Aikang Group Becomes First in Mainland China to Receive JCI Gold Seal Certification for Four Health Screening Centers
Recently, four health examination centers under the Ikang Group—Beijing Ikang Junan Flagship Health Examination Center, Beijing Ikang Guobin Zhongguancun Health Examination Center, Shanghai Ikang Junan Flagship Health Examination Center, and Shanghai Ikang Zhuoyue Wangzu Medical Center—successfully passed the rigorous evaluation by the Joint Commission International (hereinafter referred to as JCI) and officially obtained JCI accreditation. On July 13, a certification awarding ceremony for the Beijing Ikang Junan Flagship Health Examination Center and the Beijing Ikang Guobin Zhongguancun Health Examination Center was held in Beijing. As the first professional health examination centers in mainland China to receive international JCI accreditation, this achievement marks that the medical services and management standards of Ikang Group’s health examination centers have aligned with international benchmarks.
Site of the JCI Accreditation Award Ceremony for Ikang in Beijing
Professor Zeng Qiang, Vice President of the China Health Management Association and Former Chairman of the Health Management Branch of the Chinese Medical Association; Qiu Dalong, President of the Beijing Health Management Association; Du Bing, Party Secretary of the Beijing Health Management Association; Zhang Jingbo, Chairman of the Health Management Branch of the Beijing Medical Association and Director of the Beijing Physical Examination Center; Pan Xiangming, President of the Healthy China Publicity Committee of the China Radio and Television Federation; Alissa Peacock, Team Leader of the JCI Certification Group, International Department of The Joint Commission; Ren Hui, Director of the China Office of the International Department of The Joint Commission and Deputy General Manager of JCI Accreditation (Beijing) Co., Ltd.; Zhang Ligang, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Ikang Group; along with other experts, leaders from academic societies, associations, and enterprises, as well as numerous media guests, gathered together to jointly witness this important milestone moment for Ikang.
It is reported that the Joint Commission International (JCI) is an authoritative accreditation body for healthcare quality recognized by the World Health Organization, and is widely regarded as one of the gold standards for medical services globally. To date, more than 1,000 healthcare institutions in over 70 countries and regions worldwide have obtained JCI accreditation. Internationally, these include the European Institute of Oncology, University Hospital La Paz in Madrid, Spain, Nagoya University Hospital in Japan, Yonsei University Health System in South Korea, and Bumrungrad International Hospital in Thailand. In China, accredited institutions include renowned Grade A tertiary hospitals such as Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University and The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, as well as Sino-foreign joint venture hospitals like United Family Healthcare.
From May 10 to June 16, 2021, a survey team dispatched by JCI Headquarters conducted a 14-day accreditation survey of four health examination centers under the Ikang Group. The assessment was carried out in accordance with the latest fourth edition of the JCI Accreditation Standards for Ambulatory Care, covering 14 chapters, 179 standards, and 729 elements of performance. Through on-site observations, interviews, and real-time scoring, the team performed a comprehensive and thorough evaluation. Ultimately, all four health examination centers successfully achieved international JCI accreditation with high scores.
According to Zhang Xiaojin, Deputy General Manager of Medical Management at Ikang Group, four health examination centers under the group have been accredited under the Ambulatory Care standards. They achieved full scores in the evaluation of chapters including International Patient Safety Goals (IPSG), Access to Care and Continuity of Care (ACC), Patient and Family Rights (PFR), Anesthesia and Surgical Care (ASC), Patient and Family Education (PFE), and Prevention and Control of Infections (PCI). For the public, the greatest benefit of receiving health management services from JCI-accredited institutions is that medical safety is maximally protected, while medical quality is subject to continuous improvement.
On July 13, the JCI accreditation plaque awarding ceremony for Ikang was successfully held in the warm and comfortable star-rated environment of the Beijing Ikang Jun’an Flagship Health Examination Center. Attending guests extended their congratulations and delivered speeches.
“As a third-party certification body, JCI can further urge and enhance the service quality of the health examination industry. Ikang’s recent acquisition of this certification not only sets a precedent and establishes a benchmark for other health examination institutions, but also necessitates continuous improvement to make its due positive contribution to the construction of Healthy China,” emphasized Professor Zeng Qiang, Vice President of the Chinese Health Management Association and former Chairman of the Health Management Branch of the Chinese Medical Association. He expressed his hope that Ikang would continue to uphold innovation, technology, and service excellence, further improve its health management and physical examination management practices, and play a greater role in China’s health sector.
Ikang’s JCI Accreditation Beijing Award Ceremony
“Founded in 2004 with the aim of establishing a domestic health management platform, Ikang introduced the concept of ‘managed health check-ups’ in 2017, subsequently integrating precision medicine and other approaches to support early cancer screening. Today, the company has fully embraced emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, expanding its solutions beyond early cancer detection to include screening for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. These technological advancements help address the shortage of medical resources in China while continuously improving healthcare quality. As the first professional health examination institution in mainland China to achieve international JCI accreditation, Ikang is well-positioned to deepen collaborations with strategic partners through an ‘international perspective.’ Meanwhile, Ikang remains committed to ‘localized’ service management, continuing to introduce advanced managerial expertise and medical technologies to achieve high-quality, sustainable development.”
Address by Zhang Ligang, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Ikang Group
At the accreditation ceremony, Zhang Ligang, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Ikang Group, stated that achieving JCI accreditation represents the greatest recognition of Ikang Group’s efforts over the past 17 years, demonstrating that its medical services have met international standards. He also noted that this achievement presents an ongoing challenge: “As a young healthcare group, Ikang is willing to embrace this challenge and strives to hold itself to higher standards, thereby providing clients with more professional, high-quality, and patient-centered services.”
In addition, a roundtable forum titled “Supporting Healthy China: The Quality Mission of Private Health Examination Institutions” was held at the award ceremony site to jointly discuss the current status and future development direction of private health examination institutions.
“Empowering Healthy China: The Quality Mission of Private Health Examination Institutions” Roundtable Forum
(From second from left to right: Zhang Jingbo, Chairman of the Health Management Branch of the Beijing Medical Association and Director of the Beijing Physical Examination Center; Du Bing, Secretary of the Beijing Health Management Association; Professor Zeng Qiang, Vice President of the Chinese Health Management Association and former Chairman of the Health Management Branch of the Chinese Medical Association; Ren Hui, Director of China Region at Joint Commission International (JCI) and Deputy General Manager of JCI Accreditation (Beijing) Co., Ltd.; Zhang Ligang, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Ikang Group)）
Amid the global pandemic, public health awareness has surged, driving an explosive growth in health-related consumer demand. The broader health industry has garnered widespread global attention, while private health checkup providers are undergoing profound and significant transformations in their service models and offerings.
In this regard, Professor Zeng Qiang, Vice President of the Chinese Health Management Association and former Chairman of the Health Management Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, stated: “Health examinations are the first step in health management and a critical component thereof. While ensuring the quality of examinations by achieving ‘correct and accurate’ results, examination institutions should also provide more flexible and targeted examination packages under the ‘1+X’ model.”
Du Bing, Party Secretary of the Beijing Health Management Association, stated, “Non-public medical institutions have played a very important role in the international market, particularly in the health industry. We hope that through this accreditation and our collective efforts, we can establish benchmarks and role models within Beijing’s health checkup sector and among its non-public medical institutions, thereby providing leadership and demonstration. This will contribute to the Healthy China initiative and reflect the responsibility and mission of non-public medical institutions.”
Zhang Jingbo, Chairman of the Health Management Branch of the Beijing Medical Association and Director of the Beijing Physical Examination Center, stated, “Physical examination institutions should make greater efforts to leverage innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence, and enhance medical quality, reduce costs, and benefit the public through scientific, standardized, norm-based, and informatized approaches.”
“All JCI standards are patient-centered. I believe that the management of these four Ikang Group health checkup institutions is consistent and standardized. It is highly meaningful for the physical examination industry or the broader health sector to have a reference standard,” said Ren Hui, Director of Joint Commission International (JCI) China Region and Deputy General Manager of JCI Accreditation (Beijing) Co., Ltd.
In May 2021, the General Office of the State Council issued the “Key Tasks for Deepening the Reform of the Medical and Healthcare System in 2021,” which emphasized adhering to a prevention-first approach and continuously advancing the Healthy China Initiative. Against this strategic backdrop, the scope of screening for high-incidence cancers was expanded, and pilot programs were launched to establish county-level cancer screening and early diagnosis and treatment centers.“In recent years, Ikang Group has fully embraced artificial intelligence. Building on precise health examinations, we have made significant strides in the field of early screening technologies for cancer and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. We are committed to introducing cutting-edge ‘black technologies,’ such as advanced AI and genetic testing, to the Ikang platform, helping customers achieve ‘early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment,’ and using technology to drive service innovation and transform health management models,” said Zhang Ligang, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Ikang Group, as he introduced “Ikang’s Practices” during the roundtable discussion.
Ikang Group aims to continuously enhance its healthcare services through JCI accreditation, advancing the scientific, standardized, and norm-based management of quality and patient safety. This initiative seeks to elevate healthcare quality management to a new level, enabling more people to access international-standard medical services at local examination centers near their homes.
As a leading mid-to-high-end chain of health checkup and health management groups, Ikang has built and introduced top-tier medical and nursing teams from both domestic and international sources. Core positions are staffed by experts with the title of associate chief physician or above from tertiary hospitals. Meanwhile, regular rigorous and meticulous professional training is conducted for medical personnel to achieve Ikang’s systematic, specialized, and standardized service standards.
In terms of hardware infrastructure, we integrate international medical resources and deploy cutting-edge medical equipment by introducing mainstream global brands such as GE (G), Philips (P), Roche (R), and Siemens (S), thereby constructing and implementing Ikang’s “GPRS” strategy. As early as 2014, we took the lead among professional health examination institutions in introducing globally synchronized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology, along with concepts and protocols for early cancer screening, to mainland China, establishing the Ikang MRI Medical Imaging Center.
After 17 years of accumulation and preparation, in 2021, Ikang pioneered the concept of using data to “manage” one’s health in the era of “algorithmic medicine,” fully launching a “Medical Cloud” built on approximately 50 million health examination records. Leveraging artificial intelligence and big data, it delivers personalized services tailored to each individual, helping clients predict disease risks more accurately and efficiently, and customize more personalized health management plans.
Only professional, high-quality, and cutting-edge services, coupled with a safe and comfortable medical environment, can map out a blueprint for a high-quality healthy life for our clients. “Winning trust through quality” is Ikang’s unwavering commitment to its clients and its greatest source of confidence. Looking ahead, Ikang will continue to “sail on the winds of quality and soar on the wings of technology,” uphold international JCI standards, and embark on a new future driven by transformation and innovation in service models.