(We’re happy to share with you an interview we conducted with the folks over at Canadian Medical Care, one of Prague’s very best private clinics. Give it a read, and know that they’re our recommendation when it comes to health!)
1. Hello, and thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. Could you give a few reasons as to what sets Canadian Medical Care apart? Would you mind explaining what “complex medical care” really means? Canadian Medical Care is a multi-specialty ambulatory health care center comprised of proven medical professionals with an excellent track-record and outstanding experience spanning more than 40 medical fields. We use some of the most modern approaches and technologies available on the market, ensuring that our patients are given the best treatment possible while minimizing unnecessary potential complications. Our primary focus is on the family and all of our services are geared towards making sure that our patients, young and old, are always provided the highest level of care available. The term “complex care” refers to the fact that we cover wide-ranging fields of ambulatory medicine (about 40 of them, all under one roof) while ensuring that our patients’ medical records are all maintained within one unified documentation system.
2. Could you briefly outline the history of Canadian Medical Care? How did it grow from Ontario to Prague? In 1995, Canadian Medical Centre was founded by a group of private Canadian medical institutions, MED-EMERG Inc. from Mississauga in Ontario. In 1998, the clinic changed hands and fell into Czech ownership, under the leadership of MUDr. Barbara Taušová. The name of the company was changed to Canadian Medical Care ČR, spol. s r.o. In 2003, the honorary title of “Lady” was awarded to MUDr. Barbara Taušová by Comenius, a Pan-European Society for Culture, Education and Scientific & Technical Cooperation. In 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011, Canadian Medical Care received the Czech 100 Best award.
3. Most of our readers are not natives of the Czech Republic. How does CMC cater specifically to its foreign clients?
- Our staff members speak English and our doctors speak other languages as well
- Our materials and leaflets are available in English and other languages
- We ensure that cultural differences and customs are respected at all times
- We oversee all of the necessary examinations, procedures or hospitalizations of our clients at Czech hospitals
- We offer a “direct billing” service for direct invoicing of foreign insurance companies
- We offer home visits where the doctor visits the patient in the comfort of their home
- We provide medical reports and summaries in English and Czech
4. Canadian Medical Care offers services in more than 40 fields of medicine. With all those specialists under the same roof, is there collaboration between departments in those instances when a patient’s case requires the attention of more than one expert? Yes, precisely so. Our doctors share a unified software platform that supports an Electronic Medical Record and enables patients to access the client zone. Doctors also have the possibility of communicating or discussing a given problem on multiple levels, essentially seeking additional opinions necessary for ensuring the correct diagnosis.
5. I get the impression from your company’s website that CMC especially stresses respect and sensitivity in the way doctors communicate with patients. Do you find that merely listening to patients often reveals what the problem is? It comes down to the trust between the patient and the doctor, an individual approach and a calm and non-stressful environment. Our clients are then able to let us know openly what they are suffering from and the symptoms/pain they are experiencing. The doctor is then able to arrive at the root of the problem and better diagnose the patients or determine the necessary treatment.
6. CMC hosted a “Health and Fun Family Day” in September, and the company also offered information, and a tour of one of the clinics, to children in a summer camp. In what other ways does CMC engage with/educate the community? How does this factor into CMC’s outlook on health and wellness? Right from the start, we have classified ourselves as a “family medical center”, so we pay utmost attention to the family. The satisfaction and health of the entire family is our primary goal. We are trying to build an educational website, where our clients can find information not only about our services and medical care, but can also read articles written by our doctors covering medical themes, seasonal diseases or providing further important information and notices. We organize seminars and first aid courses; run dental presentations at schools and kindergartens that cover the correct method for brushing teeth, first aid, nutrition workshops, etc. All this goes back to the fact that CMC strives to offer medical care to the entire family in the best possible way available on the market. Offering such information is an essential component of our outlook on health and wellness and a crucial element in our patients’ current and future health. All in all, we have been caring for the community for more than 15 years.
7. Do you find that there are preventative steps people could be taking that would help them avoid sickness? How much emphasis is placed on educating those who visit on how to live healthier lives? Yes, definitely. First of all, people should eat healthy foods, exercise, relax, should not stress too much and go for frequent preventive checkups. There are many so-called “civilization diseases” and diseases associated with the lifestyle of the patient. It is therefore important to remind our patients of this fact and make sure that the implications are understood during each visit. We cover more than 40 medical fields which also include a nutrition specialist, a personal trainer, a physiotherapist and a psychologist. We do recommend yearly preventative checkups for everyone. Patients should not come in only when they feel ill.
8. What else do you think people should know about Canadian Medical Care? We are a clinic that does the maximum possible for its clients and carries out the comprehensive medical care in its true form. We care about the patient and his/her needs. We constantly educate ourselves, continually broaden the various medical fields we cover and pay great attention to ensuring professionalism and the very high quality of the medial care we provide. We are one of the few ambulatory clinics which have quality certification with set standards and processes to ensure the high quality and safety of our medical care.
