Healthcare January 2021 by Healthcare Global

healthcareglobal.com | J A N 2 0 2 1

VIRTUAL HEALTHCARE EVENTS LEGACY COMMUNITY HEALTH CRISIS AND BEYOND

How RPA is helping healthcare providers fight Covid-19 and prepare for future challenges

BUILDING RESILIENCE COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK

MEDITERRANEO HOSPITAL

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FOREWORD

elcome to the first Healthcare

Digital magazine of 2021, a year

many of us around the world have been eagerly awaiting after the challenges of 2020. The global pandemic has placed exceptional pressures on health systems, but technology has proven to be a valuable tool to both deliver care where it’s needed and help reduce the strain on healthcare staff. Our January issue has a focus on innovative ways technology is providing solutions to healthcare challenges, starting with our cover feature on RPA. Up until recently only 5 per cent of healthcare providers invested in automation, but now around half are planning to deploy some form of RPA software in the next three years. As well as helping to ease the burden of repetitive, administrative tasks on staff, it’s become a vital tool to solve specific problems caused by Covid-19, such as processing large numbers of tests. Another area of innovation is 3D printing, which is set to become a huge segment of healthcare. We speak to two leaders in this field; Julielynn Wong tells

us about 3D printing in space to create medical supplies that can help deliver care to remote locations on Earth, and Gautam Gupta of 3D Systems Corporation, the company behind the first 3D printer, tells us how this technology can reduce supply chain issues. We’ve got an interview with Dr Tom Lawton MBE, who talks us through his groundbreaking role as the UK’s first Head of Clinical Artificial Intelligence. Based at Bradford Teaching Hospitals in the north of England, he’s helping to transform the way the hospital operates using AI. We also take a look at the four major ways blockchain is set to revolutionise healthcare, and we’ve rounded up 10 key virtual healthcare events for you to add to your diary.

Enjoy the issue, and happy new year. Leila Hawkins leila.hawkins@bizclikmedia.com

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PUBLISHED BY

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Leila Hawkins

PRODUCTION DIRECTORS

MEDIA SALES DIRECTOR

Georgia Allen Daniela Kianickovรก

James White

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Jason Westgate

Owen Martin Philline Vicente

EDITORAL DIRECTOR

Scott Birch CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Billy Kabubi CREATIVE TEAM

Oscar Hathaway Sophie-Ann Pinnell Sophia Forte Hector Penrose Sam Hubbard Mimi Gunn

VIDEO PRODUCTION MANAGER

Kieran Waite DIGITAL VIDEO PRODUCERS

Sam Kemp Evelyn Huang

SALES AND MARKETING DIRECTOR

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Lewis Vaughan CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER

Stacy Norman PRESIDENT & CEO

Glen White

DIGITAL MARKETING EXECUTIVE

Kayleigh Shooter PROJECT DIRECTORS

Thomas Livermore he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

10 DIGITALLY-ENABLED PATIENT CARE

24 Tackling the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s healthcare challenges with 3D printing

36 AI: Shaking up the NHS

48 BUILDING RESILIENCE AFTER COVID-19 WITH RPA Blockchain: Future-proofing healthcare

70 VIRTUAL HEALTHCARE EVENTS

You see 165 households. We see the 8 families that will have a new case of diabetes diagnosed this year.

C3.ai transforms Healthcare.

88 Community Health Network

104 Mediterraneo Hospital

DIGITALLY-ENABLED PATIENT CARE 10 WRITTEN BY

HARRY MENEAR PRODUCED BY

MIKE SADR

JANUARY 2021

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LEGACY COMMUNITY HEALTH

ROBERT TENNANT, CIO OF LEGACY COMMUNITY HEALTH, TALKS LEADERSHIP AND THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF PATIENT CARE DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS AND BEYOND

2020

has been a year of unprecedented challenges to healthcare providers across the globe.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than 38 million people around the world, with more than 7.8 million cases in the US alone. As US healthcare companies strive to cope with the monumental task 12

of providing care during this crisis, as well as continue to support existing patients, many are turning to technology in order to digitally transform their operations. The new capabilities offered by Industry 4.0 are allowing for generational advances in the fields of telemedicine and remote care, as well as providing powerful new organizational capabilities that are revolutionizing the relationship between healthcare providers and their patients. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This year has been really challenging. We had a lot of projects on our plate coming into the COVID-19 crisis in March, and then the crisis demanded we quickly shift priorities to remote patient care and working from home,â&#x20AC;? says Robert Tennant, Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Legacy, a full-service network of community health clinics offering primary and specialty

JANUARY 2021

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LEGACY COMMUNITY HEALTH

“ THIS YEAR HAS BEEN REALLY CHALLENGING. WE HAD A LOT OF PROJECTS ON OUR PLATE COMING INTO THE COVID-19 CRISIS IN MARCH, AND THEN THE CRISIS DEMANDED WE QUICKLY SHIFT PRIORITIES TO REMOTE PATIENT CARE AND WORKING FROM HOME” patients it serves throughout the Gulf — Robert Tennant, CIO, Legacy Community Health,

Coast region. We sat down with him to learn more about harnessing digital transformation to support Legacy’s

care in the Texas Gulf Coast region.

operations, and how to create a cus-

Tennant, who joined Legacy in August

tomer service-facing culture during

of 2019, has been at the forefront of the

the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.

organization’s efforts to adapt, react 14

When the COVID-19 crisis hit the

and overcome the challenges, both of

United States in March of this year,

a global pandemic and of delivering

Legacy, like many other providers in the

quality healthcare to the underserved

industry, was almost entirely focused on in-person medical care. “Our first concern was figuring out how we were going to continue to deliver the care that patients need,” Tennant explains. “It was obvious that the first thing we needed to roll out was a telehealth

JANUARY 2021

Legacy Community Health - Principles of Leadership CLICK TO WATCH

1:36

15 solution, which we did in record time. We signed a contract with a vendor on a Friday and were treating patients remotely the following Wednesday.” Tennant adds that he’s particularly proud of the speed with which Legacy transitioned to providing telehealth services to a patient base suddenly thrown into lockdown. “We went from just a few telehealth visits to about 3,000 per week in the span of three weeks. It was an incredible effort by my team and other teams throughout Legacy. The crisis gave us focus and we accomplished

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$186mn+ Revenue in US dollars

1,000+ Number of employees

a lot in a very short amount of time.” he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

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E X E C U T I V E P R O FILE :

Robert Tennant Title: Chief Information Officer

Industry: Healthcare

Location: Houston, Texas Robert Tennant earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ambassador University. In 1993, Tennant started an IT services company focused on IT networking and custom software development. He sold the company in 1999 and spent time traveling before moving on to a new IT venture at the onset of the new millennium. In 2000, he founded another IT services company, this time focusing on health care advisory and IT services. He stood at the helm until selling in 2009, at which time he joined a national consulting firm focused on leading healthcare provider organizations into Value-Based Care (VBC), delivery. Over the years following, Tennant held various healthcare IT consulting leadership roles, including time as an Executive Heath Care Consultant and VP of Value-Based Care. The focus on VBC, Tennant says, comes from a strong foundation of customer service along with a belief that health care organizations should anticipate and listen to consumersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; needs while measuring success by their ability to deliver the best health outcomes at the lowest possible cost. Tennant has worked as a consultant for Legacy since 2014, and officially came on board with the organization in 2019.

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LEGACY COMMUNITY HEALTH

“ WE WENT FROM JUST A FEW TELEHEALTH VISITS TO ABOUT 3,000 PER WEEK IN THE SPAN OF THREE WEEKS” — Robert Tennant, CIO, Legacy Community Health, 18

Legacy Community Health - Working with Financial Stakeholders CLICK TO WATCH

JANUARY 2021

2:55

Today, Legacy’s Behavioral Health Service Line is delivering 91% more telehealth appointments than preCOVID-19. “Virtual visits have drastically changed the way members of our community receive health care. Whereas virtual visits were previously reserved for those with private insurance that approved this option, now anyone can get the care they need from the comfort of their home,” commented Katy Caldwell, Legacy’s CEO, in May. Near the beginning of lockdown, Legacy also opened a virtual pediatric clinic to deliver care to minors in need of physical and/or mental health services. In tandem with a customer base that

In order to connect Legacy’s custom-

was suddenly unable to visit Legacy’s

ers with its healthcare professionals,

clinics and sites, the organization also

Tennant and his team have increased

had to adapt to its own staff’s transi-

their efforts to digitally enable the organi-

tion to a remote working model. “It was

zation’s customer-facing experience.

kind of the perfect storm,” he recalls.

“A lot of our innovations are customer-

“We made a big push towards working

facing. We’re working to build out what

from home which was something we

I call a digital patient engagement

had not done before. Again, within just

strategy – or a digital front door – for our

a few weeks, we managed to make a

patients, so they can take advantage

180-degree shift to enable a significant

of services from Legacy without having

number of people to work from home

to come into a clinic or site,” Tennant

and, in the case of many of our providers,

explains. “Its development has only been

to provide care remotely.”

accelerated by the COVID-19 outbreak. he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

LEGACY COMMUNITY HEALTH

P E D I A T R I C M EN T AL HEALT H CARE

The global pandemic has been hard on everyone. However, it’s been found than children and young adults in particular are bearing the brunt of its effects on mental health. A recent study found that, in the US, 7.1% of children between the ages of 3 and 17 are currently living with an anxiety diagnosis, and a further 3.2% are struggling with clinical depression. According to Roxane Cohen Silver, a social psychologist at UC Irvine, the elevated levels of stress following national crises can have long-lasting detrimental effects on the mental health of an entire generation. Now, she added in an interview with TIME, we can expect to see the coronavirus pandemic contribute to an even greater spike in mental health issues than following the September 11 attacks in 2001. “This is a difficult time for everyone, and that includes children,” said Dr. Melanie Melville, Medical Director of the Behavioral Health Service Line at Legacy in March of this year. “As we turn to social distancing to quell the spread of this unprecedented JANUARY 2021

virus, we at Legacy want to proactively work to ensure that our most vulnerable populations have continued access to equitable care – including behavioral health care for children.” Since the early days of the US’ Stay Home Order, Legacy has offered remote pediatric appointments to children up to the age of 17, including therapy appointments to assist pediatric patients with anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems. “The crux of our school-based health care program has always been to keep students healthy and relieve the burden of a clinic visit from the parents’ shoulders,” says Dr. Teandra Gordon, the Clinical Director of School Based Behavioral Health program at Legacy. “By now offering these services via telehealth while students don’t have access to their campus clinics, our goal is to continue that warm-hug feeling of wrap-around care that the students – and parents – have come to know and trust from Legacy.”

Legacy Community Health - Cultural Initiative CLICK TO WATCH

1:29

21 We want patients to be anywhere and

processes from Legacy’s caregivers and

be able to pick up their mobile device and

support staff. Both internally and exter-

self-schedule an appointment with us,

nally, Tennant and the Legacy team are

arrange a telehealth visit, pay a bill, digi-

engaging with technological innovation

tally sign a document, etc. We’re working

in the healthcare sector and beyond, in

diligently to digitally enable our patient

order to better harness the Industry 4.0

engagement offerings.”

developments in service of their unique

Internally, Tennant has also been

healthcare model.

working to increasingly automate and integrate the organization’s back-end systems. “We’re looking at how to create a similar digital strategy to better serve our employees,” he explains, adding that their ongoing project is dedicated to alleviating the burden of manual

“ WE’RE WORKING DILIGENTLY TO DIGITALLY ENABLE OUR PATIENT ENGAGEMENT OFFERINGS” — Robert Tennant, CIO, Legacy Community Health, he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

LEGACY COMMUNITY HEALTH

“We’re not a hospital or a healthcare system; we’re a community health provider. We serve the underserved and we function very differently than a lot of other organizations in our industry. Culturally, I think we’re very unique and extraordinary in a lot of ways,” says Tennant. “We do look at what other people are doing, but we’re very entrepreneurial and agile as an organization. We do a lot of self-inquiry as a business and ask ourselves what we, our customers and our patients need,

ServiceNow Global Elite Partner of the Year ®

“ VIRTUAL VISITS HAVE DRASTICALLY CHANGED THE WAY MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY RECEIVE HEALTH CARE” — Robert Tennant, CIO, Legacy Community Health,

to feel like their work is meaningful. I want them to feel safe. I want them to feel like they can make suggestions and be confident that they’ll be heard. And I want them to be able to go home at the end of the day and separate themselves from work. I want these things for everybody, including myself,” he says, stressing that, “If we don’t get the customer service element right,

and how best we can serve those

it’s going to undermine every other

needs with technology.”

aspect of the culture that we’re trying

Both during and beyond the pandemic,

to create.”

Tennant notes that his number-one initiative is the creation of a culture of customer service. “I want my team he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

C L I N I C A L S O F T WA R E

JANUARY 2021

Tackling the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s healthcare challenges with 3D printing WRITTEN BY

LEILA HAWKINS

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C L I N I C A L S O F T WA R E

Can 3D printing solve the problems healthcare systems are currently facing? We speak to two leaders in this field to find out.

he many challenges healthcare systems face

were thrown into the spotlight in 2020 due

to the pandemic, among them medical supply

shortages, supply chain disruptions, and a lack of personal protection equipment (PPE) for healthcare staff. Almost overnight there was an urgent need for

swabs to help test for the virus. Few healthcare providers, if any, were prepared for this sudden demand. “Supply chains for hospitals to suddenly test 5,000 people just didn’t exist,” explains Gautam Gupta, Vice President and General Manager, Medical Devices at 3D Systems Corporation. “It can take a month to establish a new factory, and what happens during that month? It’s a healthcare nightmare, as well as a PR nightmare.”

A SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAIN Gupta and his colleagues soon realised they had the technology to quickly print thousands of swabs each week, with a 3D printer that occupies less space than a refrigerator. “The hospitals can own this supply chain, without having to open a factory or clear a major area of their facilities. They could JANUARY 2021

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C L I N I C A L S O F T WA R E

print 10,000 swabs tomorrow, and

example. “When Chuck started 3D

20,000 the day after, giving them the

printing, the idea was to make some-

power to service their patients

thing quicker, faster, cheaper, and if

as needed.”

a one-off was needed, to make it really

3D Systems has also contributed to the Covid-19 response by 3D printing face shields and parts for ventilators

quickly instead of relying on a traditional supply chain.” The technology is being adopted

So how exactly can you ‘print’ a medi-

in various aspects of healthcare. 3D

cal device?

Systems is currently working with a vari-

The most common technique is ste-

ety of healthcare providers throughout

reolithography, or SLA, which uses

the US and Europe on dental moulds,

a laser to harden liquid resin in a basin

anatomical modelling, and surgical

that creates the required shape. It was

planning.

developed by Chuck Hull in the early

Creating three-dimensional anatomi-

80s, who then founded 3D Systems

cally correct models helps with surgical

in 1986.

training, as well as planning an operation,

“The fundamentals of 3D printing

and Gupta says this leads to reduced

have more or less stayed the same,

surgery time and increased accuracy.

where you have a computer file that

It is especially beneficial for complex sur-

provides the basic input for the printer

geries like separating conjoined twins.

to create an output of a certain shape

“In a lot of cases these models end up

and type,” Gupta explains. “It has evolved into different segments, and there are different polymers you can print with, as well as metals.” When Hull created the first 3D printer he wasn’t specifically thinking about how it could support healthcare, but it seems an ideal solution for many of its challenges, the pandemic being a clear JANUARY 2021

“ Part of the reason we invest in space exploration is because we can spin off benefits here on Earth” — Julielynn Wong, Medical Makers

How Can 3D Printing Advance Sexual and Reproductive Health For Girls and Women? CLICK TO WATCH

2:10

29 in the operating room right next to the

combines creating medical devices for

patient as a reference point, because

space with her other fields of exper-

they are sterilizable objects.”

tise: public health, general preventive

Techniques evolve depending on the

medicine, and occupational medicine.

industry they’re trying to serve, Gupta

While these may seem like disparate

says, so the technology has developed

fields she explains that creating a digital

for the jewellery sector, engineering,

catalog of 3D printable supplies for

and even aerospace.

space missions can actually benefit millions of lives on Earth.

SOLUTIONS FOR THOSE WHO MOST NEED THEM

is useful for testing healthcare solutions

The latter is an area that Julielynn

for resource-constrained regions on

Wong specialises in, more specifically

Earth,” she says. “Nearly half the world’s

aerospace medicine. As the founder

population lives in rural areas, where they

of the social enterprise 3D4MD, she

often lack affordable and timely access

“The austere environment of space

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C L I N I C A L S O F T WA R E

J U L I E LY N N W O N G

Born in Ontario, Julielynn Wong is a physician, scientist, pilot and Harvard graduate. In 2011 she founded social enterprise 3D4MD, and five years later founded Medical Makers. Wong is board-certified in public health and general preventive medicine, and has authored over 35 scientific and technical publications. She has also filed 14 patents

JANUARY 2021

for medical devices. Her expertise has led to numerous TEDx talks and speeches at the UN, Google Canada and the Smithsonian among others. In 2017, along with a team of astronauts she became the first person to 3D print medical supplies in space, onboard the International Space Station.

to medical supplies. Having a regulatory-

can work in a harsh, dusty, austere

compliant 3D printing system that can

environment.

be solar-powered, in a remote setting,

The types of medical devices they are

would allow locals to produce medical

focusing on are used for non-urgent

supplies on demand locally at a much

procedures. “3D printing takes time,

lower cost, and without any delays.”

so you wouldn’t rely on it to make sup-

“Part of the reason we invest in space

plies during a medical emergency,” says

exploration is because we can spin off

Wong. “But if medical items are used up

benefits here on Earth,” she adds. “And

for an emergency procedure, you could

the bigger the benefits, the better.”

3D print replacement consumables

To that effect, Wong devised a solar-

afterwards.”

powered 3D printing system to create

“The ISS Crew Medical Officers are

medical supplies on-site. Since 2017,

trained to perform basic dental pro-

she has led crews of analogue astro-

cedures, because dental problems are

nauts at the Mars Desert Research

common on earth so they’re common

Station to test designs and find out

in space too. Dental issues are important

whether this 3D printing system

to fix because otherwise the astronaut

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C L I N I C A L S O F T WA R E

will be miserable, and it’ll affect their

that 63,000 tons of PPE will end up in

morale and crew cohesion.

landfills over the next year. PPE can’t be

“Normally you’d use three instruments made from metal, so we came up with

recycled because it is potentially contaminated with biohazards.”

a 3D printable, multifunctional dental

The 3D4MD 100% Reusable Face

tool made out of a filament that’s quite

Shield, which consists of a clear visor,

a bit lighter, but still strong. This will save

comfort band and frame, can be

money because launching supplies to

sanitised in home or commercial dish-

space is expensive.”

washers, and the clear visor has been

Given the environments she’s design-

rated for over 1000 autoclaving cycles

ing for, the main challenge for Wong is

– the gold standard sterilisation process

ensuring the devices won’t require post-

in healthcare. “We’ve developed the

processing after they’ve been printed.

technical knowledge on how to 3D print

“You wouldn’t want to 3D print something

sanitizable and sterilisable filament.

and then have to sand down excess

It’s better to make a reusable medical

material, or go find a tool and screws to

device because it reduces supply chain

put it together,” she says.

dependence for single-use items.”

“We’ve become real experts at designing devices that print support-free, can be 100 per cent 3D printed, and are ready to use right off of the print bed. It’s more challenging to meet these design requirements but it makes sense for austere environments.” 3D4MD has also been printing 100 per cent reusable face shields for frontline workers. “The current paradigm of single-usepersonal protective equipment (PPE) is not sustainable,” she explains. “The Canadian government estimates JANUARY 2021

G A U TA M G U P TA

Gupta is VP and General Manager for Medical Devices at 3D Systems, one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading 3D printing organisations that was founded in 1986 by the inventor of the first commercial 3D printer himself, Chuck Hull. An accomplished materials scientist and metallurgical engineer, Gupta has

a doctorate in biomedical engineering and an MBA from Northwesternâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kellogg School of Management. At 3D Systems he has contributed to the invention, development, and introduction of numerous anatomical products.

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C L I N I C A L S O F T WA R E

HUMAN-CENTRED DESIGNS

hadn’t received medical care straight

3D4MD have also printed prototypes

away. “We want to provide IUD inser-

for a low-cost, intrauterine device

tion training for physicians, nurses, and

(IUD) insertion trainer. While design-

midwives to improve access to high

ing this device, they discovered that

quality, long-term and emergency

the copper IUD is the most effective

contraception in rural areas and low

method of emergency contraception,

to middle income countries” she says.

and can be inserted up to seven days

As well as 3D4MD, Wong is also the

after unprotected sexual intercourse

founder of Medical Makers, a social

as opposed to the 72-hour window

enterprise that aims to provide people

of the morning-after pill.

with the skills to create high-quality

Wong sees this as especially benefi-

medical devices with 3D printing. There

cial for teenage girls and women who

are chapters around the world, from

have been sexually assaulted, and

northern Alberta in Canada to Uganda.

JANUARY 2021

“ 3D printing is one of the few technologies that allow doctors the ability to personalise a solution for a patient” — Gautam Gupta, 3D Systems We’re seeing more and more of this. To find the best solution for a patient, the answer is very simple – give them something that is customised for them. And within the next three to five years, I think Interestingly, 50 per cent of their

20 per cent of orthopaedic devices will

members are women and girls. Wong

be made using 3D printing technology.”

believes this is because of Medical

In the distant future, Wong says

Makers’ mission and values. “We

bioprinting – printing using cells and bio-

approach innovation by focusing on

materials to create organs – will become

designing products for social good,”

more common. “People have been bio-

she says. “We use human centered-

printing in space as well, but I think that’s

design to create life-changing solutions

much further on the horizon because

that serve vulnerable populations.”

of the complexity of organs. It’s not just

Both Gupta and Wong believe

about printing the solid organ, you’ve

wider adoption of 3D printing is on the

got to have the blood vessels, the nerve

horizon. “3D printing is one of the few

supply and lymphatics. We’ve got a long

technologies that allow doctors the abil-

way to go, but it’s great that people are

ity to personalise a solution for a patient.

working on it.” he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

C U LT U R E C H A N G E

JANUARY 2021

AI: Shaking up the NHS WRITTEN BY LEILA

HAWKINS

he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

C U LT U R E C H A N G E

We talk to the UK’s first Head of Clinical Artificial Intelligence to find out how AI can transform its National Health Service.

r Tom Lawton MBE is a Consultant in Critical Care and Anaesthesia at Bradford Teaching Hospitals in the north of England, where his

role involves looking after patients in intensive care.

In the summer of 2019, the hospital trust gave him the additional role of Head of Clinical Artificial Intelligence, a first for the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). 38

Lawton’s career initially began in IT rather than in medicine. After working as a computer programmer he went to medical school and ended up specialising in critical care, although he remained very interested in data research, particularly around big data and how it can help healthcare. Lawton explains that with his groundbreaking appointment as Head of Clinical Artificial Intelligence he intends to find ways artificial intelligence can help the healthcare system, particularly in terms of the huge amounts of data being generated. “One of the things that’s happening in the NHS is that there’s more and more information available about all our patients” he says. “You used to have a set of paper notes whereas now you’ve got data coming in from doctors and tests, and you just get this onslaught of information.” JANUARY 2021

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“My particular interest is trying to help people filter through this onslaught of information that we have in healthcare nowadays. We’re getting into a situation where too much information is almost as bad as not enough, because there’s so much distracting stuff going on.” To resolve this, AI can help to highlight the most important bits of data. “This is what I think the best role of AI is - pointing us in the right direction and saying ‘look here’s something important’, to prevent

“ If you’re directing humans to where they can be most useful, that aspect of helping you prioritise is a brilliant use of AI, and will hopefully save us a lot of time” — Dr Tom Lawton MBE, Consultant in Critical Care and Anaesthesia

us from getting distracted by the mas41

sive amount of data available.” One such area is predictive analytics, “where you might see that the patient is likely to deteriorate before it happens. Then you can put something in place to address this.” “We’re currently designing an AI system for people in the community with diabetes. We can see people over years that might develop diabetes but hopefully with AI we can detect this before they develop it, or if they do, pick this up before they develop complications that can be really life-altering, and try to stop that progression.” As a result of Covid-19 the hospital trust has deployed AI’s predictive he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

C U LT U R E C H A N G E

analytics to predict stock levels of

allow data to be passed a lot more freely.”

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE),

But this also means that data sets

and to predict busy periods in the

have suddenly become much bigger and

Accident & Emergency department,

more complex.

so that an additional doctor can be

“The other development is around

brought in to triage patients and help

ways to reduce healthcare demand, or

clear out the emergency room before

try and divert healthcare need away from

it hits a peak.

the hospital. We’re involved in a project at

Reflecting on changes to the hospi-

the moment looking at using voice recog-

tal’s operations since he started in the

nition to conduct simple conversations

role, Lawton explains the impact Covid

with patients over the phone rather than

has had. “One of the big things that

having to come in for an appointment.”

has changed with the pandemic is

“There’s a lot of opportunity there,

there has been a lot more opportunity

particularly given the pandemic. Patients

for data sharing. The Covid regulations

might only be able to see their hospital

Contacting your GP remotely | NHS CLICK TO WATCH | 3:40

JANUARY 2021

DR TOM L AW TON MBE

After working as a computer programmer, Tom Lawton studied medicine at the universities of Cambridge and Oxford. He later went on to do a Masters in Health Research at the University of Leeds.

used for sleep apnoea), which led to appearances on BBC radio and on the BBC News website.

In 2014 he began working as an intensive care consultant within the NHS, based at Bradford Royal Infirmary.

In October 2020 Lawton was awarded an MBE (Member of the British Empire) in the prestigious Queen’s Birthday Honours for his services to the NHS during Covid-19.

Before being appointed Head of Clinical AI in June 2019 he was one of the trust’s medical informatics officers.

He’s also set up a study to assess the long term physical and mental effects of the illness on people.

This year Lawton has been a key part of the hospital’s Covid-19 response, recognising early on the value of using CPAP (a breathing therapy device usually

he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

C U LT U R E C H A N G E

NHSX

In January 2019 the UK Government published its ‘Long Term Plan’ for the NHS. A key part of this is digital transformation, with goals including increasing digital access for patients, using predictive analytics to support local health systems, and deploying AI to help clinicians apply best practice. In July 2019 an organisation called NHSX was formed, responsible for driving digital transformation and leading its policy and implementation. “Better technology is vital to have and embracing it is the only way to make the NHS sustainable over the long term” Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock said earlier this year.

JANUARY 2021

doctor every 6 months, whereas if

He’s working with the Assuring

a computer on the other end can deal

Autonomy International Programme at

with most of the simple stuff and then

the University of York, a group working

refer more complex cases to the clini-

with industry, regulators and research

cian, then hopefully patients can have

teams to address safety and assurance

much easier access, and without neces-

issues with robotics and autonomous

sarily having to come into the hospital.”

systems. “I’ve been looking at how we

Lawton’s other big area of interest is

can make sure systems are safe to use

the safety of AI. “With traditional systems,

in complex and critical environments like

for instance if I design an oxygen pump,

healthcare, so we can bring in AI systems

I know what it’s going to do because

that genuinely improve things.”

I designed it. With AI, if there’s a mistake

Lawton believes that the role of AI

it’s not always clear where the mistake

should be advisory, and not making

has come from and exactly

decisions in place of healthcare profes-

what’s happened.”

sionals. “When AI is presented with

he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

C U LT U R E C H A N G E

a situation it’s not familiar with it can fail in weird and wonderful ways” he says. “The best way to deal with that is to have a robust safety system in place, to look at how it works and more importantly how it can fail. Fundamentally there shouldn’t be any AI systems making decisions instead of a human at the moment, they are far more useful for pointing out things that are important.” It’s a fantastic tool for classifying, he says. For instance AI can be trained to tell between a “normal” chest x-ray and one with abnormalities. “The AI system 46

can separate all the normal x-rays into one pile so we know they’re not urgent, and while we’ll look at them eventually but it means we can focus on the ones the AI system says are abnormal.” “What they’re so far not so good at is telling us exactly what it is that’s abnormal, why it’s abnormal and what we need to do about it. But in terms of simple classification it can really help to prioritise our work. If you’re directing humans to where they can be most useful, that aspect of helping you prioritise is a brilliant use of AI, and will hopefully save the NHS a lot of time.” In terms of adoption across the UK’s huge, centralised healthcare network, JANUARY 2021

“ The NHS is in a big shake-up time at the moment so it needs to find new ways of doing things. I think AI will form part of that.” — Dr Tom Lawton MBE, Consultant in Critical Care and Anaesthesia Lawton says it’s going to depend on the rate of acceleration locally. “We have organisations like NHSX that are pushing the AI agenda, and others providing funding for artificial intelligence work, so I think we’re going to see it used increasingly, and that’s a good thing because it does have a lot of potential to make improvements across the NHS. Hopefully we’ll see examples of good practice dotted around the country which will then be encouraged to grow further.” “It’s going to be a really interesting time because the health system is unfortunately, especially with Covid-19, in a big shake-up time at the moment so it needs to find new ways of doing things. I think AI will form part of that.” he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

R PA

JANUARY 2021

BUILDING RESILIENCE AFTER COVID-19 WITH RPA WRITTEN BY

LEILA HAWKINS h e a l t h c a r e gl o b a l . c o m

R PA

JANUARY 2021

How robotic process automation is helping healthcare providers overcome the challenges of the pandemic.

ithin days of the COVID-19 pandemic being declared, robotic process automation

(RPA) became an essential day-to-day

tool for many healthcare providers, rather than a longterm aspiration. For organisations suddenly burdened with staff shortages and other constraints caused by the COVID-19 crisis, the benefits of automation were no longer purely about making cost efficiencies, but about building resilience. Tasks like billing, processing claims, managing patient records and other repetitive, time-consuming tasks are well suited to software bots, as they can help free-up time for healthcare staff to spend with patients. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Healthcare organisations have these very complicated types of billing and claims processes, that involve reworking the claims and making sure that codes are properly applied. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just so much manual data entry, checking of records, sometimes checking of actual scans,â&#x20AC;? says Roberto Valdez, Director of Cybersecurity Automation and Risk

Advisory Services at Kaufman Rossin, an advisory firm for US businesses. h e a l t h c a r e gl o b a l . c o m

Driving insurers

digital future into a

At Cognizant, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve invested in the end-to-end capabilities needed to help insurance organizations not just do digital, but be digital. We partner with our clients to unlock new value and through the power of digital technologies and new ways of working, we help them evolve into more competitive, progressive versions of themselves. Learn more at Cognizant.com

A study by Gartner carried out in May

“These are the areas where RPA has

2020 found that while only 5 per cent of

the biggest opportunity and can make

healthcare providers had been investing

the biggest impact, and the pandemic

in RPA before the pandemic, 50 per cent

will continue to drive adoption,”

plan to do so in the next three years.

Valdez says.

This makes sense given that RPA

One example is Indian insurance

has emerged as an almost tailor-made

firm ICICI Lombard, who now used

solution for the challenges of COVID-19.

cloud-based automation driven by AI

Consider staff who routinely carry out

to process cashless claims requested

admin duties having to self-isolate for

by hospitals. Data like doctor’s diag-

two weeks, along with the increased

noses and treatment plans are fed into

numbers of patients passing through

the algorithm, which decides whether

a hospital. Automation can take care of

to accept the case, while a machine

the increase in patient scheduling and

learning algorithm decides on the claim

appointment cancellations.

amount. A process that once took 4 hours to do manually, now takes

T O P 5 R PA PROVIDERS IN THE H E A LT H C A R E S E C T O R

1. WIPRO

90 seconds.

SOLVING COVID-SPECIFIC CHALLENGES RPA has also been deployed to solve specific problems that have arisen as

2. UIPATH

a result of the pandemic. COVID-19 testing requires a substantial amount of repetitive admin, including finding

3. BLUE PRISM

and registering patients in the system, correctly labelling test kits for collection

4. FEAT SYSTEMS

and analysis, and logging test results, in some cases into a national database containing millions of other entries.

5. CSI

Additionally, there is a huge demand for tests that have created backlogs in many h e a l t h c a r e gl o b a l . c o m

R PA

“ Automation across the entire value chain is something that’s continuing to increase.” — Roberto Valdez, Director of Cybersecurity Automation and Risk Advisory Services

countries, while social distancing rules remain in place for staff. Back in March, RPA software firm UiPath launched a project with the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Dublin, providing their Infection Prevention and Control department with free trial robot licences to process test results. UiPath says this is saving 3 hours per day, which nurses can instead spend on the pandemic response. In the UK, at the start of the pandemic 750,000 people responded to

the Government’s call for volunteers to assist with COVID-19 efforts, in the space of just two days. Before taking up their roles, every single person needed to be registered and undergo background checks. Whereas HR would usually perform these functions manually, the sheer numbers of people requiring processing meant that using automation would be much faster and more efficient. Software firm Credentially was appointed to automate the sign-up and verification process of doctors, nurses and paramedics, registering thousands of clinicians in a matter of days instead of months. JANUARY 2021

R O B E R T O VA L D E Z

Roberto is the Director of Cybersecurity Automation and Risk Advisory Services at accounting and advisory firm Kaufman Rossin, based in Florida. As a specialist in cybersecurity and automation services, he helps businesses mitigate risk, protect their information, and achieve their strategic objectives through technology, as well as enabling them to increase efficiency and quality through process optimisation and RPA. His clients are frequently from the healthcare, financial and technology sectors.

h e a l t h c a r e gl o b a l . c o m

R PA

SLOW ADOPTION, UNTIL NOW

within the United States. In certain

COVID-19 has really highlighted the

conditions, they will offshore, but with

benefits of RPA, but why did it take

really strict and rigid restrictions.”

a global pandemic for it to become

Another reason is purely down to clini-

widely adopted? “There’s actually some

cians’ habits. “So much of what is done is

good reasons for this,” Valdez says.

in a physical space with patients, where

“Some of it relates to the sensitivity of

healthcare practitioners are writing

patient information, some of which is

notes by hand, or marking charts. Even

driven by compliance, but then also just

today there’s still tons of paper involved

good patient care and stewardship of

in this system. There are healthcare

patient records as well.

record systems that are increasingly

“HIPAA compliance provides certain

able to provide good apps and interfaces

types of constraints, and as a result of

for digital versions of these, but what-

that, healthcare organisations have

ever has been baked in the cake and

been hesitant to outsource certain

used for a long period of time is still

types of functionalities historically,

quite prevalent.”

though it’s become much more com-

Despite this, it looks increasingly like

mon. Then when they do outsource,

RPA in healthcare is here to stay. “It’s

they often want to restrict it geo-

very hard to unturn this screw, and part

graphically, for instance limiting it to

of that is because if you have a nice return on your investment and a nice

“ Thanks to RPA, a process that once took 4 hours to do manually, now takes 90 seconds.” — Roberto Valdez, Director of Cybersecurity Automation and Risk Advisory Services JANUARY 2021

demonstration of value, then why would you go back?” Valdez says. “The other part is just as simple as implementation and infrastructure. When you go through the effort, cost and time of integrating a system like robotic process automation, then it’s probably to your advantage to just continue on that pathway of digital transformation.

What is RPA: Robotic Process Automation CLICK TO WATCH

1:53

That includes the use of the cloud, and

seeing that there’s some market share

Software as a Service types of systems.

available,” he says.

Automation across the entire value

“Providers of electronic health records

chain is something that’s continuing

(EHR), customer relationship manage-

to increase.”

ment (CRM), and enterprise resource

RPA is the fastest-growing segment

planning software (ERP) are integrating

of the software market, and Valdez pre-

versions of RPA into their existing plat-

dicts that providers of other, traditional

forms. Even companies like Workday,

types of software will see this as an

which produces a huge ERP system, and

opportunity. “You have enterprise RPA

Microsoft, are integrating RPA into their

platforms like Blue Prism and UiPath that

platform. We’re going to see an increase

are just tremendously successful, but

in that. It’ll create a nice competitive over-

then these traditional, huge enterprise

lap which benefits healthcare, and which

companies and software developers are

ultimately benefits the patient as well.” h e a l t h c a r e gl o b a l . c o m

BLOCKCHAIN

Blockchain: Future-proofing healthcare 58

WRITTEN BY

JANUARY 2021

LEILA HAWKINS

he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

BLOCKCHAIN

We look at four key areas where blockchain can transform healthcare to prepare it for the challenges of the future

hen Bitcoin, the first cryptocurrency, launched in 2009, the world was in the middle of a great recession. More than

a decade later, with the world engulfed in a pandemic,

the technology underpinning Bitcoin has the potential to solve many of the challenges our healthcare sys60

tems face, both now and in the future. Blockchain is a type of digital database that stores transactions in such a way that the information cannot be altered. When a ‘block’ becomes filled with data it joins the back of a chain and receives a timestamp, forming a blockchain in chronological order. Each transaction is signed with a private key, and distributed among a peer-to-peer set of participants. Without a valid signature, any new blocks created by data changes are ignored and not added to the chain. While the chain is visible, it doesn’t reveal any data, only the timestamp. This visibility is important because it makes it possible to trace the history of a transaction, or a supply chain. Take De Beers, the world’s biggest diamond producer, a sector that has frequently come under fire due to where the diamonds are sourced. In 2018 JANUARY 2021

he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

Between hope and possible thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a bridge.

There from the beginning to where we stand today. And to where we will go from here. One company. One promise. If you can imagine it, we will build the bridge to get you there.

“ Blockchain’s unique ability to both protect and flexibly hold data could play a vital role in underpinning healthcare’s digital progress” the firm began using blockchain to trace the entire journey of their diamonds across the supply chain, to ensure they 63

were all sourced ethically and sustainably. It is these advantages that give blockchain such potential for the healthcare sector.

PATIENT HEALTH RECORDS “Data portability across multiple systems and services is still a real issue within the healthcare sector,” says Rupert Spiegelberg, CEO of Doctorlink. “For example, in the UK, your hospital records are not attached to your GP records, but if they were, the advantages are clear in terms of treatment and preventative care. “Blockchains could be used to store our medical records, enabling patients he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

BLOCKCHAIN

BLOCKCHAIN A TIMELINE

1991: Stuart Haber and W. Scott Stornetta conceive the idea of an encrypted chain of blocks containing data and timestamps that cannot be altered. 2008: A group or person under the name Satoshi Nakamoti creates Bitcoin, the world’s first cryptocurrency. Bitcoin is the first application of blockchain technology. It launches in January 2019. 64

2013: Blockchain’s potential beyond cryptocurrency is explored. Developer Vitalik Buterin along with seven other co-founders creates Ethereum, a new public blockchain with added functionalities and the ability to host different types of cryptocurrency 2017: Almost 15 per cent of the world’s big banks use blockchain 2019: Worldwide spending on blockchain technology reaches $2.7 billion. Deloitte’s Global Blockchain Survey finds that 50 per cent of organisations in a variety of sectors now recognise that blockchain is a critical factor.

JANUARY 2021

to resume ownership of their personal

have also called for more data sharing

data, while also allowing professional

between pharma companies and those

healthcare practitioners to interact with

in chemicals, technology, manufacturing,

it, revolutionising the delivery of treat-

and supply chain, amongst others.

ments and preventative care.”

According to the WHO, 50 per cent

Estonia, a Baltic country that bor-

of clinical trials go unreported, generally

ders Russia, has been called the most

because the results are negative. This

advanced digital society in the world.

leaves gaps in knowledge for stakehold-

People’s health records are stored on

ers and patients. A secure, yet visible

a blockchain, which among other things

database with the results from trials

allows medication to be tracked from

of new medicines for instance, could

its manufacture all the way down to the

improve patient care, and reduce the

patient’s adherence.

possibility of fraud.

IBM Watson recently released their

Research published in the British

Digital Health Pass using blockchain

Medical Journal has cited Enigma and

technology. The Health Pass has been

OPAL developed by the Massachusetts

designed to help organisations verify

Institute of Technology as two examples

the health of an employee – particularly

of blockchain that are “a revolutionary

their Covid status – while keeping their

way of preserving privacy for epidemio-

data private. Users are in control of their

logical research as it’s developing.”

health information, managed in their own encrypted digital wallet which they can

DNA SEQUENCING

access on a mobile device.

While we’ve witnessed a rise in the availability of home DNA tests for indi-

SHARING MEDICAL RESEARCH

viduals to find out about potential health

Leaders in the medical and life sciences

conditions, whole genome sequenc-

sectors have made frequent calls for

ing, where the entire genetic code of

a data sharing platform where research-

a person is analysed, is still prohibitively

ers can share the findings of clinical trials

expensive for consumers. Additionally,

and other medical research. Experts

some people are concerned over the he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

BLOCKCHAIN

The aim is to encourage more people to submit their genetic code, persuaded by blockchain’s secure system, which will give scientists more to work with to understand the causes of disease and develop personalised treatments.

ADDRESSING GLOBAL HEALTH INEQUALITIES There are millions of people around the world who do not have a legal identity, and therefore don’t have access to healthcare services. Dr Jane Thomason, 66

an author and associate at the Centre for Blockchain Technology at University confidentiality of handing their DNA over

College London (UCL), says that

to other people.

providing this group of people with

This means that the small amount

a permanent, unalterable record of their

of genetic code available to scientists

identity in a blockchain that they owned

makes it difficult to carry out meaning-

themselves would be “game-changing”.

ful research, which could be beneficial

Additionally, in countries where

to learn more about cancer and

access to good quality medication is

other diseases.

limited, a blockchain supply chain would

Nebula, a San Francisco-based

allow each member to see the supplies

startup, offers whole genome sequenc-

as they move. Up to 10 per cent of drugs

ing for free to people willing to let their

in low and middle income countries are

data be used by scientists. The analysis

either counterfeit or of poor quality, and

is stored in a blockchain so that only

it’s estimated that around 250,000 chil-

the DNA’s owner and researchers have

dren are killed each year by consuming

access, with the owner’s authorisation.

fake medicines.

JANUARY 2021

5 C O M PA N I E S U S I N G BLOCKCHAIN I N H E A LT H C A R E

1. BurstIQ BurstIQâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blockchain network has been purpose-built to securely manage patient data 2. Medicalchain UK startup Medicalchain holds health records in a blockchain that doctors, hospitals and labs can request access to from the patient 3. Booz Allen Hamilton Consultancy firm Booz Allen Hamilton has worked with the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to implement a blockchain to exchange data on infectious diseases with hospitals 4. Guardtime Guardtime uses blockchain for cybersecurity applications, and has helped implement the technology in Estoniaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s healthcare system 5. Providence St Joseph Health Providence St Joseph Health, a US healthcare provider, acquired blockchain firm Lumedic to implement a revenue cycle management platform using the technology

he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

BLOCKCHAIN

“ Blockchain technologies are set to become a major factor in future healthcare programs.” Lastly, various studies have found that foreign aid disproportionately flows to the richest regions of the destination country, rather than the poorest. Blockchain could ensure that foreign aid donations intended for healthcare programmes in low income countries would 68

reach those who need it the most.

BLOCKCHAIN - THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE? There are of course, challenges. “These applications still require strict authentication and record sharing requirements,” Spiegelberg says. “As with all new technologies, there are still concerns that blockchain will have its own vulnerabilities which are yet to be discovered. For example, could mining attacks become an issue and if a user misplaced their private key, would the data be permanently inaccessible? “Whilst the healthcare sector is undergoing a digital overhaul, we are still only JANUARY 2021

at the beginning of this process and without a centralised model to follow or adopt, it is a huge undertaking for healthcare systems to embark on. In order for blockchain technologies to become widely adopted in healthcare systems, industry leaders and policy makers, along with private and government bodies, will need to work together and adopt a joint approach.” The time seems ripe for this type of collaboration, as COVID-19 has accelerated a digital explosion in healthcare. The focus has shifted from being able to handle more patients to being able to handle them more effectively and treating their conditions more easily. Blockchain’s unique ability to both protect and flexibly hold data could play a vital role in underpinning healthcare’s digital progress and overhaul how it is delivered. “Research already suggests that 55 per cent of all healthcare applications will have employed blockchain by 2025,” Spielberger says. “Given its unique ability to ensure appropriate encryption and security, I believe that blockchain technologies are set to become a major factor in future healthcare programs.” he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

T O P 10

JANUARY 2021

Virtual Healthcare Events Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, virtual conferences are set to be a big part of 2021. This is no bad thing – being able to log onto an event from the comfort of your home not only represents cost savings and minimal environmental impact, it also means events previously hosted on opposite

sides of the country – or world – are now accessible to everyone. Here we round up 10 virtual events that cover a wide range of subjects including AI, data, policy, and the pandemic.

WRITTEN BY LEILA

HAWKINS

he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

T O P 10

JP Morgan 39th Healthcare Conference January 11 – 14

JP Morgan’s established annual conference goes virtual for the first time in 2021. The event gathers leaders from the world’s largest pharmaceutical, medical and life science companies, along with emerging fast-growth companies, innovative technology creators, and investors. Past events have had over 9,000 attendees from more than 450 organisations. As well as key note speeches on emerging technology within healthcare, there’ll be discussions on trends in biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, and how the healthcare sector is evolving.

JANUARY 2021

CES

January 11 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 14 CES is the annual event where manufacturers, developers and designers showcase their latest inventions, in a range of fields spanning from 3D printing to quantum computing, including digital healthcare, robotics and AI. The first CES took place in 1967, and numerous items that were first shown at this event have gone on to become part of everyday life, such as tablets, IPTV and Ultrabooks. Recent healthcare innovations have included a home test to detect UTIs, which won an award for Top Emerging Technology in 2019.

he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

Active Transformation with Atos

As one of the largest bottlers of The Coca-Cola Company, active transformation is key to sustainability and success for Coca-Cola HBC. With Atos as their digital transformation partner, they are writing the future for soft drinks distribution. • Connected coolers engage personally with customers • Data analytics deliver insights and continuously optimize CCHBC’s business model • Comprehensive SAP and cloud-based solutions ensure secure and agile operation • End-to-end application services drive innovation Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with approximately 120,000 employees in 73 countries and annual revenue of around € 13 billion.

T O P 10

Spotlight Telemedicine January 28 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 30

This three-day conference focuses on all aspects of telehealth, including psychiatry, diabetes, surgery, and even intensive care carried out via telehealth technologies. As well as panels there will be workshops teaching how to use telehealth platforms in different areas of medicine. Best uses of telehealth beyond Covid-19 will also be covered, along with discussions on big data, innovation and trends, and empowering the patient with digital skills.

he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

T O P 10

LSX World Congress February 1 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5

This event, approaching its 7th year, is organised by LSX, a community of senior life sciences executives. The conference provides a chance to network with health and bio tech startup CEOs, publicly listed organisations and investors. Speakers for 2021 include senior execs from Novartis, Pfizer, Mckinsey 76

and IBM Watson Health.

JANUARY 2021

HETT Reset February 8 – 12

HETT (Healthcare Excellence Through Technology) is one of the UK’s leading health tech events, supported by UK Government agencies and the National Health Service (NHS) among others. The upcoming event will cover how to digitally empower patients, addressing diversity and health inequalities alongside health tech innovation, and exploring AI and automation. Among the speakers are digital experts from various regional NHS clinical groups, and experts from the Government’s Department for International Trade and Imperial College.

he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

Know Your Patient Automated identity verification powered by AI.

Streamline patient registration

Prevent medical identity theft

jumio.com

Verify patient identity

T O P 10

Health Datapalooza and National Health Policy Conference February 16 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 18

This conference combines two independent events: Health Datapalooza and the National Health Policy Conference (NHPC). The joint event first took place in 2020, and will go virtual for the first time in February 2021 with a variety of online plenaries, breakout sessions and networking opportunities. Talks by health tech experts will cover how to tackle health inequalities, reforming the US healthcare system, and Covid-19.

he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

T O P 10

Digital Health Rewired March 15 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 19

One of the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest health tech events, this five day festival gathers authors, clinicians, CEOs and other leading figures in health IT. Early stage digital startups get the chance to showcase their innovations at Pitchfest, and a panel of judges will choose one to pilot their project with the National Health System (NHS). The festival will kick off with a summit covering Digital Responses to Covid-19, while other days will include discussions on the trends shaping digital health, delivering large scale digital transformation in health, and how digital can support the NHS in the new, post-Covid world.

JANUARY 2021

Intelligent Health May 11 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 12

The Intelligent Health summit is devoted to artificial intelligence within healthcare. While the May 2021 edition is set to take place in London over two days, it will be streamed simultaneously online. Tech giants, clinicians and startups from around the world will be in attendance, with key themes including AIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role in combating inequalities in health, consumer empowerment, and adoption in hospitals.

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T O P 10

Laboratory Automation & Informatics May 19

This free virtual event covers the latest in automation and infomatics for labs, including the benefits of the latest technology for research and data output. The fifth edition of the event will be highly interactive, with networking sessions as well as video live streams.

JANUARY 2021

Explore the World of Science with LabRoots, Your Science Net... CLICK TO WATCH

1:06

he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

T O P 10

Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference Highlights 86

CLICK TO WATCH

JANUARY 2021

0:44

Women leaders in healthcare July 22 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 23

Industry publication Modern Healthcare are organising this two-day virtual event which will feature female executives from some of the largest healthcare providers in the US. The agenda for 2021 is yet to be announced, but themes in 2020 included networking strategies, leading an organisation through a healthcare crisis, and womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role in improving the healthcare system.

he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

Driving Healthcare Innovation Through Data and Analytics WRITTEN BY

LEILA HAWKINS PRODUCED BY

THOMAS LIVERMORE

JANUARY 2021

he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK

Community Health Network (CHNw) provides convenient access to exceptional healthcare services, driving innovation through data and analytics

ommunity Health Network, headquartered in Indianapolis, can truly call itself a leader in healthcare services. Their Chief

Analytics Officer, Patrick McGill, MD tells us they 90

have one of the highest physician engagement scores in the region, and their patient satisfaction scores also rank amongst the top. Another key aspect that sets them apart from other healthcare providers is their strategic focus on data analytics. Whereas many healthcare organisations are lagging in this area, McGill says they believe this is the pathway to future success. McGill first came to work here as a family doctor around 10 years ago. When the organisation installed Epic as their electronic medical record (EMR), he was asked to work on some of its optimization. This led to a series of roles including Medical Director of Physician Informatics, leading training and strategic initiatives around Epic; Senior VP for Clinical Strategy, and two years ago he stepped into the position of Chief Analytics Officer. JANUARY 2021

he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK

“One of the decisions the Board of Directors made when they created the role of Chief Analytics Officer was that it had to be a physician,” says

costs. But, as with any big change, it’s not an easy process. Community took the approach of transforming just two areas initially.

McGill. “When you try and make data

“One is the patient-facing area

analytics a strategic asset, having a

to allow patients to have the same

physician lead the analytics and infor-

experience with healthcare as if

mation technology departments really

they were shopping or paying bills

puts a different focus on these areas.”

online,” McGill explains. “We focused

With his background as a physician,

on things like receiving appointment

McGill understands the need to drive

reminders, scheduling appointments

the digital transformation of the busi-

online and communications between

ness as a way of ultimately improving

providers and patients. Secondly,

patient outcomes while reducing

we focused on operational areas

JANUARY 2021

E X E C U T I V E P R O FILE :

Patrick McGill, MD Title: EVP, Chief Analytics Officer

Industry: Healthcare

Company: Community Health Network

Location: Indiana

Dr. Patrick McGill serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Analytics Officer for Community Health Network. In addition to serving on the Network Executive Leadership Team, he leads the Office of Network Analytics, Information Technology, Business Process Management and Clinical Informatics. Most recently, he served as the Senior Vice President for Clinical Strategy, overseeing programs to reduce clinical variation, strategies for growth and the transition towards value-based care. Prior, he served as the Vice President of Clinical Transformation. Additionally, Dr. McGill has special interests in clinical data and analytics, patient safety, population health, office workflow efficiency and waste reduction. Dr. McGill is a certified Green belt in Lean/Six Sigma. Born and raised outside of Atlanta, GA, Dr. McGill attended the University of Georgia in Athens, GA graduating Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. He received his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, GA and completed his Family Medicine residency at Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie, IN. Prior to joining Community Physician Network in 2010, he practiced Family Medicine in Pendleton, IN. He is board certified in Family Medicine and continues to see patients at South Indy Family Practice.

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“ Our brand promise is exceptional care, simply delivered, and one of our values is patients first” — Patrick McGill, EVP, Chief Analytics Officer

years. A good example is the da Vinci Surgical System, a robot-assisted system that helps surgeons perform delicate procedures. “They’ve been very successful,” says McGill. “They have been found to reduce surgery time, improve outcomes, shorten the length of a hospital stay after surgery, and patients recover faster.” McGill explains that there is still a

that don’t directly impact patient

degree of suspicion of AI in health-

care which we could align our busi-

care. “A lot of the time I feel that AI

ness processes. Things like billing,

is slow to be adopted in the care of

IT operations, and, moving forward, some HR functions like the onboarding of new employees, which we can streamline and automate. “If we can show people that we’re moving forward as a digital enterprise, it’ll drive the organization forward and achieve the goals that we want, but still preserve that doctor-patient and provider-patient relationship that’s so sacred. We don’t want to disrupt that relationship – we want to enhance it.” The organization has been deploying state-of-the-art technology to assist the workforce for a number of he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK

“ We’re building the analytic platform to understand the patient journey and the clinical journey” — Patrick McGill, EVP, Chief Analytics Officer

patients because physicians, nurses and pharmacists really want to understand what’s in the black box of AI,” he says. “If they don’t understand it and they can’t explain it, then they don’t want to adopt it. “While easing into the realm of digitalization, we’ve tried to leverage AI tools to help augment their knowledge, so servicing algorithms where patients might be at a higher risk of a fall, to alert the clinician to take some extra precautions with this patient, or

in areas where the patient might be

JANUARY 2021

CHNw Safety Message CLICK TO WATCH

0:50

97 faster to deteriorate, to alert the clini-

receive test results or to pay their

cian that they’re at risk of becoming

bills, it’s about achieving a true con-

sicker. It’s about using AI to augment

sumer-driven experience.

their decision-making versus telling

“Leveraging things like Mychart

them what they need to do. We’ve had

within Epic as a communications

some success leveraging predictive

platform, and our partnership with

models and AI in that fashion, versus

CipherHealth that helps us provide

being more prescriptive.”

text-based outreach or post-dis-

In terms of how analytics and AI

charge follow ups when patients leave

can benefit patients, McGill explains

hospital, these types of partnerships

that they provide ease of use and

are key in creating this kind of patient-

convenience. “We’re trying to drive

centric, frictionless experience.”

a patient-centric frictionless experi-

As well as Epic and CipherHealth,

ence, whether that’s to schedule

CHNw has several other important

appointments or consultations, to

strategic partners. Health Catalyst he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

has been a key clinical partner for six

prescribing process, and automates

years, helping to drive them towards

insurance authorization within the EMR

being a data-led organization, while

workflow. CHNw has piloted and will

guiding them on an improvement

be launching CoverMyMedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Real-time

methodology, reducing unnecessary

Benefit solution across the enterprise.

clinical variation and improving patient

This tool allows providers to see patient

safety. By using the Health Catalyst

cost at the point of prescribing.

DOS operating system enterprise data

They are also partners with phar-

warehouse, CHNw has made tremen-

maceutical company Eli Lilly, who

dous gains in operational and clinical

they work with on patient educa-

efficiency. Over the last three years,

tion specifically for diabetes, and

they have removed more than than

Stanson Health (part of Premier,

$35mn of waste from the system.

Inc), who have provided a tool thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Additionally, software created by CoverMyMeds improves the JANUARY 2021

embedded into the EMR that ensures appropriate care is given.

“ A lot of the time I feel that AI is slow to be adopted in the care of patients because physicians, nurses and pharmacists really want to understand what’s in the black box of AI” — Patrick McGill, EVP, Chief Analytics Officer

“It delivers curated content and rules into the EMR silently, searches through the algorithms, and can actually look through the patient chart, searching their history, medications, problem lists and past visits,” explains McGill. “It can make recommendations, for example, if a patient comes in with acute back pain, and the recommendation is don’t have an MRI, when I try to order an MRI it will give me an alert to maybe refer them to physical therapy instead. Better quality outcomes with lower costs.”

he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK

1956

Year founded

$2.5bn+ Revenue in US dollars

15,000 100

Number of employees

JANUARY 2021

101

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COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK

He says a particular area of success with this tool has been with reducing unnecessary lab testing. “We really strive for partners to help solve some of our problems” he says. In terms of looking ahead, McGill explains that they’ve paused looking at their five-year strategy given the disruption and pace of change caused by Covid-19, and instead look at their more immediate future. “I see us continuing to accelerate. Along with our partners, we’ve 102

built the foundation for a true digital transformation,” says McGill. “We’re building the analytics to understand

“ We’re trying to drive a patient-centric frictionless experience, whether that’s to schedule appointments, to receive test results or to pay their bills, it’s about achieving a true consumer-driven experience” — Patrick McGill, EVP, Chief Analytics Officer

JANUARY 2021

103

the patient journey and the caregiver

reliable housing, continuing to focus

journey, so we will have the ability to

on those things, and leveraging digital

understand that and strive for a fric-

tools as much as we possibly can to

tionless experience.”

achieve those goals and outcomes.

“I’m not sure you ever get to where

“Our brand promise is Exceptional

you want to be because there’s

Care, Simply Delivered, and one of our

always continuous process improve-

values is Patients First,” McGill adds.

ment. But I do think that our goal is to

“When you put those two together,

continue to focus on the patient and

along with the culture at Community,

on our caregivers, on equity, whether

that’s what drives people to come to

that’s race and social equity, health

work here every day.”

equity, outcomes, social determinants of health like food insecurity and he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

104

JANUARY 2021

The Digital Evolution of Procurement WRITTEN BY

GEORGIA WILSON PRODUCED BY

JUSTIN BRAND

105

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MEDITERRANEO HOSPITAL

Pavlos Tamvakis, CPO at Mediterraneo Hospital, discusses the evolution of its procurement operations alongside its digital transformation journey

ith 15 years of experience in the medical field, Pavlos S. Tamvakis, CPO at Mediterraneo Hospital, began his

career in the pharmaceutical industry conducting imports and exports for pharmaceutical drugs in the European Union (EU). After a few 106

years in the industry, Tamvakis moved into the medical device sector, where he was introduced to Mediterraneo Hospital. “I came to provide Mediterraneo Hospital with some medical devices, and they offered me the chance to set up a purchasing department for the hospital, which I have now been running for the past eight years,” says Tamvakis. When Tamvakis first came to the hospital there wasn’t a procurement department. “They had certain individuals managing procurement in each department sending purchase orders to the suppliers. By doing it like that, we did not have an overall clear picture of all the purchase orders. As a result one of the main implementations I made when I joined the hospital was developing a centralised procurement department,” JANUARY 2021

107

2000

Year founded

â&#x201A;¬36m+ Revenue in Euros

350

Number of employees he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

MEDITERRANEO HOSPITAL

“ The main difference between our procurement operations before and now is that we have a clear picture of our procurement year on year” — Pavlos S. Tamvakis, CPO, Mediterraneo Hospital

comments Tamvakis. In addition to establishing a centralised procurement department, Tamvakis worked with his team to set up an e-store for the hospital. “The e-store allows people who need certain items to access the B2B store and make their purchase order on a centralised system, that notifies the procurement department and suppliers via email,” adds Tamvakis. In doing this, Mediterraneo Hospital has reduced its paper-based methods for its procurement. “This centralised system

108

also provides the hospital warehouse with visibility on what to expect coming in and out of the hospital, as well as what each department requires,” explains Tamvakis. For certain purchases made in the e-store, the products require approval, to implement this within the system, Tamvakis is working on an approval system, where for expensive products people can describe their requirement for the item and what it will achieve, which can then be approved or declined via the system. This system began development in the summer and is expected to be complete in October 2020. JANUARY 2021

“The main difference between our

of what our people and patients

procurement operations before and

are using for the operations, but we

now is that we have a clear picture

didn’t have a very clear picture of

of our procurements year on year,”

our disposables.” Since develop-

comments Tamvakis. Mediterraneo

ing its procurement operations,

Hospital has two types of procure-

Mediterraneo Hospital has clearer

ment, one disposables used in the

transparency over its disposables.

hospital, and one specifically for

“We know the exact quantities of

operations. “In the past we have

what we have bought, which depart-

always had a clear picture

ment uses them and how many

E X E C U T I V E P R O FILE :

Pavlos Tamvakis

109

Title: CPO

Company: Mediterraneo Hospital

Industry: Healthcare

Location: Greece

Pavlos S. Tamvakis is an accomplished CPO who partners with senior management to mitigate and manage procurements through strategic planning following all regulatory compliance. Having followed courses in ISO Certifications, MDR 745/2017, ISO 13485:2016, ISO 9001:2008 and CFA Common Assessment Framework, he builds efficiency in procurement processes and implements new technologies in business operations with cost effectiveness always being his main goal. His continuous efforts have led to significant operational changes in the digital procurement transformation of the hospital over the past 8 years, making him an asset to the organization. Being challenged is what drives his success.

he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

MEDITERRANEO HOSPITAL

patients we have throughout the year. As a result we have a clear picture on our average daily costs, which we didn’t have before,” adds Tamvakis. With the adoption of new technologies and implementation processes, the hospital continuously develops its visibility into its procurement, gaining further insight into the hidden costs of the hospital. When it comes to the industry as a whole, Tamvakis has seen an uptick in the purchase of large quantities. “To ensure that we have

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Reference: 1. Greiling M: A multinational case study to evaluate and quantify time-saving by using custom procedure trays for operating room efficiency. Poster presented at European Association of Hospital Managers, September 2011

“ When establishing new collaborations with multinational companies, it’s important to have mutual trust” — Pavlos S. Tamvakis, CPO, Mediterraneo Hospital

Mediterraneo Hospital CLICK TO WATCH

4:01

111 enough materials to last the next

focusing on the hidden costs, such

month or throughout the year, we

as the time it takes to conduct a task

will buy stock for six months. This

and how it can be done more effec-

is something that we never used

tively, as well as reducing the amount

to do because we knew that the

of waste produced at the hospital.”

suppliers and distributors would

Since joining Mediterraneo Hospital,

have the quantity that we needed.”

Tamvakis’s department has devel-

Another trend Tamvakis is seeing in

oped partnerships with companies

the industry is the focus on hidden

such as Molnlycke. As part of its oper-

costs. “Due to competition being

ations, Mediterraneo Hospital tries

harsh, everything is quite cheap to

to establish direct line partnerships

purchase, so you can’t really get

with multinational companies to get

much cheaper prices, instead we

better prices for those working in the

are looking at ways to reduce costs.

hospital and its patients. “Molnlycke

At Mediterraneo Hospital we are

is a Belgium based company that he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com

MEDITERRANEO HOSPITAL

“ We are using automations in our warehouses day to day, but we also have two surgical robots, one for laparoscopic and one for orthopaedic surgeries” — Pavlos S. Tamvakis, CPO, Mediterraneo Hospital

provides the hospital with sterile 112

packs used in operations. Our partnership with Molnlycke took three years to establish due to the changes we made in the way that the hospital operates in order to increase the speed of our operations.” Molnlycke has also helped the hospital to diminish its costs by becoming a provider of personal protective equipment (PPE). “We didn’t originally buy our PPE from Molnlycke, but by switching to Molnlycke it has opened our eyes to the hidden costs and reduced a lot of the headaches during the current situation, which we would not have been able to do without our strong collaboration.” JANUARY 2021

When looking for strategic partners, Tamvakis stresses the importance of mutual trust. “When establishing new collaborations with multinational companies, it’s important to have mutual trust and a sense of safety. Another factor is track record. We like to work with big companies to ensure that if something goes wrong, we have a big company behind us to find out the answers and solutions.” Looking to the future, Tamvakis sees a lot of automation happening. “We are using automations in our warehouses day to day, but we also have two surgical robots, one for laparoscopic and one for orthopaedic surgeries. We’re seeing more and more new technologies emerging which is exciting and important to drive paperless operations. I believe this is something that not only healthcare will experience, but a lot of other sectors too.” Tamvakis also reiterates the importance of identifying hidden costs in the future. “There are a lot of costs that we have not taken into account in the past, but they do make a difference over time.”

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