60AsiAn HospitAl & HeAltHcAre MAnAgeMent
ISSUE-12 2007
While improving computer systems would not eliminate all medical errors, researchersbelieve they will reduce them dramatically. Now is the time to share progress, challengesand best practices to enable interoperability and link the ecosystem in the delivery of betterquality care.
ifma thy Haha
ca a hahaym
Madhav R RagamDirector - Healthcare and Life Sciences
IBM Asia Pacifc
R
ising costs, aging populations andantiquated healthcare systemshave put pressure on governments,businesses and society to make signicantchanges in the delivery o care.Tese challenges, combined with theemergence o a new environment driven by globalization, consumerism, demographicshits, increased burden o disease, expen-sive new technologies and treatments areexpected to orce undamental change onhealthcare within the coming decade.One o the great ironies o modernmedicine is that while many o us enjoy thebenets o scientic discovery and sophisti-cated equipment, many patients across theglobe do not receive adequate standards o quality care due to a variety o issues un-derpinned by the application o insucientresources and undamental technology ine-ciencies.In countries where inormation tech-nology is commonly used or services suchas banking, telecommunications and en-tertainment, many medical organisationstoday still rely on paper records or the de-livery o their service.Furthermore, most existing medicalelectronic systems don’t interact, whichmeans that important inormation is otenisolated and disconnected. While physi-cians keep their own records, they do nothave access to inormation about the caretheir patients receive outside their oces.Hospitals rarely have access to these patientrecords and emergency room doctors knowlittle about patients’ pre-existing conditions.Tis oten results in redundant tests and as-sessments, increasing the cost o care andmissed diagnoses or treatment resulting ininjury.Such disconnects across the world’shealthcare systems are causing an increasein poor health outcomes and in some caseseven death. A recent Institute o Medicine (IOM)report ound that preventable medical er-rors kill up to 98,000 people each year inthe United States alone. While improvingcomputer systems would not eliminate allmedical errors, many researchers believethey will reduce them dramatically.In addition to saving lives, we at IBMbelieve between ve and 20% o all health-care costs could be saved by eliminatingunnecessary tests. Tis view is supportedby Te Economist, which recently reportedthat redundancy and ineciency accountor between 25% and 40% o the US$3.3trillion the world spends on healthcare ev-ery year and that this could be eliminated with proper I implementation.Change must be made. Healthcaresystems that ail to address the chal-lenges o the emerging environment will “hit the wall” and require imme-diate and major orced restructuring.he choices let to stakeholders o today’s healthcare systems are when andhow. I they wait too long or do not actdecisively enough, their systems will beunable to continue on the current path.his is a rightening, but very real prospect.
Which direction will the industry take?
Te answer is complicated. Te health-care ecosystem is extremely complex, basedon intricate relationships, oten with dier-ing motivations. Most agree the chie goalis to improve healthcare systems to providebetter quality service to more people, moreeciently and at lower cost. How to achievethat goal, however, varies widely by stake-holder. Tese complex actors create anurgent need to break down industry silos,establish partnerships and increase collabo-ration to drive progress.Tat’s why IBM has taken a leadershiprole in the global healthcare transormation.It is working with major ecosystem stake-holders—ranging rom healthcare providersand standards bodies to governments andother employers—to infuence the adoptiono a consumer-driven model.Tis emerging, patient-centric modelocuses on improved outcomes throughdisease management, prevention and well-being programs. It gives consumers greatercontrol over their healthcare, including inthe selection o primary care providers andaccess to inormation needed to make betterhealthcare decisions.Clearly, technology plays a key role in
spotlight
Leave a Comment