Innovation, digital transformation to secure future of hospitals | Rory Visco

THE idea of hospitals surviving the almost two years of this debilitating pandemic was something for the record books. Everyone knows how hospitals, the medical frontliners worked hard to care for those who contracted the dreaded Covid-19 and other ailments despite the challenges in mobility, sanitation, better understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the corresponding Covid-19, and other circumstances. It was totally understandable because even the global medical community never knew what hit them. No one really knew.

But they remained unperturbed; in fact, they soldiered on regardless of the situation and circumstances. They fought and continued to fight in the service of Filipinos’ medical needs, now and in the future.

That is why during the 5th Innovation Summit organized by the Asian Hospital and Medical Center, the event discussed how the future of hospitals will be secured even as this pandemic continues to rage on.

What the future of health care holds in a post-pandemic world? Dr. Harish Pillai, Chief Executive Officer of Metro Pacific Hospital Holdings Inc., said that there are some post-Covid possibilities in providing accessible, affordable and quality health care after this pandemic like telemedicine, rapid diagnosis or treatment of diseases, lower costs and convenience, and quick response to pandemic situations, plus increase of patient education and awareness platforms.

Self-health management

Dr. Pillai is looking at self-health management enablers, which can lower the cost of care by avoiding hospitalization; affordable medical devices; and innovation through automation to increase efficiencies in the health-care ecosystem. “That’s why we are making significant investments to ensure the hospitals in our group are future-proof. We believe that digital transformation is a fundamental paradigm shift in healthcare services delivery.”

He also noted some of the lessons learned during the pandemic that may be applied in the future like collaboration and self-reliance, to embrace technology, consideration of hospital design and infrastructure, human resources, and finance and cost management.

Andrew Pearce, Senior Digital Health Strategist, Analytics for Asia Pacific of Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), on the other hand, talked about “Improved Health System Performance through Investment in Digital Maturity and Transformation Activities.”

HIMSS, he said, engages in partnerships with 67,000 health-care institutions worldwide to support their digital health transformation. The current pandemic totally altered the health-care delivery landscape, where every health-care organization had to adapt to new methods and modalities of care. “But we all know the pandemic’s not going to be here forever so certain aspects like financial challenges, patient safety, access to care and personnel shortages need to be addressed in a post-pandemic world.”

Meeting more needs

With digital transformation, Pearce said health-care organizations will be able to meet more needs of the communities, realize greater operational efficiencies, adhere to new regulatory and security demands, and grow across practices and populations. “Digital transformation is about outcomes, whether clinical, work force and operational, and impact on person-enabled care, sustainability and equity, which is essentially access to health care across the world.”

He said HIMSS’s vision is to realize the full health potential of every human everywhere. “We will do this by reforming the global health ecosystem through the power of information and technology.”

To describe how Philippine health care will proceed into the future, Hennesy Lou Miranda, Asian Hospital’s Director for Customer Experience and Engagement, who talked about “Humbled by Change, Grateful for Tomorrow: Serving YOU a Deeper Brand Purpose,” she said the hit song from the popular Disney animated movie “Frozen” titled “Into the Unknown” pretty much summed up what we have experienced. “We were frozen when the pandemic hit and we treaded our way right into the unknown. For us in healthcare, it is like surviving the unknown but in 2021, it was more adapting to what is known.”

Asian Hospital and Medical Center (AHMC), she said, braved the uncertainties of the times and continuously adapted to make its brand purpose even more relevant to patients and customers in committing to value-based health care. As there were numerous changes in the health-care industry due to the pandemic, AHMC was also forced to adapt.

When the world was at a standstill, Miranda said they were expected to act fast, when the world was unsafe, they made sure AHMC facilities were also safe; when a big chunk of the population was sick, they had to stay well physically and mentally, and since there were less patients, less collection, they had to learn to become sustainable.

To adapt, AHMC stuck to its core values, to become a “FITER:” Fairness, Integrity, Teamwork, Excellence and Respect. “We know that our customers deserve more. That is why we will work hard to deliver our brand purpose of value-based health care, excellent outcomes at the lowest possible cost of care in the safest environment to give the most unforgettable and delightful experience through the Tatak Asian, Pusong Asian kind of care.”

In securing the future of hospitals today, Miranda said they need to embrace change and innovate with it, to engage customer and know what their needs and wants, measure interventions and act on certain areas for improvement, and automate while still being compassionate.

Finally, Dr. Nina Gloriani, Chairperson of the Vaccine Experts Panel and the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), discussed “The Future of Pandemics and the Roles of Hospitals.”

When looking at how delivering a better normal can be achieved, Dr. Gloriani posed the question: What will be the future of the health-care sector in 2022 and beyond? The good news, she said, that the current scenario, at least in the National Capital Region (NCR) seems bright with lower reproduction rates, and with the way diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines are developed, hope remains.

But the key fact, Dr. Gloriani stated, is that hospitals’ resiliency and flexibility are essential in the country’s ability to cope with uncertainties that come with an evolving virus. “As we strengthen public health and hospital systems, and health care professionals’ capabilities, we remain optimistic that Covid-19 will reach a more manageable state very much like the seasonal flu.”