December 3, 2020 - The EPIC Webinars continue, with Claudia Mika of TEMOS and Daniel Coulton-Shaw of GCR discussing Innovations & Standards: Conflict or Convergence?

It has been 8 months since the postponement of the European Patient experience & Innovations Congress, and since then EPIC activities have been transferred to the online world in the form of monthly webinars. Among EPIC partners, we have added Cisco Webex, an American company that develops and sells web conferencing and video conferencing programs. It was founded as WebEx in 1995 and was taken over by Cisco Systems in 2007. Their platform allowed to hold one-hour EPIC Webinars once a month on current topics complementary to the conceptual themes of the congress. Our webinar speakers are mostly lecturers already planned and presented for the original congress. So far, 6 webinars with 10 speakers have been held, and online participants from 35 countries around the world participated and listened to EPIC webinars, asking questions and actively discussed the topics.

EPIC is a stage and platform for bringing together experts in health and innovation that has a wide range of activities, but also potential outcomes for all gathered.

The next webinar, and thus the last in 2020, will be held on December 17th 2020 at 6.00 pm CET on the topic Innovations & Standards: Conflict or Convergence? December speakers are Dr. Claudia Mika - Founder and CEO of Temos International Healthcare Accreditation and Daniel C. Shaw - Ambassador for the Global Clinic Rating.

Dr. Mika has been advising different associations and governmental institutions regarding quality related topics, patient experience and international patient management. She was awarded the Dr. Sanjiv Malik Lifetime Award for her significant contribution to the development of the medical travel sector. In 2020, Dr. Mika developed together with her expert team a set of standards to help healthcare organizations worldwide to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission in healthcare settings.

Anyone who knows Daniel Coulton Shaw will tell you that he is an enthusiastic storyteller full of practical ideas that will set your head spinning. His entertaining presentations are largely inspired by the successes and failures from 152 forward-thinking international private medical organizations, health clusters, hospitals, clinics and practices across 26 countries worldwide of multiple specialties. Daniel loves to put theory into practice in the day-to-day running of a successful international dental clinic for English-speaking patients in central Europe that he co-founded back in 2007.

Google is betting that the future of healthcare is going to be structured data and AI. Along with Apple, Amazon and their Asian equivalents, these companies are applying AI to disease detection, new data infrastructure, and potentially insurance. In this months EPIC webinar, Daniel Coulton Shaw explores how the standards of healthcare provided and the choices of the patient are exponentially expanding.

“If AI can shape healthcare and patient choice, it has to work through the regulations of healthcare … In fact, I see that as one of the biggest areas where the focus of Google will play out for the next 10 – 20 years.” — Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google

Accreditation in healthcare, which should include regular onsite inspections plays a crucial role in maintaining quality, patient safety and experience, outcomes, and much more.

When the pandemic reached us earlier this year, it forced Temos to overcome the first shock, face the challenge, and react. The standard procedures that had worked for more than ten years had to be revisited. In this case,” innovation” was needed where “standardization” is a keyword.

After consulting key stakeholders, it was decided to postpone all scheduled in-person onsite assessments to prevent risks for the assessors and the healthcare providers. At the same time, it was clear that this must not have any negative consequences for the organizations’ accreditation cycle. Flexible planning for accreditation programs became the new “standard” to develop COVID-19 safe hospital and clinic environments.

Join this great webinar on December 17^th at 6:00 CET at the following link.

For more on the Croatian medical tourism industry, follow the dedicated TCN link. 

October 9, 2020 - The EPIC Webinars continue, with Cleveland Clinic's Judith Welsh and Mayo Clinic's Rahul Kashyap next up, talking about the Patient Experience before and after COVID-19. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world and still does. Changes are happening in all fields. Situations change from moment to moment whether we are talking about health and patient care or something completely different. Uncertainty has become our reality and the pool in which we bathe every day. The inhabitants of the entire planet are adapting to the new living conditions that are being brought by epidemiologists’ day by day. Regardless of the current situation, a pandemic will change a patient’s experience in the years to come. In a time of reduced or, for some institutions even, banned personal visits, social distancing measures, wearing protective masks and without the current COVID-19 vaccine, doctors are using new digital tools to survive. The technology has enabled healthcare providers to continue connecting with patients through virtual advice. Patients have embraced the experience of virtual care, and global surveys now predict that virtual care interactions will exceed one billion in 2020. Digital patient engagement tools facilitate the growth of virtual medical examinations for non-coronavirus-related issues.

The Bagatin clinic, together with the international collaborating presenter Cleveland Clinic, will present this burning topic through the EPIC platform next week. On October 15^th at 6pm CET you will have the opportunity to meet two fantastic speakers from two amazing world-famous clinics in USA. These are Judith Toski Welsh, MD, FACEP from the Cleveland Clinic and a doctor Rahul Kashyap, MBBS, MBA from Mayo Clinic.

Judith Toski Welsh is the Associate Chief Experience Officer at Cleveland Clinic. She focuses on improving clinician communication and strengthening teamwork among caregivers to improve patient experience, quality and safety. She is also a practicing emergency physician who has worked in community and academic departments.

Rahul Kashyap is a physician scientist in Critical Care Medicine, and holds academic rank of Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at the Mayo Clinic. He has published over 230 articles in prestigious peer-reviewed journals. He has also written a book titled ‘Mayo Clinic Critical Care Case Review’. Dr. Kashyap is an award-winning public speaker who has received awards for exemplary research, quality improvement and leadership.

Along with this fantastic duo the webinar host will be Daniel C. Shaw, an enthusiastic storyteller with lots of practical ideas. Ambassador for GCR - Global Clinic Rating, an award-winning initiative co-founded by a Google employee that allows patients and healthcare professionals to compare apparent quality in nearly half a million private clinics and hospitals worldwide.

The goals of the webinar are certainly to gain insight into the lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the patient experience and to set a strategy for an improved patient experience in 2021 and beyond.

The Cleveland Clinic promises every patient that we will keep them safe, care for them as a person, partner with them, and make the care journey easier. These promises guide our process and policy and keep our patients at the center of everything that we do. The outbreak of COVID-19 forced many abrupt changes to the practice of medicine at Cleveland Clinic – from cessation of elective procedures, to changes in visitation, to development of surge capacity. The Office of Patient Experience supported the teams making these rapid changes by leveraging a combination of empathy, standardized communication, and technology to bridge the gaps made by COVID-19. In this presentation, I’ll discuss how we kept our promises and forged new paths to an even better experience.

Join this great webinar and sign up via the link.

For more on the Croatian medical tourism industry, follow the dedicated TCN link. 

September 3, 2020 - The EPIC Webinars continue, with CISCO's Ivan Duggan next up, talking about innovations in the Patient Experience. 

Patient Experience is a term that has been running through the healthcare industry for some time. When you ask people what exactly this means, you will get all sorts of answers that will mostly move in the direction of helping and making it easier for the client/patient.

By its definition it means this - As an integral component of health care quality, patient experience includes several aspects of health care delivery that patients value highly when they seek and receive care, such as getting timely appointments, easy access to information, and good communication with health care providers.

When we add innovation to this term, we get one mixed ball of progress. In healthcare, it may be a novel idea, product, service or care pathway that has clear benefits when compared to what is currently done. Successful innovations often possess two key qualities: they are both usable and desirable.

Since we are in the 21^st century from which innovations are simply pouring out, the question arises as to what are these new innovations that we can design and implement. Bagatin Clinic and Cleveland Clinic are both facing forward and for that reason they are pushing EPIC in this direction of innovation.

When we say Innovations in the patient experience, what comes to your mind first?

EPIC invited Mr. Ivan Duggan from CISCO to tell us how did intelligent secure infrastructure inspired innovations in healthcare by reimagining healthcare delivery, expanding access to care, delivering data-driven care, ensuring security and compliance, transforming facilities, and supporting business resiliency.

Getting the best possible outcomes for patients efficiently, effectively, with care and safety is your number one priority. With the current pandemic situation achieving this while ensuring staff and patient safety is more critical than ever.

Cisco is at the beating heart of this transformation. In this session you will hear how Cisco solutions are delivering this today across telehealth, security & compliance, connected medical device, mobile experiences and the smart hospital.

Ivan Duggan has overall responsibility for ‘go to market’ of Cisco’s Software Defined routing, switching and wireless portfolio’s in EMEAR, a portfolio that represents around 50% of Cisco’s product revenues in the region. With a key focus on enhancing customer’s digitisation evolution, productivity, profitability and lower costs through better use of Intelligent & Intuitive Networks. With more than 30 years’ experience in the data communications industry, Ivan joined Cisco in 1999, has a diverse background of both domestic and international sales experience, holding various leadership positions in Cisco Ireland and EMEAR. In these roles Ivan was responsible for building strategic sales strategies and also served as a key spokesperson to influence the media and government on the importance of technology to drive innovation and economic growth. He also led the Architecture and Solutions team in EMEAR, where he was responsible for delivering Customer & Partner success through Architectural & solutions IT relevancy.

Join us on September 10th at 6.00 pm CEST & sign up via the link.

For more on the Croatian medical tourism industry, follow the dedicated TCN link. 

August 19, 2020 - The 3rd EPIC webinar of the European Patient Experience and Innovation Congress features acclaimed travel guru, Doug Lansky.   

The European Patient experience and Innovation Congress, in its adaptation around the world pandemic, is organizing the third EPIC Webinar, “The Patient Journey & Innovation”.

Thanks to the organizers, Bagatin Clinic with collaborative international presenter Cleveland Clinic, co-organizers Global Clinic Rating and Stackpole & Associates Inc., partner Elda Pharm, technological partner CISCO and accreditation partner Temos, we can enjoy quality webinars every month.

We often look to other industries for clues to improve our own practices.

This is why the EPIC committee invited tourism expert Doug Lansky to provide some insight into customer service and how it can positively affect the patient experience. There’s perhaps no better source than the world’s top hotels, restaurants and tours when it comes to highlighting great customer service.

Doug will not only explain how aspects of these services can be directly adopted by the healthcare industry but that it can actually be done on a minimal budget and positively impact patients’ health by reducing stress at key points along the patient journey.

Doug Lansky is a tourism development thought leader who advises destinations and tourism companies and hotel associations around the world – from Singapore to Aruba, Google Travel to Amadeus – on strategy, management, and visitor experience. He spotted a clear customer-service connection between tourism and healthcare and has found a way to transfer best-practice examples from hospitality to hospitals.

Doug has given acclaimed lectures at nearly 100 universities, spoken to a sold-out audience at National Geographic Headquarters, for the United Nations World’s Tourism Organization, as an after-dinner speaker at corporate events and at both public and industry travel/tourism conferences, at TEDx Stockholm and set the attendance record for keynote lectures at the 2012 and 2013 ITB Berlin conferences.

The webinar will be presented by one of the members of the EPIC committee, Irving Stackpole, the President of Stackpole & Associates, Inc., a marketing, research, training, and organizational development firm.

Founded in 1991, Stackpole & Associates applies scientific marketing principles to develop practical solutions to clients’ challenges. Using the most rigorous psychological and behavioral science research, Stackpole & Associates develops methods and designs that produce unimpeachable data yielding reliable, actionable recommendations.

Stackpole & Associates works collaboratively with clients to create innovative and practical solutions to the challenges facing organizations in rapidly changing markets, including health travel.

Join us on August 27th for this new EPIC webinar and learn about the Patient Journey and Innovation.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

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Dubrovnik, Croatia, March 5, 2020 - EPIC 2020. Europe's first patient experience and innovation congress has been postponed as a precaution due to the coronavirus. 

It was - and will be - one of the best health tourism conferences on the calendar, with an A-list set of speakers due to appear in Dubrovnik from the very top of the healthcare industry. Collaborative international presenter Cleveland Clinic, one of the biggest names in healthcare, had no less than 5 speakers heading to Croatia, Mayo Clinic had three, with other speakers including senior representatives from the Disney Institute, Cisco and the editor of International Medical Travel Journal. 

It is a conference which will take place, but now at a later date than the planned March 19-21 gathering, after organisers Bagatin Clinic and Cleveland Clinic made the difficult but sensible decision not to attend due to the current coronavirus situation. The organisers have sensibly decided that the health and well-being of their delegates, sponsors, speakers and attendees is their first priority, and they would prefer to wait for a later date when everyone can travel safely and confidently, without any challenges or risks.

Ognjen Bagatin, CEO of Bagatin Clinic, announced the decision on his social media:

Given the current world situation regarding the coronavirus epidemic, the 1st EPIC - European Patient experience & Innovation Congress, scheduled to take place in Dubrovnik March 19-21, coorganized by the GCR - Global Clinic Rating, Irving Stackpole, Poliklinika Bagatin and our collaborative international presenters from Cleveland Clinic is being postponed to a later date.

I'm very sad to announce this, but the health and well-being of our partners, sponsors and speakers are our priority and we would rather wait for a later date, when we can all travel peacefully, safely and without any fears or worries ?

I would like to thank the whole EPIC team, all the health professionals, our speakers and collaborators for their hard work and effort over the last few months – I am sure it will all pay off, just with a little delay!
 
This is just a small obstacle in our way, from which I am sure we will emerge stronger and that in the very near future, the first EPIC - European Patient Experience & Innovation Congress, will be a great success.

The coronavirus has appeared in Croatia, eleven cases in all (all of which are mild), but they are away from the main tourist hot spots such as Dubrovnik, Split, Rovinj and the islands. 

The decision to stage EPIC 2020 in Dubrovnik was the latest statement from the Croatian medical tourism industry of its rising visibility on the international market. Many industry experts agree that Croatia has the potential to be among the top ten medical tourism providers in the world within ten years, and EPIC 2020 is one of the first major medical tourism conferences to bring the industry's finest minds to learn more about Croatia's potential. 

EPIC 2020 is organised by Bagatin Clinic, with collaborative international partner, Cleveland Clinic. The unlikely partnership of such a global name and a small Croatian clinic which only started operations in one room 12 years ago is testament to the determination and quality of Bagatin's team - the clinic was voted Best International Cosmetic Surgery Clinic 2019 at the annual International Medical Travel Journal awards in Berlin last December. 

For more information about EPIC 2020, including updates on the rescheduled date, visit the official website.

For the latest in the Croatian medical tourism story, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

February 3, 2020 - Croatia will be hosting the first European Patient Experience and Innovation Congress (EPIC 2020) in Dubrovnik 2020. Meet the man behind the project, Ognjen Bagatin from Bagatin Clinic in Zagreb and Split. 

He is the dynamic pioneer of Croatian medical tourism, a man determined to learn from the best and introduce the best to health tourism in Croatia. Which is how Dubrovnik came to be home to the first-ever European Patient Experience and Innovation Congress, taking place in Dubrovnik from March 19 - 21. TCN caught up with Ognjen Bagatin, the charismatic CEO of International Cosmetic Surgery Clinic of the Year 2019, Bagatin Clinic.  

EPIC is the first patient experience and innovation congress in Europe. Tell us firstly what you mean by the term 'patient experience' and why does it merit its own conference?

Thank you for a great question. The goal of the „Patient experience“ is to put the focus on the patient-first approach, and the main goal is to get better medical outcomes and to measure them. It is important that all decisions we have in healthcare are looked through the eyes of the patient, and this is something that everybody in healthcare agrees on, and understands. If you place the focus on patients and patient-first approach, we will make better decisions and bring value to patients in all our health systems.

(Ognjen Bagatin with Cleveland Clinic CEO Tom Mihaljevic)

With the digital transformation being so instrumental in healthcare, we wanted to bring all the best innovation that make patient experience better and with that better outcomes for the patients and less cost for health systems in the long run. Cleveland Clinic is a pioneer of Patient Experience, and they were one of the first who opened an office of patient experience in their clinic, even assigning a CXO (Chief Experience Officer). But this is not all, they are sharing that if you want to improve the patient experience, first you need to improve the medical staff experience. You can’t have a great patient experience without having a great medical staff experience.

This should not be just once a year congress, this should be a way of life for health in Europe. A continuous improvement in patient experience every day of the year, and we wanted to bring best of the best to help us with that.

(Ognjen Bagatin with co-organiser Irving Stackpole - read Irving's epic EPIC interview with TCN here)

Tell us how this conference came about, as it has some interesting organizers - the best hospital in the world (Cleveland Clinic), a top medical tourism consultancy (Stackpole & Associates), and a clinic in Zagreb (Bagatin Clinic). Where did the idea come from, and how did you all fall into cooperation?

At Bagatin Clinic we always think about how to provide the best service to our patients and our clients, and the idea came to me when I was in Australia a few years ago visiting few top-notch hospitals to see what they are doing in this field. It led me to HSS hospital in Sydney where they had a huge sign saying „PATIENT FIRST“ in every room, to remind the staff who is the most important VIP person in the hospital.

I consider that is a great way to make your mission short and sweet and I asked people in the hospital if they came up with this or they saw it somewhere else? They said one of their top surgeons had worked in Cleveland Clinic and he transferred the culture to their hospital. So I went to Cleveland Clinic to experience this culture and the rest is history.

(Ognjen Bagatin with Team Cleveland -  Mario Škugor and Joe Sweet)

I had a great support there from Mario Škugor, the endocrinologist from Cleveland Clinic who introduced me to the CEO of Cleveland Clinic, Tomislav Mihaljevic MD, and Joe Sweet from the international office of Patient experience. Since Cleveland Clinic is opening their first-ever European clinic in London, near Buckingham Palace, in 2021, they also wanted to spread the Cleveland way of healthcare approach in Europe, and we decided to do this amazing congress after 2 years of preparation. We have an amazing announcement of Tom Mihaljevic for this Congress that have been seen by thousands of Healthcare professionals all around Europe:

To make it more professional, and on a higher level, we approached Irving Stackpole (top-level medical tourism and healthcare consultant) and Daniel C. Shaw (a leader from  Global Rating Clinic, an amazing accreditation and reputation building organization) to join us to make a great impact on European Health systems and shift the epicenter of innovations in healthcare from US to Europe and with this to lift the medical outcomes results in our health systems. We as a team, together with Cleveland Clinic champions Mario Škugor and Joe Sweet, and Bojan Pintaric (executive director in Bagatin Clinic) and Sara Bukic (EPIC project leader) have formed a team who can really make a difference. We are very excited and can’t wait for the Congress to start.

Who should come, why, and what will they get from the conference?

Great question. The European Patient Experience and Innovation Congress will be a high energy, stimulating event for everyone, from C -Suite executives, to clinical practitioners, clinic owners, scientists and investors. EPIC brings together some of the most influential physicians, MedTech startups and health professionals from Europe & beyond to the table to improve how your patients will experience healthcare in the near future.  As technology continues to help us achieve previously unattainable results in healthcare, join us for an insiders' look at which technologies, ideas & innovations are improving the patient experience with some of the leading clinics & healthcare companies of the world so that you can stay ahead.

(Ognjen Bagatin with co-organiser Daniel Coulton Shaw. Read Daniel's TCN interview for EPIC here)

We will explore:

• • The design of systems to improve patient experience
• • The role of science, artificial intelligence and big data
• • Investment opportunities
• • Bedside and interpersonal methods to improve patient care
• • Mobile and personal care apps
• • The “future” of healthcare

And you will have an opportunity to be a part of a boutique event with some of the giants of healthcare like Cleveland and Mayo Clinic, and many, many more as well. At the moment we have attendees from 22 countries in the world (17 from Europe) and the number is increasing every day.

Just looking at the list of speakers already assembled and with more to be confirmed, it looks like a medical tourism A-list - Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, Disney Institute, World Bank, the editor of IMTJ, as well as renowned Croatian experts such as Dragan Primorac from St. Catherine Specialty Hospital and Nikica Gabrić from Svjetlost. Tell us more.

I could talk all day about them, the organizational team has done a really amazing job of bringing to one event an incredible set of speakers from all over the world. The names of some of our keynote speakers are:

• Francis Papay, MD, a plastic surgeon from Cleveland Clinic, who did the first face transplantation with his team in North America – a fantastic story. 
  
• Beata Kurucz, EIT (EIT Health), and they stimulate start-ups to bring innovation to life while building a globally competitive European healthcare industry.
• Stephan Bender from Disney institute – who will share with us how a hospital would look like if it was run by Disney, a top hospitality brand in the World
• Ivan Duggan from Cisco, an innovator who will share with us how the future will look like
• Rahul Kashyap, MD, Mayo Clinic innovator and clinician, He is an award-winning public speaker. He has received awards for exemplary research, quality improvement and leadership
• Dragan Primorac, MD, St. Catherine Hospital – who will share his futuristic view of personalized medicine and St. Catherine`s cooperation with Mayo Clinic and so on.
• Nikica Gabrić, MD, Svjetlost Eye Hospital, who will share how to make your clinic/hospital so popular that American Celebrity Movie Stars visit them and refer their friends to his 9 clinics in the region
• Karin Jay from Planetree, relationship-centered model of care and international certification criteria
• Paul O'Brien, a famous London Clinic chef and many many many more.

The Congress will also have a „shark tank – start-up contest“ on Saturday (March 21^st) with teams from all over Europe.

Why Dubrovnik?

Dubrovnik is a spectacular location and a great city to host this kind of event, with lots of history and a place that is on everybody`s bucket list. A city with an amazing history.

Also, because it has a connection with healthcare and some fun TIPS:

The home of EPIC 2020 - the city of Dubrovnik, developed on the east coast of the Adriatic, becoming an EPIC trading and maritime power, especially from the 14^th century onwards. Although the city was economically developed, maritime trade with the East and the hinterland brought on a high risk of epidemics of various diseases. In order to preserve its commercial prosperity, identity and existence, Dubrovnik introduced various preventive medicine measures, the most famous of which is the invention of quarantine!  By introducing regulations relating to hygiene and medicine in order to protect the health of its population and ensure the status of a powerful trading force it had at the time, it was ranked among the most developed European cities, while maintaining the distinctiveness of its medicine.

Another EPIC fun fact is the first pharmacy in Croatia, and the 3rd in Europe was in Dubrovnik. During the Middle Ages, the city was surrounded by gardens full of aromatic herbs, hence was the idea was born of founding laboratories for making medical preparations used to heal the minds and bodies of those in need!

P.S. Anyone who is a Game of Thrones fan wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to visit King’s Landing!

(Photo by Romulic & Stojcic)

Innovation and technology are obviously playing a key role in the development of the medical tourism industry. What trends in particular excite you the most, and what are you looking forward to at EPIC?

Yes, you are right, innovation and technology are really influencing the way we communicate with our patients, but also how we follow up on them and how we create trust and relationship with them. This is where innovation and technology kick in the most, and at EPIC we will have an opportunity to hear about amazing innovations that are used by some of the world’s giants in healthcare, but also about niche innovation that can really make a difference in the future for the patients themselves and the patient experience. I`m looking forward to listening, learning and networking with great speakers and amazing attendees from all over the world.

2019 was a great year for your own Bagatin Clinic. We last saw each other in Berlin at the IMTJ Awards, where you picked up International Cosmetic Surgery Clinic 2019, as well as TEMOS accreditation. What are your plans for 2020 and how do you see things moving in the Croatian medical tourism industry in general?

We have fantastic plans for this year, including the expansion of our clinic in Zagreb the especially dental and aesthetic medicine departments. We are starting with some new services such as hair restoration in Zagreb and Split (which is very popular among medical tourists), we will be present as speakers or partners on more than 15 different conferences and summits outside of Croatia, and will probably open one more satellite outside of Zagreb and Split (this I will share soon).

(Ognjen Bagatin at the IMTJ awards in Berlin, where Bagatin Clinic was named International Cosmetic Surgery Clinic of the Year 2019)

We are continuing with our digital transformation and will open our webshop in February, continue to work on paperless clinic and use technology to save our staff's to put an even better focus on our clients, and are in the process of developing our own app for our clients that will help to increase their patient experience with Bagatin. We are going to continue our cooperation with Cleveland clinic, and try to work more closely with other Croatian clinics and service providers so we can have a bigger impact on international markets.  We have so many open projects at this moment, but let’s talk about it when we finish some of them?

To learn more about EPIC 2020, visit the official website. 

For the latest from the Croatian medical tourism industry, follow the dedicated TCN section.

Total Croatia News is an official media partner of EPIC 2020. 

 January 29, 2020 - The first European Patient Experience and Innovation Congress will take place in Dubrovnik from March 19-21. TCN catches up with co-organiser, Daniel Coulton Shaw from Global Clinic Rating to find out more. 

1. The term 'patient experience' is something relatively new in terms of medical tourism conference themes. Tell us what you mean by it, and why people will be hearing a lot more about it in the future.

Wikipedia states that Patient experience (PX) is defined as the sum of all interactions, shaped by #healthcareorganization culture, that influence #patient perceptions across the continuum of care.

For me, in my own clinic and the clinics I consult for, I look at patient experience (PX) as simply "everything we say & do". No matter if we are a single doctor, a private medical practice, medical clinic or speciality hospital, a patient experience always occurs, and it's something we can usually influence directly.

2. How did you get involved in organising EPIC and what will you be talking about in your presentation?

A Croatian healthcare entrepreneur called Ognjen Bagatin invited me to be part of the organising committee along with Irving Stackpole, both of whom I respect greatly for their impact on the medical travel market both in Croatia and beyond. Both of them not only work in healthcare make a profit, but are truly focused on improving healthcare for all, not just their clients. I share that passion and am honoured to work with them to have the chance to bring lasting improvements to the provision of healthcare with central Europe and beyond.

3. You have a great personal story of initially helping a dentist do a website in Bratislava, which mushroomed into your GCR business today, and now you have a very good understanding of clinics in Central and Eastern Europe. Which countries are performing best in terms of paying attention to detail in the patient experience, and tell us about any individual examples of excellence?

It's hard to single out individual countries that are "performing well" inpatient experience, as it is to find a country that has the best customer experience in coffee shops. Starbucks do a great job of systematising the coffee drinking experience, but it's hard to beat that little Italian "cafeteria" in a forgotten corner of the country where the barista strokes your dog, asks about your leg and moves your chair so that you can get a bit of sun on your face between the trees.

It's similar in healthcare facilities. I believe that countries such as Finland, Australia, the Nederlands, the US and Japan have made great strides in building systems around the patient experience, but there are hidden gems everywhere I travel.

Back to that coffee example. A few months back I wrote an article on Linkedin about a fertility clinic in the Czech Republic, that hired a south American barista simply to create great coffee for their patients. But that's not all. Via social media, he contacts the patients ahead of their visits to ask them simply what do they prefer tea/coffee - black, white, sugar, no sugar. And to the patients surprise as soon as they sit down for the initial consultation with the doctor, the barista brings in their drink just the way they like it - without even asking the patient about it during their visit.

Now I can tell you that many patients who visit fertility clinics don't like to share this private treatment to often on social media - but they do share photos of their fantastic coffee experience, and that has done wonders for this fertility centre in reaching new patients.

4. Why Dubrovnik?

Dubrovnik. We'll who wouldn't want to get out of the office or hospital and go down to Dubrovnik to learn from the world's best inpatient experience. It's a hard offer to turn down.

5. Technology is changing the world, and healthcare is no exception. Innovation in healthcare is a core part of EPIC. Tell us a little about this, and what aspects of innovation and technology excite you the most?

For me personally, the most exciting part of current innovation in healthcare is certainly the developments in patient choice. Instead of blindly asking grandma who's the best doctor, going to the nearest available health centre, or at least the ones that have the best marketing, patients can increasingly turn to patient-reported treatment outcomes (results), along with clinically reported treatment outcomes to judge the quality, affordability and value of individual medical centres.

6. There are some great speakers already confirmed. Give us a flavour.

I'm excited about Dave De Bronkart, who learned he had a rare and terminal cancer, he turned to a group of fellow patients online and found the medical treatment that saved his life. Now he calls on all patients to talk with one another, know their own health data, and for healthcare to listen to patients as partners in the new world of participatory medicine.

There's also Thijs De Blok from Buurtzorg, I was blown away when I learned about their self-governing teams of ten to twelve nurses providing both medical and supportive home care services. There are over 10,000 nurses in their teams now, dramatically lowering the healthcare burden in the country, with patient satisfaction scores are 30 percent above the national average 9.1 out of 10. This is no small feat, and they have since replicated similar results in Asia and beyond.

7. You are a regular and popular visitor to the Croatian medical tourism scene, and last year in an interview for TCN stated that Croatia can be a hub for medical tourism for Central Europe. Is that still your belief, and what progress has been made in the last year?

Croatia remains the leading contender within central Europe for elective healthcare. As the cost of treatment between the countries continues to level out, medical travellers are looking beyond affordability to value, quality and experience. With Croatian clinics like Bagatin, St. Catherines, Rident & Svjetlost stepping up their game this year, I believe that the other former Yugoslavian & USSR countries should not get too complacent and comfortable.

Croatia is not relying on the government to support them in reaching international patients, as many of these countries still are. It is through the hard work of the private healthcare sector, and active clusters like Kvarner Health that helping the country to rise, regardless of whether the government notices or not.

With the EU presidency in Croatia, it looks like the right place and the right time.

About Daniel Coulton Shaw:

Anyone who knows Daniel Coulton Shaw will tell you that he is an enthusiastic storyteller full of practical ideas that will set your head spinning. His entertaining presentations are largely inspired by the successes and failures from 152 forward-thinking international private medical organizations, health clusters, hospitals, clinics and practices across 26 countries worldwide of multiple specialities. Daniel works closely with this portfolio of leading private clinics, improving the way that these clinics & hospitals reach, book, and engage patients to increase their reputation & results. The patient innovation trends Daniel shares are always supported with insightful data & facts gained through the past 4 years as the ambassador for the GCR the Global Clinic Rating, an award-winning initiative co-founded by an employee of Google to enable both patients & healthcare professionals to compare the apparent quality of almost half a million private clinics & hospitals worldwide. When not on the road, Daniel loves to put theory into practice in the day-to-day running of a successful international dental clinic for English-speaking patients in central Europe that he co-founded back in 2007 as well as spending time “off the grid” with his family – exploring the world beyond phones & screens in the mountains, on the ocean, at great concerts, running races or serving those with limited access to education & care.

You can connect with Daniel Coulton Shaw on LinkedIn.

To learn more about EPIC 2020, visit the official website. 

To follow the latest from the Croatian medical tourism industry, check out the dedicated TCN section.

January 23, 2020 - Europe's first-ever patient experience and innovation congress, EPIC 2020, will take place in Dubrovnik in March. TCN catches up with co-organiser, Irving Stackpole, to learn more about this ground-breaking conference. 

There are two months to go until the EPIC 2020, the first European Patient Experience and Innovation Congress in Dubrovnik, which boasts a star-studded lineup of medical tourism expert speakers and professionals, including some of the biggest names in the industry, such as Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic. In terms of experience, none can match Irving Stackpole, who is not only in the industry for 48 years, but also at the cutting edge of new technologies.  

With decades of experience in healthcare, Irving Stackpole is the President of Stackpole & Associates, Inc., a strategy, marketing and research firm. Irving is a mentor for the European Institute for Innovation in Health, an EU program to stimulate healthcare entrepreneurship. He edited Medical Tourism Marketing the 1st book on the subject, is the co-author of The Marketing Handbook in Health Tourism, co-hosts the podcast and many more similar activities. TCN caught up with Stackpole to learn more about why this conference is so important and innovative. 

What is the Patient experience, and why is it so important?

The “patient experience” refers to the subjective perception of the interactions consumers have with their healthcare providers. This ranges from the first request or inquiry, to the aftercare follow up, and includes everything from whether the doctors’ office answered the phone well, to the clarity and accuracy of the invoice charges. Was it easy to schedule this appointment? Were the people I spoke to polite? Did I feel rushed or interrogated? Did the doctor take time to listen? Was the clinic or hospital clean and orderly? Was the outcome as I expected based on what the doctor told me? Were there any surprises in the invoice I received? All of these become part of the “patient experience”.

As it turns out, positive patient experiences may be a critical ingredient to healthier national economies!

In developed countries, healthcare is consuming greater amounts of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which leaves less resources for other investments like R&D, infrastructure, pensions and others. In developing economies, the struggle for investment priorities creates political tensions. So, making healthcare more effective is not only just the right thing to do, greater healthcare efficiency is a national priority. And one of the factors that has emerged from research in America, UK and Australia is that healthcare consumers who are more engaged in their care, more involved, have better outcomes and report higher levels of satisfaction with their care.

The focus on the consumer, or patient, experience is also a reflection of the changing relationship between consumers (“patients”) and providers. Patients are no longer “patient” with arrogant doctors who expect compliance and passive, complete acceptance. Many consumers arrive at their appointments with having researched symptoms and options, loaded with questions and even suggestions. This completely turns the patient / provider relationship on its ear.

You recently gave a presentation in Berlin entitled 'The Future of Healthcare is in Your Hand.' What do you mean by that?

Healthcare consumers are progressively choosing to explore, engage and communicate with providers via their mobile devices. After all, if I can get everything I want or need via my mobile devise, through an app – why not an appointment with my ENT? If I am using my mobile device to order my latte for pickup, my lunch for delivery and a date for the weekend, why can’t I also schedule my annual physical? And regardless of how we may understand that the healthcare “experience” shouldn’t be compared to buying shoes on Zappo’s or ordering a book on Amazon, the comparison is inevitable if only because all of these occur through the same device.

And if I can reach out to, and communicate with my provider via the mobile device, why should the relationship by one-way? Why can’t providers reach the consumer via digital channels as well? And indeed, this is the pattern we see developing. Teleradiology was the entre to this realm, and telemetry is now being used wherever there is a dearth of particular providers (think psychiatry), great distance (think remote locations) or unusual specialties (think genomic profiling).

And then there is progress toward wearable devices that collect biometrics through your handheld platforms wherever you are. The data from your wearable heartrate monitor, blood glucose monitor, sweat chemistry and breath analyzer is being collected and stored in a data warehouse which can be accessed by providers and researchers anywhere and at any time. So, you may not travel, your provider may not travel, but exabytes of data are traveling whirling around the globe at startling sped and growing rates. Is this “health data tourism”?

This is what I mean by, “The Future of Healthcare Is in Your Hand.”

How is the patient-doctor relationship changing?

The historical relationship has been “asymmetrical” where the provider knew everything, the patient just had to be “patient” and accept what the doctor said, how he chose to say it and when. The notion that the patient had a right to know anything emerged as a very new thread in the historical tapestry of healthcare. A patient’s medical record is still considered the provider’s property, although the information belongs to the patient.

The relationship between the doctor and the patient is affected by the age of each, their expectations and the context of their interaction. In emergency or urgent care circumstances, the relationship is almost completely transactional, whereas in a more casual circumstance the relationships are becoming more interactive and less transactional.

The past decade saw medical schools teaching “empathy” and bedside manner. If this weren’t a glaring lack, why would the medical colleges add this to the curriculum? The UK and USA have formal rating systems based on patient feedback which rate doctors on their interpersonal qualities.

And wherever patient choice influences the physician’s earnings, you’ll find a far greater sensitivity to the patient’s experience and their willingness to recommend. Pathologists don’t suffer this customer-facing challenge, whereas obstetricians do, and impacts are remarkable. In the four decades in which I have been working in healthcare, I have witnessed a sea-change in attitudes by and among physicians in elective practices.

The Four Muskateers organising EPIC 2020 are an interesting collection. Apart from yourself, a Brit in Slovakia, a private clinic in Zagreb, and the number one hospital in the world, Cleveland Clinic. How did the partnership come about?

Ognjen Bagatin and I met at a conference in Washington DC several years ago, and I was immediately struck by his energy and willingness to engage at a far deeper level than most clinic owner / operators. Ognjen wanted to delve more deeply into the inner working of the markets, the motivations and obstacles, as well as the levers that make things work. He and I kept in touch last year, we had a conversation that revealed to us the central need for innovation in the behavioral and technological dimensions that produce the patient experience. We agreed to stay in dialogue and each of us conducted research into the organizations and conferences exploring these topics. We were surprised at how little there was in this domain and felt an immediate need and opportunity to fill the gap. Being passionately Croatian, Ognjen wanted to host an event in Croatia, Ognjen recruited Daniel Coulton-Shaw of Global Clinical Rating to participate in the organization of the Congress. 

We agreed to focus on Europe, since these countries[İrving Stackpole]  share the fundamental value that healthcare is the responsibility of the state. European economies and political cultures incorporate this assumption, in contrast to the USA, where millions do not have access to health insurance, and over half of personal bankruptcies are because of medical bills. We did agree, however, to invite leading experts from America to get involved. Ognjen immediately asked Tomislav Mihaljević, CEO of Cleveland Clinic if he were interested, and Tomas’ enthusiastic support was remarkable. We knew right away that we were onto a good idea!

Dubrovnik is the location – why did you choose it, and can you say a few words about Croatian health tourism and its progress?

Croatia is the scene of vibrant entrepreneurial energy! When Bagatin Clinic stepped up to organize this event, the country was a foregone conclusion, then Ognjen suggested Dubrovnik. Given the international reputation as a destination and its fame as the setting as Kings Landing in Game of Thrones, the scene as set!

Croatia is seeing a surge as a destination for health tourists. The reasons are parallel or overlapping with the reasons Croatia is a growing destination for travelers. Wonderful people, beautiful scenery, great food – all of these are compelling. Add to that, the excellent medical and healthcare providers and it’s easy to see why Croatia is growing as a health tourism destination.

Who should come to EPIC – what will they get out of it?

The audience for EPIC includes healthcare providers, (hospitals, clinics, dentists, therapists), companies serving the health & wellness markets such as technology providers and suppliers, as well as researchers and academics exploring leading-edge breakthroughs in healthcare technology and life sciences.

The content is highly varied and will appeal to a broad array of practitioners and innovators.

This Congress is targeting forward-thinkers, and those who are anticipating what the future holds. The person who thinks, “What if…” is exactly the audience who will benefit.

Those who attend will derive insights into technological and behavioral innovations that will directly impact the “patient experience” in healthcare. These insights may even surprise; this conference is an opportunity to “look around the corner” and see what’s coming.

And there will be many opportunities to network with thought leaders and successful healthcare business professionals from over 15 countries.

You have put together a stunning lineup of speakers- give us a flavour.

The speakers we invited, and those who asked to participate all shared our vision of the importance for the patient experience and innovation evolution. We were in dialogue with many of worldwide experts, researchers and authors, and while not everyone could fit this year’s program into their schedules, we are delighted with the variety and quality of the program presenters. And because of the importance of the topic, and the leadership position EPIC has developed in this domain, we are very confident going forward that we will continue to have top caliber faculty at this event.

Joe Sweet, and Mario Skugor from Cleveland Clinic in the United States and James Guttierez from Cleveland Clinic London will be sharing their practical experience engineering an environment and culture that supports a positive patient experience. Also, we’ll hear from Sheila Stevens and Rahul Kashyap from Mayo Clinic about their breakthroughs in managing the patient experience. Karen Jay, CEO of Planetree and Chris Graham, European managing director for The Picker Institute will talk about the challenges and advances in measuring patient satisfaction and engagement. In the technology domain, João Bocas, the “wearables guys” will review the recent breakthroughs in remote biometric sensing and data collection. We will hear from nursing and care professionals from Europe and the United States regarding the bedside innovations. Noted international travel writer and consultant, Doug Lansky, will talk about the experience of international patients who are seeking care far from home. On a personal experience level, we have invited “e-patient Dave”, Dave de Bronkhart, as well as a panel of former patients to discuss their experiences, and to answer questions from the audience.

The range of speakers is as broad as the subject, the “patient experience”. When you asked me to give you, “a flavor” of speakers at EPIC, it will be more like a smorgasbord than an entrée!

Importantly, we all believe that this is just the beginning. The future of healthcare will be driven by changes that are only just now beginning to emerge. This Congress, the 1^st European Patient Experience & Innovation Congress is our attempt to “look around the corner” and to create an ongoing dialogue that will benefit providers and consumers.

You can learn more about EPIC 2020 from the official website. 

To follow the latest in the Croatian medical tourism story, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

December 30, 2019 - The impression interest in EPIC 2020, the first European Patient Experience and Innovation Congress introduces its latest high-profile supporter, none other than Cleveland Clinic CEO and President Tom Mihaljevic.  

It has been a real education watching this build up from the sidelines, as well as a lesson in what can be achieved if you aim high. 

My introduction to Croatia's medical tourism industry just over two years ago was through a meeting request from Bagatin Clinic CEO Ognjen Bagatin, who wanted to show me not only what his own clinic was doing, but also other leading healthcare providers, such as St Catherine's Specialty Hospital and Svjetlost Eye Clinic. I wrote my first impressions in Heath Tourism is Coming Home: Why Zagreb is the Next Big Medical Tourism Destination. 

It is an industry I have followed very closely since, including interviews with several global experts who spoke at conferences in Croatia, who all concluded that Croatia had the potential to be in the world's top ten medical tourism destinations in Europe within 10 years if its stakeholders could unite. 

The success of St Catherine's (the first European partner for the Mayo Clinic co-sponsored OneOme pharmacogenetic RightMed test) and Bagatin has been a particular pleasure to watch - and it was an honour to be in Berlin earlier this month to see Ognjen pick up the International Medical Travel Journal 2019 International Cosmetic Surgery Clinic of the Year award for Bagatin Clinic. 

Always an ambitious guy, I thought he had gone a little too far a few months ago when he showed me a flyer for a new conference his clinic was organising: EPIC 2020, the first European Patient Experience and Innovation Congress, to be held in Dubrovnik from March 19-21. 

"We will have some really top guys, it will be quite a show and really put Croatia on the medical tourism map. You will see."

EPIC brings together some of the most influential physicians, MedTech startups and health professionals from Europe & beyond to the table to improve how your patients will experience healthcare in the near future.

As technology continues to help us achieve previously unattainable results in healthcare, join us for an insiders’ look at which technologies, ideas & innovations are improving the patient experience with some of the leading clinics & healthcare companies of the world so that you can stay ahead. 

Bagatin has been true to his word, some REALLY top names are already confirmed as speakers at EPIC 2020. Three international speakers from EPIC 2020 collaborative international presenter, Cleveland Clinic, two from Mayo Clinic, the Disney Institute, the Editor-in-Chief of International Medical Travel Journal are already confirmed, with many more on the way. And then there are the video endorsements from supporters of the initiative who cannot make it. 

A personal video message from Cleveland Clinic CEO and President Tom Mihaljevic! Mihaljevic is himself a Croat, and the Cleveland Clinic has been taking a more active interest in Croatia in recent years, following a visit to Cleveland by Bagatin in 2018, as Cleveland Clinic International Patient Experience Director Joe Sweet explained to me in an interview in Zagreb earlier this year. 

And it was rather a pleasant surprise to find TCN nestled in the middle of the video with Mihaljevic's message. 

To learn more about EPIC 2020, check out the official website. 

To follow the latest from the Croatian medical tourism industry, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

December 8, 2019 - EPIC 2020, the first European Patient Experience and Innovation Conference will take place in Dubrovnik in March, with an A-list lineup of speakers.  

"A European patient experience conference in Dubrovnik," said the President of the German Wellness Association as we chatted at the Croatian stand at this week's IMTJ 2019 conference in Berlin. "That looks really cool. I will have to come."

One of things I was most curious about on this week's trip to Berlin was how Croatia's medical tourism stars were perceived on the world stage. Having followed the industry from within Croatia for two years, this was my first glimpse seeing them with their peers from Korea, Germany, and Malaysia. 

And they did more than make up the numbers, with Bagatin Clinic winning the confidence of no less than 20 expert judges to return home to Zagreb as the International Cosmetic Surgery Clinic of the Year 2019. 

Spending time with CEO Ognjen Bagatin is a fun but exhausting experience. His vision is extraordinary, his energy and determination even more so. And so when he told me a couple of months ago that he was bringing Cleveland Clinic to Dubrovnik as presentation partner for the first European Patient Experience and Innovation Conference, I just smiled. I knew it would happen, and I know it will be exceptional. But I hadn't quite anticipated just how much interest the conference would generate within the industry.  

The first inkling of the global interest came at the Crikvenica International Health Conference last month, when a speaker from Mayo Clinic expressed interest in the conference. That initial interest has been transformed into a speaking spot at EPIC 2020, as Mayo Clinic joins a growing illustrious list of speakers from Cleveland Clinic, the Disney Institute and the Editor-in-Chief of IMTJ who will be appearing in Dubrovnik at EPIC 2020 on March 19-21. From the official website:

EPIC brings together some of the most influential physicians, MedTech startups and health professionals from Europe & beyond to the table to improve how your patients will experience healthcare in the near future.

As technology continues to help us achieve previously unattainable results in healthcare, join us for an insiders’ look at which technologies, ideas & innovations are improving the patient experience with some of the leading clinics & healthcare companies of the world so that you can stay ahead. 

There are many more speakers to be added, but below you can find details on a selection of those already confirmed. It promises to be a great event, and yet one more important step to putting Croatia on the medical tourism world map. Learn more about EPIC 2020 from the official website. 

To follow the latest from the medical tourism industry, follow the dedicated TCN section.