HOW MICROSOFT IS TRANSFORMING CANADA’S HEALTHCARE
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HOW MICROSOFT IS TRANSFORMING CANADA’S HEALTHCARE It is no exaggeration to say that Microsoft has changed the world, as it has transformed nearly every part of people’s working and home lives – after all, around a fifth of the world’s population use Microsoft products on a daily basis. Next, the IT giant is set to revolutionise healthcare. WRIT TEN BY
LEIL A HAWKINS PRODUCED BY
ANDY TURNER
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t is no exaggeration to say that Microsoft has changed the world, as it has transformed nearly every part of people’s working and home lives
– after all, around a fifth of the world’s population uses Microsoft products on a daily basis. Next, the IT giant is set to revolutionize healthcare. The healthcare system faces some tough challenges. Wait times are lengthy, whether in the emergency room, referral to a specialist, or making appointments to see a doctor, and processes can generally be slow-moving. Meanwhile healthcare IT has traditionally been focused on hospital-based Electronic Health Records (EHR), but part of Microsoft’s digital vision is to move beyond this and onto more efficient processes. Peter Jones, Microsoft’s Industry Lead in Healthcare for Canada, explains: “Traditionally we’ve spent a lot of money and resources on digitizing healthcare records. We are now focused more on systems of insight that will enable us to access data and make better decisions on patient care and the operations in the hospital.” As well as shifting from systems of record to systems of insight, Jones explains they are moving towards systems of engagement, making it possible for patients to interact with healthcare providers in new ways. Patient engagement is one of the four pillars of Microsoft’s model to transform the country’s healthcare system, alongside empowering care teams, optimizing operations and transforming the continuum for better patient care.
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PATIENT ENGAGEMENT
with telemedicine specialists Novari
Now that it’s possible to book
Health, makes it possible for patients
everything from a taxi to a grocery
to schedule virtual consultations with
shop via a touchscreen, it makes
doctors. It’s as simple as clicking on
sense for patients to want healthcare
a meeting request in an email to carry
to be just as accessible.
out a virtual appointment from the
New technology that enables care
comfort of the patients’ home. “You
teams to monitor patients remotely is
can get access to a member of your
of huge benefit to people with chronic
care team including doctors and
conditions, as it cuts down on wait
nurses,” Jones explains.
times for appointments, and means those with limited mobility, such as the
EMPOWERING CARE TEAMS
elderly, don’t need assistance with
There are better ways to help clinicians
travelling to appointments.
communicate, collaborate, team
The eVisit, developed in conjunction
and learn. The Office 365 platform
“ W E ARE NOW FOCUSED MORE ON SYSTEMS OF INSIGHT THAT WILL ENABLE US TO ACCESS DATA AND MAKE BETTER DECISIONS ON PATIENT CARE AND THE OPERATIONS IN THE HOSPITAL” — Peter Jones, Microsoft’s Industry Lead in Healthcare for Canada
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Optimize Healthcare Facility Performance
PetalMD has created a unique Web platform that reduces operating costs and improves patient satisfaction. Designed for hospital managers and physicians, it allows you to: Hospital Dashboard
Analytics Dashboard
Consolidate schedules and on-call lists, updated in real-time.
Visualize and monitor hospital performance.
Physician Schedule Management
Artificial Intelligence
Automate physician schedule management and simplify shift exchanges.
Optimize time and resource allocation through the use of powerful algorithms.
Patient Booking
Secure Messaging
Synchronize appointment booking channels and facilitate patient access to healthcare.
Ensure communication and document exchange confidentiality.
Used by 37,000 physicians
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Deployed in 5 countries
For more information, visit www.petalmd.com or call a specialized advisor at 1-888-949-8601.
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Adopted by 150 hospitals
allows members of the care team
OPTIMIZING OPERATIONS
to communicate and collaborate on
Health is data rich and information
better patient care.
poor. Jones goes on to say that the
“If you look at how we’re moving
data collected in clinical systems is
beyond EHR, one of the biggest
generally for operational, comm-
challenges has been communication
unication or medical purposes, most
amongst care teams” Jones says.
systems do not store communications
“Many care team members are over-
in a way that makes analytics easy,
worked and struggling to produce
and an enterprise-wide system view
but putting the communication and
doesn’t emerge organically. “For an
collaboration tools in place has allowed
industry that prides itself on being
them to become more efficient and
evidence-based, health does a poor
more effective in their job.” A good
job at using the most recent and rel-
example of this is a solution from
evant evidence, their own data.
a partner called PetalMD. It offers a cloud-based solution
“We see analytics as a continuum spanning retrospective reporting,
to help physicians create, manage
real-time dashboarding, predictive
and collaborate on scheduling
analytics, and even prescriptive
shifts with co-workers. It helps
decision-making using cognitive
saves time, allows remote access
services and machine learning. Even
to schedules, provide tasks and
relatively basic initiatives like patient
transfers all in one platform on Azure,
journey-boards and KPI dashboards
dramatically reducing errors and
can have a huge impact on baselining
prevent outdated information or
performance, identifying bottlenecks
duplicates. All information, such as
and streamlining operations.
schedule events or even a physi-
“We see that effective use of data
cian’s phone number, are instantane-
analytics as the only proper way of
ously updated. Members can easily
achieving population health, whether
communicate through a secure
it’s management of chronic disease to
messaging channel.
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or supporting patients to manage their care plan, timely and accurate information is key. “We’re seeing a lot of our partners build cloud-based solutions that are addressing these challenges and are easily adopted” he adds. One of these partners is Oculys, who have been able to show significant savings for hospitals by using data analytics to predict emergency room wait times and monitor patient flow and bad management. “If you can track it you can manage it more effectively” Jones says.
TRANSFORMING THE CONTINUUM Some of the most exciting models of
is another motivator that is becoming
care leverage cloud computing. This is
increasingly apparent – some capabili-
currently the primary focus for Microsoft.
ties are only possible in the cloud.
Once viewed with scepticism by the
“The cloud is essentially a global super-
health industry due to perceived security
computer, that you can access on
or control limitations, the cloud is now
demand and pay only for what you use.
undeniably being embraced by health
You get all the benefits, yet the cost
organizations around the world. Gartner
is spread across all the users. Kind of
predicts that within this decade organi-
like timeshare.”
zations will be going to the cloud
The virtually unlimited storage pool
precisely because it is more secure
makes medical imaging storage cost
than the on premises counterpart. Part
effective, or any other big data scenario
of this momentum is driven by cost
for that matter. The incredible process-
efficiencies and outsourcing, but there
ing power makes genomic sequencing
feasible. Machine learning and artificial intelligence are most practical in the cloud. Aggregations of software as a service provider, like an enterprise app store, allow organizations to discover, trial and deploy new applications with a minimum of risk and hassle. There is potential of the cloud to defragment all the data silos that frustrate holistic health information management. Making cloud computing trustworthy is a key priority. Part of that involves making sure it is secure, and Microsoft invests over a billion dollars annually to that end. Just as important though is making sure that the cloud can be used
“ STORAGE COSTS FOR CLOUD COMPUTING ARE THE LOWEST WE CAN SEE” — Peter Jones, Microsoft’s Industry Lead in Healthcare for Canada
compliantly, so Microsoft has invested in many industry certifications like HIPAA through a Business Associates Agreement, HITECH, and FedRAMP. Keeping information private, being transparent about datacentre operations, and allowing users the controls to manage their own data round out the trust story.
LOOKING AHEAD The seemingly limitless capacity of the cloud is advantageous for initiatives such as genomic sequencing, a field w w w. m i c r o s o f t . c o m
“ T HE CLOUD IS ESSENTIALLY A GLOBAL SUPERCOMPUTER, THAT YOU CAN ACCESS ON DEMAND AND PAY ONLY FOR WHAT YOU USE” — Peter Jones, Microsoft’s Industry Lead in Healthcare for Canada
that is greatly expanding, and one that
are the lowest we can see, and the
includes researchers investigating
number of genomes we will need to
causes and early detection of serious
sequence in the future is going to put
conditions such as cancer. It is an area
a huge demand on a lot of the infra-
Microsoft is doing a significant amount
structure that exists on premise today”
of work in, and one that requires
Jones explains. “The other benefit is
a tremendous amount of storage given
allowing researchers to share their
that a single human genome takes up
data. The larger the genomic data set
at least 100 gigabytes of space.
the better the research, so we’re
“Storage costs for cloud computing
starting to see researchers coming
together with genomic data sharing
with providers generally waiting for
platforms that allow them to get
others to adopt new processes before
access to larger data sets.�
making the move themselves. However,
One of the organizations that has
with these innovations in telemedicine,
moved its genomic data to the cloud is
cloud solutions and operational data,
BC Cancer, a government-run agency
more and more are joining the digital
that conducts research and operates
revolution to reap its benefits.
patient treatment centers. The healthcare industry has historically been risk averse, as Jones says, w w w. m i c r o s o f t . c o m
1950 Meadowvale Blvd. Mississauga, ON. L5N 8L9 T 1-905-568-0434 www.microsoft.com/en-ca