Dear Tamar

Thank you very much for structuring proceedings so nicely by asking precise questions.

Ronald Neubauer and Professor Breinlinger already went back to Germany (I will stay in Tbilisi until tomorrow morning) but I managed to discuss our answers to your questions. These answers are first suggestions. Reading your remarks and talking about your needs with you will help us to find final answers.

1.    Do you have any standard framework agreement with national counterparts which we could use as a sample for developing our own agreement for this partnership? 

I discussed this topic with Ronald Neubauer and Professor Breinlinger already after our first meeting. KTQ and kubicum (Software) will provide you with a draft within the next days. This draft will be an evolution of our standards and already try to meet your special needs in a detailed but transparent and understandable way. We are ready to discuss and improve this draft until it suits needs and meets requirements.

2.    What are costs associated with this process including all steps/needs?

We understand that this question targets on the phase until we sign a contract as from then on prices and conditions will be settled in the contract we are discussing now. KTQ and kubicum want to reach a contract with your ministry of health. In our view our efforts in the pre-contract phase are our investment in a future working together so we cannot write a bill for this phase. Maybe we can talk about the coverage of costs of travelling when doing meetings in Georgia.

3.    What are recommended KTQ implementation steps and realistic timeline based on your experience in other countries? 

We think that we should differentiate between KTQ implementation and KTQ certification for selected hospitals. While it is hard to judge how much time a hospital needs for preparation for a KTQ-certification we think that KTQ implementation can technically be reached until end of 2019 and regarding enabling be reached in Q2/2020.

We understand that this describes “technical implementation”: The ministry can provide KTQ to 1 to n hospitals in Georgia via kubicum-software (Software as a service – hospitals only need internet and browser to log in), ask them to do a KTQ-self-assessment (1 to all KTQ-Quality-criteria can be chosen by ministry) and can evaluate the hospitals activities and answers by looking in the tool and do reports.

But technical implementation is only one aspect. We need to provide trainings for hospitals and your team in the ministry so they are capable to work with the KTQ-approach and the kubicum-tool in a correct way. This includes the understanding of basic quality management topics like PLAN – DO – CHECK – ACT (the KTQ-approach structures self-assessment by using this so called Deming-cycle), understanding of KTQ-requirements and know-how regarding doing and reading/evaluating a self-assessment.

KTQ has training material that can be translated and provided via hyperlinks in the kubicum-KTQ-Tool as e-Learning (different e-Learnings for different topics). kubicum could enable the ministry to monitor who did which e-Learning and reached which training level. This e-Learning could and should be amended by classical seminars for experts who take a bigger role regarding KTQ in their hospitals or in the ministry. KTQ could train Georgian trainers (train-the-trainer) so they can provide these trainings in Georgian language in Georgia. Offline trainings could as well be captured in the kubicum-Tool so training status would include both e-Learning and classical trainings. The tool would be provided in Georgian language.

We think that building up e-Learning (in Georgian language) and training of first Georgian trainers could be reached in Q1/2020. So all in all we think that a prepared roll-out is possible in Q2/2020 (pilot hospitals maybe even earlier). Off course we can take more time if you wish.

We are looking forward to receive your feedback on our first answers to your questions.

Kind regards

Jürgen

Jürgen Kuhn

kubicum GmbH

+49 163 25 87 182

Threema: TJR7R4P7

Dear Jürgen

Many thanks for your e-mail and follow up. It is really great that KTQ international is willing to collaborate with us for establishing the KTQ certification program for Georgian hospitals. As for the next steps, I fully agree with your thoughts below. We would need to establish a framework agreement in between the Ministry/Medical regulatory agency and KTQ international on implementation of KTQ certification program, adequately address all legal issues related to intellectual property, determine financial needs  and identify sources, develop and launch communication campaign for hospitals, set up a certification platform and initiate the process. 

May I kindly ask for your clarifications/responses on the following: 

1. Do you have any standard framework agreement with national counterparts which we could use as a sample for developing our own agreement for this partnership? 

2. What are costs associated with this process including all steps/needs?

3. What are recommended KTQ implementation steps and realistic timeline based on your experience in other countries? 

We could have a conference call/another meeting at your convenience to discuss these and other points which you think are important for us to know. 

With kind regards, 

Tamar Gabunia

P.S. Mr. Zaal Kapanadze, Director of the Regulatory Agency in CC-ed on this communication