Al Jalila Children's Specialty Hospital, the only pediatric hospital in the United Arab Emirates, has entered into an agreement with Washington, D.C.-based Children's National Health System to form a health IT strategic partnership.
The partnership is an extension of The Bear Institute for Health Innovation, a Children's National collaboration with Cerner Corporation, according to officials. Per the terms of the deal, Cerner, the electronic health record (EHR) company based in Kansas City, Mo., will serve in a strategic advisory role to guide Al Jalila Children's in effectively using health IT to deliver high-quality care for children across the Gulf Cooperation Council and the region.
Formed in 2013, The Bear Institute is a partnership created between Children's National Health System and Cerner to advance evidence-based pediatric medicine through technological innovation. The Bear Institute has rolled out dozens of solutions to some 3,000 caregivers across the Children's National health system.
"We're excited to enter into this new collaboration with Al Jalila Children's and, with the support of Cerner, plan to bring our best practices in patient-centered health IT to children in the UAE," said Kurt Newman, M.D., president and CEO of Children's National.
Added Mohamed Alawadhi, M.D., chief operating officer of Al Jalila Children's, “As the only children's hospital in the UAE and one among the few in the Middle East, we are constantly striving to provide the best possible care for patients, and this includes excellence in service delivery and subsequent patient satisfaction. At Al Jalila Children's, we have adopted global industry practices for IT, and with the signing of this agreement with Children's National, we aim to achieve a robust system with advanced and evidence-based pediatric care clinical pathways that will assist in providing high-level medical care to children in the UAE and the region."
