- In addition, the health group has launched in 2022 a Radiological Ring and a Heart Area that, together with the Breast Area, confirm the super-specialization strategy of its professionals and interhospital collaboration, to guarantee the best care for patients
- It maintains its commitment to telemedicine and the application of AI to remote patient care, reinforces its Corporate Social Responsibility policy and resumes the Camino de Cervantes, workshops, talks and conferences, as well as face-to-face patient advice after the pandemic , among other activities
El Ribera healthcare group has ended 2022 with 13 hospitals, 64 Primary Care centers and 35 polyclinics, after having added three projects last year: the hospital group Virgin of Charity, in Murcia; he Cascais hospital, in Portugal; and participation in the start-up of the first public-private hospitals in the Middle East, specifically in Kuwait.
2022 has been a year of growth, but also of transformation for the Spanish group based in Valencia and with a presence on three continents: Europe, Latin America and Asia. After naturally facing the change of its reference shareholder and sealing its alliance with Vivalto Santé, the third private healthcare group in France, Ribera's career has laid the foundations for the constitution last year of the Ribera Foundation, which aims to help improve the overall health, well-being and quality of life of people, reinforcing the tools to promote, even more if possible, its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy. In addition, it has consolidated all its specialized services, specifically the laboratory divisions (Ribera Lab), already integrated into most of its hospitals, dental (Ribera Tooth) and aesthetics (Aesthetic Riverside), both with clinics in Lugo and Molina de Segura (Murcia).
In addition, last year the healthcare group confirmed its commitment to super-specialization of areas and professionals and inter-hospital collaboration, and it launched its Radiological Ring, with some of the best specialists by organ-system in Spain and from eight of its hospitals, as well as a heart area (with professionals from five hospitals), both with procedures and structure similar to those that allowed the organization of their Breast Area, which will be three years old. The growth, improvement and expansion of units and consultations for better patient care are constant in the different health centers of the group, although the new Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology Unit of Ribera Povisa (Vigo), the new Mental Health hospitalization floor in the Torrejón University Hospital and the Intrahospital Palliative Care Unit of the Vinalopó University Hospital (Elche).
Innovation, technology and infrastructures
In 2002 the Ribera health group has maintained and expanded its collaboration with Shuttle, the Juan Roig accelerator, in its firm commitment to co-innovation and teamwork with startups in the health sector. All this to gain agility when launching applications and platforms oriented, above all, to the remote care from the patients. Telerehabilitation and neurorehabilitation, as well as digital dermatology and Lola, our virtual caregiver, have played a prominent role in the past year. The data centric model and the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to telemedicine and its predictive models are, without a doubt, two key axes of the group's innovation policy in which Ribera's technology, Futures, leads the leadership, from its areas of IT development, strategic consulting and operations. 2022 has been the year in which Futures has invested in “virtual biopsy” software for more accurate diagnosis of breast cancer with AI, among other big milestones. Also noteworthy is the implementation of the new real-time geolocation and information system of the Torrejón University Hospital, MySphera, for relatives of surgical patients and their families, included in the group's YOSalud portal.
Regarding the new technological equipment incorporated, the mammographs of the Hospital de Denia and from the hospital Ribera Polusa (Lugo), the digital mammograph of Ribera Hospital of Molina, the hospital's state-of-the-art PET-CT Ribera Povisa and the neuronavigador to operate brain tumors of the Hospital of Denia. Also the new automation system known as ATELICA, from Ribera Lab, with the capacity to analyze 800 tubes per hour. The most outstanding infrastructure work in 2022 has been the culmination of the renovation work on the new Ribera Povisa façade, which has recovered the main entrance on Salamanca street, with a current design and without architectural barriers. In addition, this hospital has renovated the first floor and has opened the Extractions and Ophthalmology area.
Humanization and “normality” post-Covid
Once most of the waves of Covid infections have stabilized, it has been possible to recover in hospitals all the workshops, conferences, exhibitions and activities organized for patients, in the health centers themselves or in schools and associations. In addition, the patient councils in all the hospitals have returned to being face-to-face and Riverside Juan Cardona (Ferrol) and the Denia hospital have launched this advisory body in 2022, made up of the main patient associations and which meets periodically with the management of the respective hospitals. Professionals from the group have taught thousands of children the Ribera song to learn how to do Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (RCP), the Torrejón Hospital has recovered the Cervantes Way and the group has published the first children's story to help children control their sugar intake, especially those with diabetes.
The group's Humanization program has come a long way in 2022. The Vinalopó University Hospital is currently the only health center in Spain adapted for people with hearing disabilities; the Dénia Hospital has launched a Care Plan for patients with severe functional diversity that already works in Vinalopó; Ribera Hospital de Molina has implemented the protocol to allow pet visits to patients; and all the Ribera hospitals have opted for music therapy with workshops and live performances and the new channel of the group on Spotify, with lists of songs adapted to patients, families and professionals and a health podcast. In addition, corporate volunteering has been promoted and for the first time, in addition to special actions and collaborations at Christmas and summer, professionals from the group have carried out stages of the Camino de Santiago with I walk.
People Policy
The professionals of the Ribera group always put the patient at the center of their activity. That is why the group does the same with its professionals and works on a people management policy that attracts and retains talent, vocation and professionalism. Along these lines, Ribera and union representatives from Vinalopó and Denia have agreed in 2022 on significant improvements in the working conditions of their professionals in separate new collective agreements. In Ribera Povisa, a "bridging agreement" has been signed with the works council for the next collective agreement. The commitment to stable employment has been a constant in the year that has ended and hospitals such as Ribera Povisa, Ribera Juan Cardona or Denia, among others, have witnessed dozens of professionals signing permanent contracts and staffs being reinforced in summer. Undoubtedly, this policy is what has led Ribera to place, for yet another year, among the 50 best companies to work for, in the ranking of Actualidad Económica.
Teaching and research
The Ribera hospitals have offered a total of 2022 MIR and 65 EIR positions in 14 specialties in 13, with a very ambitious and complete training and career plan. In addition, the Vinalopó University Hospital has “graduated” its first class of residents trained in the health department. Also in the year that has ended, the Cardiology and Radiodiagnosis services of the Vinalopó University Hospital have been accredited as Teaching Units to train resident doctors next year, and the group has signed an agreement with the University of Alicante and achieving the UCH-CEU to have 2023 Health Sciences students internships in the two departments that it manages in the Valencian Community.
2022 has once again been another important year in the Research area. Ribera Povisa has been the Spanish hospital that has included the most patients in the clinical trial of the Moderna flu vaccine and, through the Torrejón Hospital, Ribera has participated in a European research study on digital dermatology. This same hospital has launched a research study on neuropsychological telerehabilitation for the treatment of chronic migraine and is at the forefront of pregnancy research, with 37 ongoing clinical studies of the Obstetrics service in key areas such as complications of genetic origin, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes or preterm birth. For its part, the Dénia Hospital has participated in a study on pocket ultrasound for the detection of cardiac infections and in a European project on pancreatic cancer. And these are just a few examples.
Awards and quality
The year that has just ended has also been very prolific in terms of public recognition and quality accreditations for services, hospitals and professionals from the Ribera health group. In fact, it has achieved Joint Commission International Enterprise accreditation, thus joining the exclusive group of healthcare organizations that have this prestigious quality seal. Along these lines, Cardiac Surgery at the Vinalopó University Hospital has been the first service of its kind to reach the Joint Commission International. The Joint certifications already obtained have been renewed, as well as those of carbon footprint in various hospitals, which recognize the commitment to the environment.
As far as recognition is concerned, 2022 has been a brilliant year for Ribera. It has achieved three TOP20 awards for the best global management for its hospitals in Torrejón, Vinalopó and Denia and seven TOP20 in different areas of these same hospitals, and the Ribera Povisa hospital repeats one more year in the ranking of the 50 best private hospitals in Spain , according to the renowned Merco report. In addition, Ribera Hospital de Molina and the Denia hospital have obtained the QH quality mark on care processes, and the technological Futures has been awarded in the II Edition of the Isaac Peral National Research, Science and Innovation Awards. Projects like the “blank campaign” on suicide, the companionship program for pets, the virtual caretaker Lola or the CPR song have received different awards and recognitions from entities and media in the health sector and communication and marketing.
