funded tertiary general hospital in China. From the beginning, Jiahui International Hospital has maintained a close, strategic collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital, with a particular focus on cancer care, women’s health, and pediatrics.
From left to right are Dr. Kenneth Tanabe, Dr. John Hsiang, Dr. Paul Busse, and Dr. Andrew Zhu
Mass General – Jiahui Health Day was a great opportunity for Jiahui Health and Mass General Hospital to demonstrate, through their international collaboration, that cancer patients may receive better care and a better outcome. Jiahui is committed to providing a patient-centered experience based on care, quality, and impact.
Quality assurance – International standard and practice plus Mass General Hospital collaboration
"We wanted to design a building that would allow patients to feel that the entrance to the hospital heralds the beginning of recovery, and we integrated the concept of healing garden into our central lobby" said Dr. John Hsiang, the Chief Medical Officer of Jiahui Health.
Dr. Paul Busse and Dr. Andrew Zhu answer questions from cancer patients
The real secret of a good hospital is not the things that are visible to the naked eye, nor the bricks and marbles on the buildings nor the courtyards, but the high standard and high quality of each individual comprising our team. To build and lead an excellent medical team, Jiahui Health recruited Professor Andrew Zhu from Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center to serve as executive director of Jiahui International Cancer Center. Jiahui Health also recruited Dr. Tibor Kovacs, President of ESSO, as director of Breast Health Program at Jiahui. In the daily practice at Jiahui, they hold a regular International Tumor Board meeting with Mass General Cancer Center and receive International Radiation Oncology Treatment Plan Peer Review from Dr. John McGrath at Mass General Cancer Center.
The international medical team works directly in Shanghai with local cancer patients, which has created social benefits for the area and population. Creating social benefits is conducive to social progress and care quality development in Shanghai.
The ultimate service to reflect the "patient needs first" principle
What should you expect after you made an appointment with Jiahui International Cancer Center? Jiahui tries to make coming to see a cancer specialist as simple as possible, making all the preparations in advance, before the patient comes to the hospital; and JICC has a specialized CancerHub staffed by oncology nurse navigators to facilitate appointments and provide support to patients and families. When the patient comes to Jiahui International Cancer Center, all the examinations can be completed within 2-3 days, and according to the patient's condition, the patient will have a treatment discussion with experts from multiple disciplines. We believe that this model of care results both in better decision-making, but is also respectful of the patient and family’s time.
When the patient makes an appointment for the first or second consultation, oncologists from JICC usually ask the patient for a convenient appointment time, and we try our best to meet his or her needs. If the time is not suitable for medical reasons, JICC CancerHub will communicate with the patients and their families in advance.
With our patient-first approach comes plenty of time to allow each patient and family to ask questions and ensure that they fully understand their specific cancer and therapeutic approach. There is no time limit during consultation at Jiahui international cancer center. Patients have enough time to communicate with their doctors. At JICC, the average initial diagnosis of cancer patients is about one hour, and the treatment process is treated with unusual respect. Experts at Jiahui International Cancer Center listen carefully to patients' histories and other complaints to draw several inferences about potential problems. Based on these inferences, experts make a specific diagnosis of the patient before creating a treatment plan.
Dr. Ephraim Hochberg and Dr. Lily Zhou answer questions from cancer patients
Jiahui Health promotes the value of "patient-centered" care. Every doctor simply asks, "Is this the best thing for the patient? What would I do if the patient was my closest relative?" In this way, the experts can find the key to the problem. Patients should expect good doctors to use their knowledge and wisdom to communicate with patients on an equal footing, to understand patients' moods and diseases, and to use the most appropriate methods to cure. Critically ill patients and their families require their emotional and spiritual needs met-- privacy, comfort and dignity -- because every patient deserves the best medical care.
Translate the results of the research into the best chance for the best outcome for cancer patients
During Mass General Hospital and Jiahui Health Day, experts from Massachusetts General Hospital brought information to cancer patients in Shanghai about new research at Massachusetts General Hospital in recent years that has helped advance cancer treatment.
Drs Tanabe, Busse, and Hochberg discussed advances in liver cancer, the use of proton therapy, and immunotherapy and gene therapy for lymphoma patients. Dr. Sgroi discussed advancement in understanding of breast cancer progression.
Professor Andrew Zhu, executive director of Jiahui International Cancer Center, said to the cancer patients in Shanghai at the meeting: "the clinical directors from Massachusetts General Hospital who came to Jiahui Health today are my good friends. We have worked together for 18 years. When we were working together, we challenged each other, supported each other, and inspired each other, to give patients better treatment. Now that I am here at the Jiahui International Cancer Center, we will continue this tradition. We will continue to receive strong support from Massachusetts General Hospital at Jiahui. Despite the distance between us, we can still communicate smoothly, discuss cases, and review treatment plan decisions as easily as before, so that our cancer patients in China can receive high-quality diagnosis and treatment."
