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S UMME R /A U T UMN 2 0 2 0
Navigating the new normal with healthcare tech
A strategic digital transformation Andy Lehman, CIO and Senior VP, shares his insights on digital strategy, COVID-19 and the future of healthcare
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FOREWORD
W
elcome to the summer edition of Healthcare Digital magazine. In our cover story for this issue, we speak with Andy Lehman, CIO and Senior VP of Kettering Health Network. Founded in 1964, the company has been enthusiastically committed to the spirit of technological innovation that its namesake, inventor Charles F. Kettering, embodied. Furthermore, the hospital combines this attitude with a faith-based system of values that prioritises complete patient welfare. “We believe that caring for patients and their families in our hospitals, physician offices, imaging centres and emergency rooms is sacred work. We take care of the whole person, not just the physical element,” says Lehman. He goes on to say that the company’s IT strategy is shaped by this ongoing mission: “It is all about improving the quality of life for the people in the communities we serve. There’s a lot of work many IT organisations do that may not add value; our vision of ‘Only Value’ emphasises value delivery, which ultimately achieves the Kettering Health Network mission.” Elsewhere in the issue, we speak with
AltaMed Health services on transforming clinical systems, Mental Health Center of Denver about trying to become the healthiest state in America, and Cerner Middle East on its end-to-end healthcare transformation. This edition also includes a special report on LTTS; Jyotirmay Datta, EVP and Business Head, describes the important role LTTS is playing in helping healthcare navigate the new normal. Our editorial takes this month explore the many ways in which healthcare is being augmented by new technology, including surgical robotics, digital healthcare apps and IoT-enhanced capabilities in hospitals. We also find out how pharmaceutical supply chains are changing post-COVID-19. Additionally, this month’s Top 10 takes a look at the leading healthcare brands in the market today, such as Johnson & Johnson, UnitedHealth Global and Amerisource Bergen. Stay safe and enjoy the issue. Will Girling william.girling@bizclikmedia.com w w w.he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
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PUBLISHED BY
PRODUCTION DIRECTORS
PROJECT DIRECTORS
Georgia Allen Daniela Kianickovรก
Thomas Livermore MANAGING DIRECTOR
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Will Girling EDITORAL DIRECTOR
Scott Birch
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Owen Martin
MEDIA SALES DIRECTOR DIGITAL VIDEO PRODUCERS
Kieran Waite Sam Kemp
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Billy Kabubi
James White DIGITAL MEDIA DIRECTOR
Jason Westgate
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER
Leigh Manning
CREATIVE TEAM
Oscar Hathaway Erin Hancox Sophia Forte Sophie-Ann Pinnell Hector Penrose
Lewis Vaughan
CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER
Stacy Norman
DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER
Shirin Sadr
PRESIDENT & CEO
Glen White
DIGITAL MARKETING EXECUTIVE
Kayleigh Shooter w w w.he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
10 A strategic digital transformation
26 Hospital robotics: democratising global healthcare
40 Mobile Apps: Streamlining Healthcare
54 IoT: Enabling next-gen healthcare services
70 Reorganising pharmaceutical supply chains post-COVID-19
82 Healthcare Brands
106 L&T Technology Services
You see 165 households. We see the 8 families that will have a new case of diabetes diagnosed this year.
C3.ai transforms Healthcare.
118
132
AltaMed Health Services
Mental Health Center of Denver
146
162
MED-EL
Cerner Middle East
10
SUMMER/AUTUMN 2020
Kettering Health Network’s strategic digital transformation WRITTEN BY
LEILA HAWKINS PRODUCED BY
CAITLYN COLE
he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
11
KETTERING HEALTH NETWORK
Andy Lehman, CIO and Senior VP of Kettering Health Network, shares his insights into digital strategy, COVID-19, and the future of healthcare technology
K
ettering Health Network is a non-profit, faith-based healthcare network of eight acute care hospitals, one behavioral
health hospital, more than 120 outpatient facilities, as well as freestanding emergency centers, on-demand care clinics, and urgent care locations 12
in southwest Ohio.The company’s first hospital opened in 1964, named after Charles F. Kettering. An enthusiast of technology and inventions, he held over 300 patents, including the first reliable battery ignition system for automobiles. Charles F. Kettering’s vision was to use the latest technology to care for patients in a community hospital setting. Fast forward to the present day, and this vision is still very much part of the company’s mission. Its digital transformation has enabled it to make advances in the care it provides, meeting its mission while retaining its Christian values. “We believe that caring for patients and their families in our hospitals, physician offices, imaging centres and emergency rooms is sacred work. We take care of the whole person, not just the physical element, but the spiritual side as well,” explains Andy SUMMER/AUTUMN 2020
13
he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
KETTERING HEALTH NETWORK
“ We believe that caring for patients and their families in our hospitals, physician offices, imaging centres and emergency rooms is sacred work” 14
— Andrew Lehman, CIO and Senior VP
Lehman, Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President. He explains that this mission drives the IT strategy of the organisation. “It is all about improving the quality of life for the people in the communities we serve. Within Kettering Health Network’s Information Systems division, we have a vision statement of ‘Only value’, which speaks to the need for us to maximize value delivery. There’s a lot of work many IT organisations do that may not add value, for example fixing broken computers or resolving a network outage. Obviously, we’ve got to spend time resolving those problems, but if we didn’t have those kinds of issues, we could be deploying our resources on priorities to advance the strategies of the organization. Our vision of ‘Only value’ emphasizes value delivery, which ultimately achieves the Kettering Health Network mission. “ Over the last four years, Kettering has implemented several important new solutions, both internally, such as how it transforms data from across the network into actionable information, and externally with its
SUMMER/AUTUMN 2020
Changes that Covid19 has made to healthcare CLICK TO WATCH
|
3:24
15 “direct to guest” technology. “We’re
This includes telemedicine in vari-
very intentional about the word
ous forms, a service that became vital
‘guest,’ because when patients
when the COVID-19 pandemic began.
come into our facilities, they’re
“When the COVID-19 crisis hit, we
typically with somebody, whether
rolled out our direct to guest telemed-
that’s a spouse, a significant other
icine solution across 800 employed
or a family member. We believe it
providers throughout Kettering
is as important to engage the sup-
Health Network. We saw the number
port team as much as the patient,”
of virtual visits go from 1% to over
Lehman explains. “Our direct to
40% in about two weeks, because
guest technologies are those that
our guests didn’t want to travel and
we’ve put in place to try and engage
were concerned about going to the
with guests – whether they are
physician’s office. We put in place a
patients or family members--to cre-
solution that gave our patients and
ate a great healthcare experience.”
their family members the opportunity he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
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KETTERING HEALTH NETWORK
18
to engage with their providers and do it in a way in which they felt safe.” As well as these consultations,
These represented a huge step forward, as Lehman explains: “It’s not just about, ‘hey, we’ve got a
Kettering implemented physician-to-
telemedicine solution.’ It’s about
physician telemedicine solutions in
discovering what the right technol-
hospitals, where it installed COVID
ogy is, and how we bring it across an
units with strict protocols to ensure
entire employed physician group to
the environment is safe for the
make sure they’re comfortable using
patient, their family members, and
it. There’s a number of parts and
the caregiver. It also launched a ser-
pieces that have to be put into place,
vice to keep patients and their loved
which we did very quickly, and it was
ones connected in cases where
a tremendous success story.”
someone was unwell with COVID-19 and unable to see visitors. SUMMER/AUTUMN 2020
Kettering Health Network’s Information Systems division also
successfully moved 3,000 staff
was call center staff, marketing and
members to working remotely in the
human resources, the people who
space of 10 days. “It sounds easy,
document and bill for services, all
but it was hard,” Lehman says. “We
those core network teams needed
had to ensure they had the connec-
to be set up to work from home. We
tivity, the equipment and the access
basically figured out how we could
to the applications they needed to
get as many people to work remotely
do their job. This wasn’t just for IT, it
as possible, whether that was just
E X E C U T I V E P R O FILE :
Andrew Lehman Title: CIO and Senior VP
Company: Kettering Health
NetworkIndustry: Healthcare
Location: Kettering
Andy Lehman is Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President at Kettering Health Network in Dayton, Ohio. Kettering Health Network is a not-for-profit network of nine hospitals, Kettering College, and over 120 outpatient facilities serving southwest Ohio. With more than 12,500 employees and 2,100 physicians, Kettering Health Network is committed to transforming the health care experience with world-class health services for every stage of life. Kettering Health Network has been recognized as one of IBM Watson Health’s 15 Top Health System network and named one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For. In his role, Mr. Lehman oversees the development of the overall strategic plan and financial goals for Information Systems, as well as their daily operations. He has a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia, and an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University. he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
19
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“ We believe it is as important to engage the support team as much as the patient” — Andrew Lehman, CIO and Senior VP
years positioning ourselves from an analytics standpoint to be ready for this, and from a digital guest experience, to provide direct to guest technologies. We had put in place platforms to enhance collaboration across the enterprise, like Microsoft Teams. It wasn’t like we woke up one morning in March and said, ‘oh, we’ve
individuals or whole teams, as well
got to deploy Microsoft Teams.’ We
as move entire support centers to
actually started that within the past
be able to work from home.”
year. All of these things that we were
Additionally it had to build the IT
doing around digital transformation
infrastructure for testing centers, the
didn’t start the day the pandemic was
COVID units in hospitals, and that of an
announced, and I’m glad they were in
entire command center that oversees
place to meet the challenges.”
how the network responds to the
Strong partnerships were key
COVID crisis. They also created supply
to implementing solutions like
inventory solutions to assess the num-
physician-to-physician consulta-
ber of masks, ventilators and Covid
tions via telemedicine in the COVID
testing reagents they had, and where
units, which In Touch Healthcare
these were located. “We had to move
provided. The Doxy.me platform
so fast,” Lehman says. “So much of the
enabled the rapid deployment of
COVID response was dependent on
telemedicine visits for guests across
information systems and IT.”
our employed provider network.
IT overcame the clear challenges,
Asparia delivered a text messaging
having been prepared for some
service to check whether patients
aspects of the crisis because of its
have developed COVID-19 symptoms
ongoing process of digital transfor-
before coming to an appointment; this
mation. “We have spent the past few
is then followed up by the option of a he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
21
KETTERING HEALTH NETWORK
22
The rapid change in technology when fighting against COVID-19 CLICK TO WATCH
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2:37
SUMMER/AUTUMN 2020
have to be able to connect, and our backbone performed flawlessly. All of those vendors played key roles and helped us navigate the waters to do what we did with COVID.” Looking ahead, Lehman believes the changes the company has made will remain long term. “Although the pandemic has had catastrophic impacts across the world, the challenges we faced ultimately led us to meet our mission in innovative ways. COVID was a catalyst that accelerated the digital transformation of Kettering’s operations. Through telemedicine, collaboration platforms, telemedicine consultation if appropri-
analytics, and direct to guest solu-
ate via Doxy.me. Nyotron provides
tions, Kettering is transforming the
Kettering with endpoint security
healthcare experience.”
solutions at a time when health care
All of this is happening at a time
networks are besieged by bad actors
when the US healthcare sector
and hackers. Microsoft not only ena-
overall is undergoing huge change,
bled collaboration via Teams when
moving away from the fee-for-
face to face meetings were elimi-
service system – where the more
nated, but also provided a health bot
tests, studies and other services are
which allowed guests to determine
carried out, the more the healthcare
the right level of care based on symp-
network gets paid, regardless of out-
toms. Lehman identified Cisco as the
come – towards fee for value. It’s a
company’s networking backbone.
move that’s driving a vast amount of
“When you send people home, you
innovation and investment. he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
23
KETTERING HEALTH NETWORK
Kettering Health Networks digital transformation
24
CLICK TO WATCH
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2:08
“ We'll make sure people stay healthy as opposed to just treating them when they're sick. That's a huge change for the United States' healthcare system, and Kettering has to evolve like everybody else to be successful” — Andrew Lehman, CIO and Senior VP
SUMMER/AUTUMN 2020
1964
Year founded
12,000 Number of employees
25
“In the next five years, we’re going to see this shift accelerate, and it’ll start driving initiatives like wellness and keeping people out of the hospital. We’ll make sure people stay healthy as opposed to just treating them when they’re sick. That’s a huge change for the United States’ healthcare system, and Kettering has to evolve like everybody else to be successful.”
he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
H O S P I TA L S
26
Hospital robotics: democratising global healthcare WRITTEN BY
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
WILL GIRLING
27
he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
H O S P I TA L S
Christophe Assenmacher, Head of Urology at Clinics of Europe and Trainer in Robotic Surgery at Intuitive Surgical, discusses healthcare robots
R
obotics and digital automation are beginning
to sweep through several major industry segments, but perhaps one of the most fas-
cinating is healthcare. Whilst advanced machinery capable of performing the most delicate surgeries
was once the domain of science-fiction or simply 28
a goal to aspire towards, the reality is that we are now living in an era where health services are on the verge of being transformed in very exciting ways. The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated the necessity for integrating digital technologies such as robotic process automation (RPA) and artificial intelligence (AI) software into everyday business operations and it is in this regard that hospital robotics forms a timely focus. Far from being a competitor to human workers, robots in healthcare are a unique opportunity to combine the abilities of both humans and people to achieve significantly better outcomes for patients. In addition to featuring insights from McKinsey, PwC and Deloitte, we spoke with Christophe Assenmacher, Head of Urology at Clinics of Europe (Cliniques de l’Europe) St Elizabeth’s and Trainer in S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
29
CHRISTOPHE ASSENMACHER
Christophe Assenmacher has worked at Clinics of Europe since 1991, becoming the Head of the Urology department in 1999. He became Proctor and Trainer in Robotic Surgery at Intuitive Surgical in 2007. Assenmacher’s son, Gregoire, is a junior surgeon in urology and has also been gaining a high level of proficiency in robotic surgery.
he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
H O S P I TA L S
“ Far from being a competitor to human workers, robots in healthcare are a unique opportunity to combine the abilities of both humans and people to achieve significantly better outcomes for patients” 30 Robotic Surgery at Intuitive Surgical, to
surgeon,” he explains. “While they
get an informed perspective from the
spend years studying, their ability
frontline of this topic.
to function under pressure, make precise movements and many
HOW IS ROBOTIC AUTOMATION BENEFITTING HOSPITALS?
other skills can be augmented by a
Assenmacher states that hospitals
whilst some patients might still feel
are demonstrating the key advan-
hesitant to undergo surgery that is
tages of robotic automation, namely
entirely automated, having a highly-
the enhanced service level which
trained and competent surgeon at
comes from combining the consist-
the helm aided by a robot’s precision
ent, tireless and fast operational
could reassure them they are receiv-
pace of machines with the creativ-
ing optimal treatment throughout.
ity, empathy and quality controlling abilities of human staff. “Take the S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
robot to significant impact.” Indeed,
Costs for protracted hospital stays, the unavailability of hospital beds and
31 the overall effectiveness of treatment
the standard of care for our patients,”
are all aspects which can have a dele-
Assenmacher states. Furthermore,
terious effect on healthcare generally.
of particular relevance during inci-
Making improvements to patient care
dences of highly infectious disease
is obviously the name of the game,
such as COVID-19, robots can be
yet the benefits to robotic-optimised
deployed to perform essential tasks
surgery go beyond the operating
that would otherwise place people at
theatre and ultimately impact the
risk, such as disinfecting rooms and
entire hospital: “From my own prac-
dispensing medication. Assenmacher
tice, I’ve seen that robot-assisted
intimates that these capabilities could
surgery typically halves the length of
simply be the tip of the automation
hospital stays, reduces bleeding and
iceberg: “We certainly expect to see
blood transfusions, shrinks the risk
an evolution of nanorobots in the
of infection, lessens the requirement
bloodstream, digital pills and social
for painkillers and ultimately improves
companion robots.” he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
H O S P I TA L S
“ Ma iminto queli simendi cipitat eculpar uptalio tur? Slaceptur aceaquami vo loreium sed quiam iqu veliquu derum oli Abore.” — Name of Person, Position and company DA VINCI
32
Assenmacher states that he personally uses the da Vinci Surgical System when performing specialised urological procedures, although the same equipment can be used for general surgery as well as cardiac, colorectal, gynaecological, head and neck and thoracic procedures too. The company’s website points out that a common misunderstanding of current surgical robotics is that machines carry out procedures independently of surgeons. This is incorrect: the da
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
Vinci system functions as a tool or instrument by which the operator carries out the procedure using a control panel. “The da Vinci system translates your surgeon’s hand movements at the console in real-time, bending and rotating the instruments while performing the procedure. The tiny wristed instruments move like a human hand, but with a greater range of motion. The da Vinci vision system also delivers highly magnified, 3D high-definition views of the surgical area.”
da Vinci Robot Peeling at Grape Doctors Hospital at White Rock Lake CLICK TO WATCH
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1:44
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HOW COULD ROBOTICS CHANGE HEALTHCARE?
patient care and reduce costs in the long-term, meaning both public and private healthcare systems will benefit
COST
in terms of patient care and finances.”
Although it might seem counter-intui-
This isn’t to say that efforts won’t need
tive to spend significant sums of money
to be made in order to effect such
on robotics in healthcare with the aim of
change: the initial capital expenditure
making healthcare universally cheaper,
on equipment, ongoing maintenance
Assenmacher states that this is exactly
and training will still need to be factored
what could happen given investment,
in, as well as upgrading the robots
both in public and private healthcare
themselves, “I also believe that there
settings. “There may be short-term
will need to be dramatic reductions in
dislocations or discrepancies but I think
size and a shift from cable-driven elec-
it’s unlikely that these divergences will
tromechanical systems to more purely
remain,” he posits. “Robots can improve
digital systems.” he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
H O S P I TA L S
Further to this point, Deloitte points
innovative work, but many of these
out in ‘Taking the robot out of the
have aspects that are routine and
human: Meet the health care work-
repetitive.” It is through automating
force of the future’ that “labour is a
the latter that Deloitte believes health
major part of healthcare costs. Among
service professionals will finally be
hospitals, labour is typically the larg-
able to focus on the strictly qualitative
est line item in any hospital’s budget
aspects of business - “robots could
and accounts for almost 60% of non
make us less robotic”.
capital costs. companies also employ many people,
ACCELERATED PERFORMANCE THROUGH IMPROVED DESIGN
with a variety of jobs. Some of these
In its article ‘The era of exponential
are highly focused on complex and
improvement in healthcare?’, McKinsey
“Health plans and life sciences
34
“ [On surgeons] Their ability to function under pressure, make precise movements and many other skills can be augmented by a robot to significant impact” — Christophe Assenmacher Clinics of Europe & Intuitive Surgical S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
listed robotics and RPA as among
complex and more intuitive when used
the nine technologies most likely to
by surgeons: “Seamlessly integrating
transform the financial and opera-
robotic and laparoscopic processes
tion standards of health services by
also lowers the barriers to mastering
generating “between USD$350bn and
robot-assisted surgery. Historically,
$410bn in annual value by 2025 (out
learning robotic surgery has meant
of the $5.34trn in healthcare spend-
needing to be well-versed in all aspects
ing projected for that year.” Also, in
of robotics. When the switch between
‘How a McKinsey co-designed robot is
robotics and manual laparoscopy is
creating a better future for minimally
quick and easy, the threshold for feel-
invasive surgery’, the organisation
ing comfortable is much lower, making
found that development on a surgical
the adoption of the robotic system
robots’ instrumentation to make it less
faster.” Indeed, Assenmacher verifies that the increasing sophistication of surgical robots in conjunction with easier controls makes them a highly practical solution. “The required training time for competency on the use of a robot makes them very attractive because a talented junior surgeon can expect to reach a high degree of proficiency in just a few months,” he says.
SANITATION Perhaps one of the most important aspects of robotics-based healthcare is the reduced incidence of transmitted infection between patients and healthcare professionals. This applies not just to surgery he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
35
H O S P I TA L S
INSIGHTS
PwC’s eight highlights of how robotics and AI are transforming healthcare: •H elping people maintain a healthy lifestyle. • Early detection capabilities. • Enhanced diagnostics. • I mproved healthcare decision-making. • Better therapies and treatments.
36
•E nd of life care and the capacity for vulnerable people to remain independent for longer. • Streamlined research. • Advanced training.
but also to more routine procedures like dispensing pharmaceuticals and disinfecting medical devices and equipment. Assenmacher adds, “Robots have reduced the role of fomites (inanimate objects which can lead to infection) in the spread of disease while maintaining the quality of the healthcare system. These are an indispensable part of a modern healthcare system.” S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE In ‘No longer science fiction, AI and robotics are transforming healthcare’, PwC presents an interesting benefit of robotics within health services that is easy to overlook: enhanced end of life care. Enabling people to remain in their own homes for longer by automating core tasks or even being programmed with AI to ‘converse’ with patients to ease their loneliness, this application of robotics could reduce the need for hospitalisation in many instances, thus opening up availability for beds and lowering operational costs for hospitals and care facilities. Assenmacher summarises this by stating that advanced robotics will simply lead to better yet lower-cost health services in hospitals. In fact, he claims, the effect could be of such a magnitude that it dramatically alters how average people receive healthcare. “Lower-cost healthcare enabled by advanced robotics will have a democratising effect for the entire world’s population,” he concludes. By making complex surgical procedures easier and faster, reducing the spread of infection which leads to even he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
37
H O S P I TA L S
38
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
“ There should be no question of who deserves a complex or expensive surgery. By virtue of being a human being, we are all deserving and robotics will help us get there” — Christophe Assenmacher Clinics of Europe & Intuitive Surgical further associated costs and by liberating medical staff from repetitive tasks in order to refocus on valueadding services, applying robotics in hospitals could herald the beginning of a dramatically more affordable system of healthcare for everyone. “There should be no question of who deserves a complex or expensive surgery. By virtue of being a human being, we are all deserving and robotics will help us get there.”
he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
39
D I G I TA L H E A LT H
MOBILE APPS:Â 40
WRITTEN BY
WILL GIRLING
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
41
he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
D I G I TA L H E A LT H
Exploring four different mobilebased apps, Healthcare Digital examines how they can benefit patients, medical professionals and health institutions
IN
many ways, the usage of mobile apps
within healthcare is a natural progression of both the technology and health sectors.
Combining digital innovations like smartphones, IoT networks, data analytics and cloud computing
42
with healthcare processes in dire need of streamlining has led to an abundance of convenience for patients, medical professionals and health authorities; specialised apps designed to fit seamlessly into the user’s daily digital experience have started to gain prevalence, momentum and popularity as they solve the logistical problems of their legacytech or manually-based forebears. Healthcare Global takes a closer look at mobile apps designed by Cerner, Medic Creations (supported by BT), Navenio, and Doctorlink to find out how they’re laying the foundations for truly digital healthcare.
PERSONAL HEALTH MONITOR Mobile apps provide users with a direct and tangible link to their healthcare process; instead of merely S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
43
being a passive agent, patients can take a far more active role and understand in greater detail why certain decisions or courses of action are followed. Heather Owen, Manager and Senior Solution Leader for Cerner, says, “Cerner’s Well-being app engages individuals to understand their current health risks and opportunities while also connecting them to their care team. Through this app, people can view health data, connect wellness trackers, participate in health-related challenges, register for events, learn about health topics, he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
D I G I TA L H E A LT H
“ Cerner’s Well-being offering breaks away from the siloed approach of traditional standalone wellness apps and puts the person at the centre”
securely message health coaches and more.” All of this is built on the idea that prevention is better than curing; if a user’s individual goals can be guided and engaged with specific activities, Cerner hopes to create, maintain and improve lifestyle behaviours. Centred on a Big Data platform capable of aggregating data from multitudinous sources, including aspects
— Heather Owen, Cerner 44
such as clinical claims, payer data and social determinants of health insights, Owen says that Cerner’s app creates a detailed longitudinal record for each user. “Intelligence runs within the platform to provide insights and suggest next steps to the individual, coach and the broader care team via the longitudinal plan,” she continues. “Analytics dashboards within our app also enable proactive management of wellness-related campaigns and metrics within and across cohorts.” Essentially, Cerner’s app integrates an extensive framework of functions and capabilities created in-house, as well as third-party and partner
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
Doctorlink Rapid Video Consultation CLICK TO WATCH
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1:11
45 developers, to provide a simple, unified
Owen. With modern wellbeing compris-
experience for the user.
ing health coaching, care coordination,
Perhaps the most significant aspect
benefits administration, pharmacies
of Cerner’s app is its ability to both
and much more, this app-based method
empower the individual and incorporate
for integrating a complex ecosystem for
the collective: rather than simply be a
users is a strong model of contempo-
mobile app which a patient uses alone,
rary patient-centric care.
Cerner’s solution connects patients “Cerner’s Well-being offering breaks
ENABLING EFFICIENCY IN PATIENT ASSESSMENT
away from the siloed approach of tra-
Another application for mobile health-
ditional standalone wellness apps and
care apps can be to streamline the
puts the person at the centre, connect-
patient assessment process and
ing them and their associate data with
accelerate triaging. One such example
the broader healthcare team,” states
is Doctorlink, currently used by 12mn
with their carers in a direct manner.
he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
D I G I TA L H E A LT H
H E AT H E R O W E N
Heather Owen is a Manager and Senior Solution Leader for Cerner. Leading a team of specialists, Owen oversees the roadmapping and development of the company’s customer-facing solutions.
patients via the NHS in England. Its creator, Rupert Spiegelberg, defines 46
two principle advantages it provides: “Firstly, it enables patients to get access to their local health service 24/7. The app can then help them determine what’s wrong, how serious it is, where to go for treatment and so on, in addition to offering users the ability to book appointments and get sick notes,” he explains. “Secondly, Doctorlink can help to free up NHS capacity by 30% through reducing the number of appointments GPs need to make: sometimes 20mn fewer!” What differentiates Doctorlink from its contemporaries is its online triage capability: a clinically-approved set of algorithms assess (based on questions) S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
what someone’s health situation or condition might be, determine the acuity of the user’s problem and then recommend a course of action, whether it be a GP or nurse appointment, pharmacy recommendation, or simply to rest. “This is one of the best ways of generating capacity in a crisis situation, such as we’ve seen with the COVID-19 pandemic,” Spiegelberg adds. “The advantage is that algorithms can be updated very quickly to identify people with specific symptoms, even if the disease is relatively new.”
IMPROVING MEDICAL STAFF’S COMMUNICATIONS Despite their crucial importance to a hospital’s operations, research by British Telecom (BT) indicates that the communications networks used by doctors and nurses have room for greater efficiency. To address this, BT supported software company Medic Creations in the development of Medic Bleep, which it likens to a “dedicated WhatsApp for doctors”. Citing a peerreviewed study in which the app was found to save nurses 21 minutes per shift and doctors 48 minutes, Medic he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
47
D I G I TA L H E A LT H
Creations believes that this kind of
Messaging at BT, commented, “Medic
efficiency could save the NHS £1.35bn
Bleep [...] can be scaled at pace across
per annum. “Frontline staff currently
the NHS to help nurses and doctors
waste much of their time standing by
to work more efficiently and securely.
the phone thanks to antiquated pager
“We are excited to be partnering with
and switchboard systems,” says Dr
Medic Creations to offer Medic Bleep
Sandeep Bansal, Founder and CEO.
as a messaging solution to our cus-
“The NHS has been using pagers since
tomers, complementing the existing
it was founded 70 years ago. I’m pas-
portfolio of BT solutions on offer to our
sionate about our healthcare system
NHS customers.”
and want to make sure it sustains itself
48
for the next 70 years. Technology is
HOSPITAL MAPPING
going to be a key part of that; health-
Following on from the pursuit of
care must evolve and embrace this
greater efficiency in hospitals, other
digital age to ensure medical professionals can continue to give the best possible care.” The utility of this optimisation would be important at any time, but it is especially important now when COVID-19 restrictions and strains continue to pressure hospital capacity. Unlike WhatsApp or other common, non-specialised communication-based apps which doctors and nurses might use to alleviate the problem, Medic Bleep is a self-contained app which doesn’t include any distracting or unnecessary features. Describing its innovation and potential, Robert Jones, Head of S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
RUPERT SPIEGELBERG
mobile apps seek to make use of
Rupert Spiegelberg is the CEO
automation to reimagine infrastructure
at Doctorlink.
altogether. Navenio provides indoor
Earning a BA in French and Philosophy from the University of Bristol (1990-1994) and an MBA from INSEAD (1999), Spiegelberg has enjoyed a varied career, including roles at Bloomberg, Investis Inc
location solutions - the equivalent to GPS - which can power a range of apps and platforms in the healthcare sector. Niki Trigoni, Chief Technology Officer, states that Navieno is an “AI-led ‘Intelligent Workforce Solution’ which assigns tasks to hospital teams based on their location. This helps prioritise
and IDnow before joining
workloads in real-time on the basis of
Doctorlink in late 2019.
‘right person, right time, right place’.” Critically, the app’s secure system
he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
49
D I G I TA L H E A LT H
NIKI TRIGONI
50
Niki Trigoni has been the CTO at Navenio since 2019. Trigoni is currently a Professor of Computer Science at Oxford University and has also been a lecturer at Birkbeck, University of London and a researcher at Cornell University. Trigoni earned recognition as ‘CTO of the Year’ at the 2020 Women in IT Awards. Regarding this honour, she said: “Although it is intended to be a personal award, what I see under the hood is a reflection of the unbelievably talented technical team that
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
I have had the luck to work with at Navenio. They are the true culprits for the technical innovation, research and product development underpinning this award. “This award also bears a strong symbolic meaning; it is a constant reminder for me to encourage women and other underrepresented groups into lead technical roles, and support their initiatives for transformational change in the workplace.”
“The advantage is that algorithms can be updated very quickly to identify people with specific symptoms, even if the disease is relatively new” — Rupert Spiegelberg, CEO, DoctorLink 51 uses smartphones and doesn’t require
positioning infrastructure. “Our indoor
investment in new infrastructure, some-
positioning system comprises a
thing Trigoni highlights as a significant
plethora of smartphone and cloud-
benefit. “One of the most common
based algorithms that enable
alternatives is installing beacons which
location-based services in a scalable
trigger when someone passes them.
and infrastructure-free manner. At
Unfortunately, when installing beacons
the core, we have developed robust
around a large building (such as a
signal processing and deep learn-
hospital), you’ll need hundreds, if not
ing algorithms for human and asset
thousands, to create an accurate map.”
motion tracking using inexpensive
Navenio circumnavigates this issue.
inertial sensors on smartphones and
Describing the tech which drives
IoT devices.” What is perhaps more
the app, Trigoni states that a complex
impressive is that when floorplans
network of IoT, cloud and artificial
are unavailable, Navenio’s smart
intelligence (AI) algorithms generates
algorithms can collect anonymised he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
D I G I TA L H E A LT H
52
smartphone data to gain insights
services of tomorrow. “Mobile apps
into building architecture in order to
put information and engagement at
function. It’s a powerful tool and one
your fingertips – having your health
which emphasises how mobile apps can
goals and progress right on your
solve problems which would have been
phone will keep it accessible and top
impractical with previous technology.
of mind,” Owen says. “Engagement of the individual is critical to the pro-
HOW WILL MOBILE APPS HELP SHAPE HEALTHCARE?
gress of healthy behaviors impacting
As we have seen, mobile apps for digi-
well-being goals alike.” More than
tal healthcare can have myriad uses
simply bringing further convenience for
and it’s conceivable that they have an
patients, mobile apps have the poten-
even larger part to play in the health
tial to streamline entire hospitals and
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
goals; clinical condition and holistic
“ Mobile apps can remove many of the burdens which currently slow medical teams down, but they won’t (and shouldn’t) replace medical professionals” 53
— Niki Trigoni, CTO, Navenio allow doctors and nurses to provide a
to work to their full potential. However,
consistently better service. Following
she also adds a caveat: “Covid-19 has
on from the COVID-19 crisis, which
shown health teams across the world
forced the issue of finding tech-based
that their processes need to be water-
solutions to logistical challenges, the
tight and also that the accuracy of data
health sector is now primed to explore
on patients, staff and visitors is para-
what else can be done. “Now the ice
mount,” she concludes. “Mobile apps
has been broken, more patients will
can remove many of the burdens which
likely be introduced to such systems
currently slow medical teams down,
and the benefits they bring,” states
but they won’t (and shouldn’t) replace
Spiegelberg. Trigoni agrees with this
medical professionals.”
assessment of mobile apps’ potential: they can empower doctors and nurses he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
TECHNOLOGY | IOT
54
IoT
Enabling next-gen healthcare services WRITTEN BY
WILL GIRLING
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
55
he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
TECHNOLOGY | IOT
Healthcare Global considers the applications and benefits of IoT with insights from Vodafone, McKinsey, Altran, Syniverse and more
N
ow that cloud computing is enabling vast streams of information to be integrated at a single point, the rising utilisation of Internet
of Things (IoT) equipment has subsequently blossomed. Capable of gathering valuable data regarding practically any quantifiable metric using
56
cameras, sensors and other smart devices, IoT is a vital part of any digital transformation journey seeking increased efficiency, cost reduction and enhanced levels of service. Helping Healthcare Global to understand how this highly important technology is reshaping modern health services, representatives from Vodafone, Altran, McKinsey & Co, Syniverse and other organisations spoke with us on the paradigm-shifting topic of IoT.
WHAT EFFECT HAS THE DEPLOYMENT OF IOT HAD ON‌ PATIENTS According to Jon Lee-Davey, Global IoT Healthcare Lead at Vodafone Business, IoT “has the potential to drastically improve the patient experience, providing greater freedom and offering better overall S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
57
he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
TECHNOLOGY | IOT
IoT is a vital part of any digital transformation journey seeking increased efficiency, cost reduction and enhanced levels of service
access to healthcare.” Fundamentally, this benefit comes down to the advent of wearable devices which can then relay information to hospitals, medical professionals, etc. In addition to the convenience of enabling patients to live their lives normally whilst still measuring their health, Lee-Davey emphasises that moulding a patient’s treatment to their lifestyle allows them to take greater ownership of it and therefore increases its likelihood of success. “As the technology evolves, we will
58
see greater portability of devices which means patients can be monitored from anywhere, not just their homes,” he adds. “An example of one of these developments could be adding IoT devices to clothing, which would make the experience as seamless as possible for the patient; they wouldn’t have to do anything.” The net effect, then, is comfort and convenience for a patient without mitigating their health needs. Michael Chui, Partner at McKinsey Global Institute, largely concurs with this assessment, although he clarifies that the best is yet to come: “In many ways, it is still early days in terms of achieving S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
The Internet of Things: New insights from the McKinsey Global Institute CLICK TO WATCH
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3:02
59 the full potential IoT deployment in healthcare,” he states. “Some of the most transformative potential benefits, such as proactively managing chronic conditions that account for a large percentage of the disease burden in many countries (diabetes, heart disease and chronic lung disease) have yet to be achieved.” In addition, challenges such as ‘closing the loop’, or ensuring that patients being measured remotely can adequately respond if equipment detects the need for the administration of a drug, for example, have yet to be fully resolved.
MICHAEL CHUI
Michael Chui has been a Partner at McKinsey Global Institute since 2002. In addition to previous career experience at IBM and working for the City of Bloomington, Minneapolis, Chui holds a BSc in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University (1986-1991), an MSc in Computer Science (1991-1994) and a PhD in Computer Science & Cognitive Science (1994 - 2002) - both from Indiana University Bloomington.
he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
TECHNOLOGY | IOT
DOCTORS The convenience of IoT technology isn’t just for patients: doctors, too, will benefit from the enhanced level of insight afforded to them. “IoT will allow doctors to track their patient in real-time, not just when they visit the hospital for an appointment,” says Lee-Davey. “This means that a patient can be measured in a realworld environment, which gives a much more accurate insight into their health. In turn, this leads to bet60
ter decision-making when it comes to things like adjusting medication or altering treatment, which means improved outcomes for the patient.” Moreover, doctors’ workflows can be streamlined, granting them flexibility and a level of engagement hitherto unachievable. “As we have seen with lockdown, people have grown accustomed to digital interfaces and are more open to being treated virtually,” Lee-Davey continues. “IoT can be used to enhance things like video appointments, by providing even more context for both doctor and patient.”
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
HOSPITALS For Chui, IoT’s benefit to hospitals can be summarised succinctly: efficiency. “In this arena, IoT has most often been used to achieve operational benefits for facilities management and asset tracking,” he explains. “It can also be used to monitor patients by sending data about a patient’s pulse and oxygen levels to central stations and into electronic health records, or even tracking the location of patients within the building - such as if a child is about to leave a pediatric area.” However, since doctors’ will be able to treat patients at home using IoT devices such as those aforementioned, another critical advantage will be the reduced burden on hospital capacity. The precious but limited resources of hospital beds and doctors’ time will subsequently be unencumbered and remain available to those who truly need them most. “This is particularly the case with patients that suffer from chronic illnesses who have previously needed to visit the hospital on a regular basis,” says Lee-Davey. “All of this results in increased efficiencies and cost-saving for hospitals; a massive benefit.” he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
61
TECHNOLOGY | IOT
J O N - L E E D AV E Y
Jon Lee-Davey is the Global IoT Healthcare Lead at Vodafone Enterprise. Trained as an engineer with a BEng from the University of Portsmouth (1994-1999) and an EngD from Cranfield University (1999-2004), LeeDavey gained experience in the healthcare sector by working for Johnson & Johnson prior to joining Vodafone in 2011. 62
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF IOTENHANCED HEALTH SERVICES?
this possible both within the medi-
According to David Hassman, Head of
With a stable, robust and integrated
Corporate Development and Strategy
network firmly in place, hospitals can
at tech services company Syniverse,
prepare for a patient’s assessment
IoT could be the secret ingredient to
or treatment schedule before they
achieving a difficult long-term goal
have even arrived at the building. “For
for healthcare: consistent quality of
example, ambulance units equipped
service. “One of the critical challenges
with IoT devices remotely connect
faced by the healthcare industry is
doctors and first responders, enabling
the ability to consistently deliver gold
early diagnoses and implementation
standard care to patients, regardless
of treatment plans. This type of inter-
of their location. IoT devices make
vention could improve the prognosis
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
cal facility and remotely,” he states.
63
“ [IoT] has the potential to drastically improve the patient experience, providing greater freedom and offering better overall access to healthcare” — Jon Lee-Davey,
Global IoT Healthcare Lead, Vodafone Enterprise
for patients in emergency situations.” Hassman adds that administrative functions (such as bed assignment) can be automated, whilst low-latency IoT networks increase the possibility of remote surgery as a standard practice, “leveraging expertise from the global medical community to achieve the best outcomes for patients.” In fact, networks of sensors could be arranged so meticulously that monitoring no longer became an exhaustive concern for medical staff, even in large he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
TECHNOLOGY | IOT
64
hospitals with a challenging employee-
patients with a chronic condition that
to-patient ratio. It is this capacity
don’t want to visit a hospital because
generating quality of IoT which Naveen
of COVID-19 will be spared an uncom-
Kumar, Vice President of Technology
fortable situation via IoT-enabled
in the Research and Innovation group
healthcare, which can monitor them
at Altran, says will be the most overt
remotely and accurately in the safety
gain. “The enablement of new use
of their own home. “This also means
cases which were previously not pos-
that doses of medicine can be more
sible, such as continuous monitoring,
accurate, more effective and ultimately
treatment adherence, etc, will now be
drive greater efficiency.” Indeed, Kumar
possible. These will be based on true-
also claims that data collected and
to-life evidence to drive better patient
analysed can be accurate enough to
outcomes.” An example he gives of
preempt the worsening of symptoms
this principle in action is a recent one:
up to three days in advance.
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
D AV I D H A S S M A N
David Hassman is the Head of Corporate Development and Strategy at Syniverse. Starting with the company in 2013, his previous roles have included product management at Motorola, Vice President at Livingstone Partners and VP at BTI Systems.
HOW ARE CONCERNS RELATING TO CYBERSECURITY AND DATA INTEGRITY ADDRESSED? The rise of IoT and smart health devices has not been without its disadvantages; increased reliance on digital technology engenders a parallel rise in cyberattacks and their associated damages. “Healthcare facilities are very attractive to cybercriminals due to the sensitive and valuable nature of patient data,” says Hassman. “In addition, hospitals form part of a country’s critical infrastructure and disruptions caused by cyberattacks can have devastating consequences. Apart from intentional attacks by cybercriminals, accidental data exposure can also be damaging, both in terms of patient privacy and the reputation of the facility.” Therefore, a comprehensive risk management framework encompassing technical consideration, people and processes needs to be developed. Kumar references Altran’s contribution (one of 26 consortium partners) to the S3P platform - smart, safe and secure - as an example of end-to-end protection for data streams generated by multiple sources. Collaborative he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
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TECHNOLOGY | IOT
projects like this will be useful in accelerating solutions to the ongoing threat of cyberattacks. Running IoT devices on private networks which are kept separate from the public internet can also be beneficial as each asset will require individual authentication, thus stemming the spread at isolated points should the equipment become compromised. Although a complicated issue, it does appear that healthcare providers are aware of the need to protect their IoT networks. Hassman states that, accord66
ing to Syniverse’s research, “almost two-thirds of healthcare providers cited protection against data theft and financial loss as the top priority for their IoT security strategy.” Nonetheless, whilst many are prepared to face an attack from the outside, fewer hospitals might consider human error as a cybersecurity weak point, although it is far more likely. “Healthcare providers should be mindful of the cyber literacy of their staff as a simple mistake could put the entire network at risk,” he continues. “In addition to implementing a secure network, education should be a core part of the security strategy to keep patient data safe.” S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
N AV E E N K U M A R
Naveen Kumar is the Vice President of Technology in the Research and Innovation group at Altran. Naveen leads the ‘Future of Healthcare’ program, focussing on Digital Operations, Clinical Studies, Personalised Medicine and AI in life sciences. Naveen’s team is helping to improve the patient journey by applying the latest digital technologies including cloud, containers, microservices and IoT.
WHICH IOT-COMPLEMENTARY TECHNOLOGIES WILL FACILITATE THE NEXT GENERATION OF HEALTHCARE?
AI can then be used to provide input
As previously stated by Chui, the
“The lower latency provided by 5G
healthcare sector may have barely
(estimated to conceivably exceed the
realised the scope of what an opti-
fastest 4G by 20 times) can enable
mised IoT network could achieve.
hospitals to use robotics for diagnosis
When considering what might pair
or surgical procedures, which can
with it drive the industry’s future, both
have great benefits to more effi-
Chui and Lee-Davey cite artificial
cient use of clinical expertise,” adds
intelligence (AI) and 5G as augmenta-
Lee-Davey.
with low error rates. Analytics and into clinical decisions,” says Chui.
tions which could yield a significantly
For Ana Maria Giménez, Partners’
improved service. “Electronic health
Solutions Sales Director at network
records are being combined with IoT
specialist Sigfox, enhanced IoT could
to enable seamless data collection
revolutionise the diagnostics of
Running IoT devices on private networks which are kept separate from the public internet can also be beneficial as each asset will require individual authentication he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
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TECHNOLOGY | IOT
68
illnesses by coordinating atmospheric conditions with a patient’s symptoms: “IoT could enable the low-cost capture of much more data from both patients and their environment (air quality, temperature, humidity, etc.) to correlate specific health problems with other elements that could not be measured before.” Antonio Espingardeiro, a member of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and software expert, takes this one S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
“ It is still early days in terms of achieving the full potential benefits of deploying IoT in healthcare” — Michael Chui, Partner, McKinsey Institute
69
step further by envisioning healthcare
in the health services’ future, it is an
wherein IoT sensors are no longer
interesting vista onto the possibili-
external by dispersed within the body:
ties being opened by IoT. With data
“They would be able to track everything
harvested from unique locations and
from glucose to oxygen to tempera-
analysed using state-of-the-art AI
ture. With the broader adoption of IoT
and ML software, clinicians and doc-
devices, daily health measurements
tors will be able to identify emerging
will generate vast amounts of biometric
health patterns faster and with greater
readings and, naturally, we will require
accuracy. The results can then be
more advanced machine learning (ML)
presented to the patient and reviewed
algorithms to make sense of this data.�
regularly, allowing for truly comprehen-
Although this concept might still lie
sive healthcare cover. he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
S U P P LY C H A I N & S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
Reorganising pharmaceutical supply chains post-COVID-19 WRITTEN BY
70
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
WILL GIRLING
71
he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
S U P P LY C H A I N & S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
The COVID-19 pandemic served as a wake-up call to the industry’s supply chains, but what lessons should be learned and what is the roadmap forward? Perhaps one of the most notable revelations of the COVID-19 pandemic was the hard reality that supply chains were fragile, easily disrupted and difficult to 72
adjust within the time-conscious environment they operate in. Providing adequate supplies of pharmaceuticals has taken on accelerated precedence in order to satisfy demand, not just domestically but also internationally to countries without the facilities to manufacture certain drugs in sufficient quantities. As other sectors adjust to operating in the ‘new normal’, pharmaceutical companies will be no different in examining ways that individuals, authorities and the industry as a whole can help to transform its supply chains for a new era. Despite some room for optimism that current supply chains can simply be augmented to function in a new operational era, there are those who consider that the fundamental relationship between pharmaceutical companies, laboratories and the market needs to be redefined. PwC S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
73
states in ‘Pharma 2020: Supplying the future’ that far from simply needing ‘quick-fixes’, the industries’ supply chains are “complex, under-utilised, inefficient and ill-equipped to cope with the sort of products coming down the pipeline.” Although written before the COVID-19 pandemic took place, PwC’s observations are no less applicable: products have shorter lifecycles, there is an increased emphasis on outcomes, stricter environmental controls and the value of patient data is growing. he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
S U P P LY C H A I N & S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
P WC ’S SEVEN FO RCES
PwC’s seven forces governing the need for a reimagined pharmaceutical supply chain:
• I nnovative modes of delivery based on demand and available to a wider network.
•N ew products involving complex manufacturing and distribution processes.
•T he growing significance of emerging markets bolstering supply chains and integrating diversity.
•P hased product launches and the ability to scale business quickly. •A focus on outcomes centred on granular cost control at each stage of development. 74
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
• I ncreased regulation resulting from public scrutiny and the desire for transparency. •P ressure to balance eco-sustainability and the availability of products to meet demand.
The Role of the Pharmacists During COVID-19 CLICK TO WATCH
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55:33
75 In its article ‘Pharma operations: The path to recovery and the next normal’, McKinsey notes that at the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, contrary to the industry’s historically slow reaction to market changes, the pharmaceutical sector proved itself to be not only responsive but proactive, with many subsequently
“ The fundamental relationship between pharmaceutical companies, laboratories and the market needs to be redefined”
taking the step of establishing special units to bring about supply stability. “Given the shifts that have taken place seemingly overnight in response to the immediate crisis, companies are also turning their attention to recovery and the path to the next normal,” it says. he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
S U P P LY C H A I N & S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
“ As the pandemic has reinforced, supply chains can be at significant risk when there is over-reliance on a location that may be vulnerable to disruption” — McKinsey
Costing paradigms have also made certain weaknesses more apparent: 76
“As the pandemic has reinforced, supply chains can be at significant risk when there is over-reliance on a location that may be vulnerable to disruption. Shifting production locations so that production is closer to end markets or in lower-risk countries that are less subject to disruption are now routine considerations in risk mitigation.” Consequently, the sector has realised that no long-term solution can be brokered by companies acting in isolation; a coordinated effort combining collaboration with regulators and new technology will help to overcome barriers not only to recovery but to rejuvenation. S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
McKinsey
Technological development will also be a key stepping stone, opines McKinsey, because the nature of pharmaceutical supply chains has fundamentally altered; they are “becoming more patient-centric due to the increased adoption of digital tools, telehealth and app-based ecosystems.� Digital tools such as blockchain and digital twin have the net benefit of increasing transparency and boost a company’s ability to accurately forecast demand by assessing contingency situations in a controlled environment in preparation for the actual event. he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
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S U P P LY C H A I N & S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
“ It is critical that companies activate sophisticated analytics and scenario modelling to fully understand their supply chains” — BCG
78
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
BCG concurs with this position in ‘Critical Priorities for Pharma and Medtech in Response to COVID-19’: companies must build on their initial success at handling disruption by introducing more technologically-based processes. “While many pharma and medtech supply chains have been able to largely meet demand, it is critical that companies activate sophisticated analytics and scenario modelling to fully understand their supply chains and identify the top products facing potential supply issues,” says the article. This can be achieved by focused investment on artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) data analytics software to underpin a manufacturing network strategy. As such, companies will gain a more fully-rounded perspective on inventory levels, be able to ramp up production at alternative sources to keep the supply flowing and grant themselves a longer timeline in which to find additional producers of critical materials and gain regulatory approvals. The Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (CGPA), observing how demand could he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
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S U P P LY C H A I N & S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
C GPA’S REPO RT
CGPA’s report - ‘Blueprint for a sustainable supply of prescription medicines for Canadians’ - outlined several measures that the organisation identified as essential to bolstering sustainable supply chains in the country. Taken generally, however, they represent broadly applicable measures which other national sectors and individual agents can use as a guide: 80
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
• Strengthen and improve the pharmaceutical industry through investment in new infrastructure, convergence with regulatory alignment, sustainable pricing and developing new markets. • S eek to improve domestic standing in the international pharmaceutical market. • Identify medicines that are frequently in high demand and create a stockpile for future crises.
easily have outstripped the supply of essential medications were it not for exemplary real-time decision-making, compiled a new report outlining how it would ensure Canadians had access to a sustainable resource of generic medicines. The measures suggested include the further development of R&D facilities for drug manufactur-
“ The COVID-19 pandemic has served as a wake-up call for governments, health-care professionals and the broader public” — Jim Keon, President, CGPA
ing, increasing warehouse capacity and maintaining sufficient domestic quantities of essential pharmaceutical ingredients. The pandemic, therefore, 81
has helped the CGPA and many other pharmaceutical organisations accelerate reform in areas which were already flawed. Perhaps the silver-lining of the disruption has been the rallying effect on the industry to combat supply chain weaknesses which seemed unurgent prior to this global test. “The resilience of Canada’s generic pharmaceutical industry has been tested,” said Jim Keon, President of CGPA, in a press release. “The COVID-19 pandemic has served as a wake-up call for governments, health-care professionals and the broader public on the importance of having a robust and resilient domestic pharmaceutical industry.” he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
T O P 10
82
Healthcare Brands WRITTEN BY
WILL GIRLING
Ordered by market cap in USD, Healthcare Global counts down 10 of the top healthcare brands in the world (based on Investopedia’s list)
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T O P 10 | H E A LT H C A R E B R A N D S
Healthcare brands — innovation, collaboration and community
H
ealthcare is a topic of unwavering impor-
tance and relevance to our daily lives, but no recent global event has made us so acutely
aware of it as the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.
The unprecedented state of emergency has put 84
government administrations, scientific and research staff, healthcare companies and professionals through one of the greatest logistical challenges of the 21st century, yet lockdown measures are beginning to be eased through a combination of innovation, collaboration and community. It is with these three qualities in mind that Healthcare Global explores 10 outstanding healthcare brands currently operating today.
ABOUT HEALTHCARE GLOBAL’S TOP 10 PICKS… Using Investopedia’s list as a basis, we have compiled our Top 10 healthcare brands according to their market capitalisation to highlight each brand’s net worth. In addition to highlighting the general success and history of each company, close attention was paid to their emphasis on community, the S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
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T O P 10 | H E A LT H C A R E B R A N D S
welfare of individuals and a continual
‘new normal’ of economic and social
spirit of innovation. From pharmaceuti-
activities will continue.
cals to clinic management and benefits administration, these companies offer
“We greatly value the U.S. govern-
superlative services in ways which aim
ment’s confidence and support for
to mitigate costs for the consumer and
our R&D efforts. Johnson & Johnson’s
build trust with providers.
global team of experts has ramped up our research and development
86
EXECUTIVE TAKES ON COVID-19
processes to unprecedented levels,
The COVID-19 pandemic has been one
and our teams are working tirelessly
of the most taxing healthcare chal-
alongside BARDA, scientific partners,
lenges of recent times, with experts
and global health authorities. We are
not only searching for a potential vac-
very pleased to have identified a lead
cine but also guiding policy on how the
vaccine candidate from the constructs
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What healthcare will look like in 2020 | Stephen Klasko | TEDxPhiladelphia CLICK TO WATCH
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20:28
87 we have been working on since Janu-
return to the workplace, employers
ary. We are moving on an accelerated
need clear guidelines to ensure a safe
timeline toward Phase 1 human clinical
environment and a robust process for
trials at the latest by September 2020
employees to screen themselves for
and, supported by the global produc-
COVID-19 symptoms.
tion capability that we are scaling up
“We are pleased to collaborate with
in parallel to this testing, we expect a
Microsoft to launch ProtectWell™, a
vaccine could be ready for emergency
simple and effective tool to ensure
use in early 2021.”
employers and employees have the
— From Johnson & Johnson; Paul Stoffels, MD, Chief Scientific Officer
information and resources they need to keep themselves, their colleagues and the public safe and healthy.”
[Regarding the launch of UnitedHealth Group’s ProtectWell app]
— From UnitedHealth Global; Ken Ehlert, Chief Scientific Officer
“As we plan for a safe and careful he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
T O P 10 | H E A LT H C A R E B R A N D S
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“Our most complex and pressing healthcare challenges require solutions that are as multi-faceted as the issues themselves. At the AmerisourceBergen Foundation, we believe philanthropic organisations play a critical role in addressing global health emergencies at a local level, which is why we have partnered with like-minded nonprofits to share resources and positively impact communities across the globe during this unprecedented time. “Working hand-in-hand with organisations embedded in our communities will ultimately allow us to act quickly by expanding access to quality care and implementing targeted programs that will lead to change and sustained impact.” — From Amerisource Bergen; Gina Clark, President of the AmerisourceBergen Foundation
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T O P 10
1971 YEAR FOUNDED
CEO
MIKE KAUFMANN
90
10
Cardinal Health Inc. $12bn
Starting the list strong, Cardinal Health (CH) boasts 50,000 employees across 46 countries and is a top 25 Fortune 500 company. Officially headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, the company has built an impressive reputation for delivering healthcare services and products, designing hospital-ready solutions, providing clinical laboratories and more. With significant experience in logistics, products, business and patient solutions, CH is a true expert in its field and constantly seeks out new challenges, determines industry trends and emphasises quality at every stage of its operations.
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09
AmerisourceBergen Corp. $15.2bn
Formed from a merger which saw Bergen Brunswig and AmeriSource become one entity, AmerisourceBergen has pioneered a system of drug distribution and associated services which aims to reduce costs and improve the customer experience. Moreover, the company is dedicated to improving product access, developing the efficiency of its supply chains and enhancing patient care by investing in the infrastructure, technology and partnerships which make it happen. On the company website, Steven Collis, CEO, states that, “Together with our associates, I’m proud to be embedded in our industry-wide work of helping improve the way we all experience healthcare.”
2001 YEAR FOUNDED
CEO
STEVEN COLLIS
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91
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
1835 YEAR FOUNDED
Founder BRIAN S. TYLER
08
93
McKesson Corp. $18.7bn
Taking a holistic approach to healthcare, McKesson prides itself on its ability to improve services and products end-to-end, leaving no stone unturned in its quest to deliver better outcomes for patients. A highly influential and successful legacy brand founded in the early 19th century, it is the seventh-largest company currently operating in the US today. Despite its roots in the past, McKesson’s status as an innovator has been established historically through its early adoption of bar-code scanning, pharmacy-based robotic automation and use of RFID tags to enhance logistics and distribution. In the last 10 years, it has made several notable acquisitions, including US Oncology and Celesio.
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T O P 10
1984 YEAR FOUNDED
CEO
MICHAEL NEIDORFF
94
07
Centene Corp. $26.7bn
Primarily comprised of its healthcare lines Medicaid, ACA Health Insurance, Medicare and Tricase, the Missouri-based Centene offers a wide range of products and services, recognising both the uniqueness of individuals and the value of communities. Keen to differentiate itself from other companies in the sector, Centene is dedicated not just to healthcare but also sustainability initiatives, charitable causes and community outreach schemes. “Our local approach enables us to provide accessible, high-quality, culturally sensitive services to more than 23 million members in all 50 states,� said Michael Neidorff, Chairman, President and CEO.
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06
Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. $38.6bn
Formed in 2014 following Walgreen’s purchase of the remaining 55% of Alliance Boots (at a cost of $4.9bn), the resulting company has become one of the most successful leaders in retail and wholesale pharmaceuticals in the world. WBA (or its predecessor) has even been included in Fortune’s list of the ‘World’s Most Admired Companies’ for 27 consecutive years. Proactively seeking the best ways to help the public throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, WBA joined the Government, Disease Control and Prevention and Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services in an initiative to expand testing for coronavirus.
2014 YEAR FOUNDED
CEO
STEFANO PESSINA
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T O P 10
05
Anthem Inc. $44.1bn
A leading provider of health benefits, Anthem strives to make exceptional healthcare accessible and simple. With an impressive customer base of 108 million people and roughly one in eight American receiving care through the company or its affiliations, Anthem is able to offer a diverse spread of products and services. Conscious of its importance during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gail K. Boudreaux, President and CEO, said, “Guided by our mission and values, Anthem is engaging across the country and in our local communities to support our members, customers and partners with relief and care during this challenging time.� Support provided includes a $50mn pledge from the Anthem Foundation and matching associate contributions to select charities by 200%.
2004 YEAR FOUNDED
CEO
GAIL K. BOUDREAUX
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T O P 10
1982 YEAR FOUNDED
CEO
DAVID CORDANI
98
04
Cigna Corp. $48.4bn
Placing an emphasis on 24/7 care, Cigna seeks to distinguish itself as more than a health insurance company; it is a valuable resource for customers to draw a wealth of benefits from their physical and mental wellbeing. Previously honoured by Gartner with a ‘1to1 Customer Experience Excellence Award’ for its superlative service strategy and delivery, Cigna continues to maintain a high standard and emphasise the importance of community in its operations. Acquiring pharmaceutical company Express Scripts in late 2018 for $67bn, Cigna continues to find new ways of bolstering its acclaimed brand and deliver better outcomes for patients.
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03
CVS Health Corp. $69.2bn
Possessing a diverse suite of assets, including walk-in clinics, cost management, HealthHUBs, care management, retail pharmacies, benefits administration and more, CVS Health is able to offer patients a truly all-encompassing range of healthcare services. Starting out as a small business which managed retailers’ lines of health and beauty products, the company gained momentum by first including pharmacies and then joining the Melville Corporation. After accruing notable success in the proceeding years, CVS broke away from Melville in 1996 to operate independently again. The business now serves almost 10,000 locations and employs over 300,000 people.
1963 YEAR FOUNDED
CEO
LARRY J. MERLO
he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
99
YEARS
30
IN HEALTHCARE
Our legacy as an OEM: Designed and Engineered Class I, II and III medical devices including SaMD (Software as Medical Device) Manufactured, sold and serviced 200,000+ medical devices across three continents Digital health solution expertise across – telehealth, chronic care management and clinical decision support areas Knowledge of the latest regulatory requirements like HIPAA, FDA, MDR, other country specific regulations
‌enables us to create the next frontier of healthcare Solve complex health problems using technologies like AI/ML, Digital Twins and Predictive Analytics Ensure patient safety and minimize risks of denial of service, therapy manipulation and patient data theft from Cyber Attacks on medical devices Bring Digital Front Door solutions to life by stitching together solutions and platforms for connecting patients, providers, pharmacies and insurers Stay on course with the latest interoperability requirements for patient access to health data anytime and anywhere
LEARN MORE
L&T TECHNOLOGY SERVICES HELPING ITS CUSTOMERS TO STAY AHEAD OF THE CURVE
L&T’S TECHNOLOGY & IT SERVICES BUSINESS
65,000+ Employees
+
$3B+ Annual Revenue
T O P 10
UnitedHealth Group Inc. $184.8bn Currently ranked as the largest healthcare company in the world by revenue ($242.2bn), although second-place by market cap, UnitedHealth is truly a modern success story in business. Committed to improving the healthcare quality of communities and 102
the lives of people within them, UnitedHealth is on a mission to create a thoroughly innovative, modern and successful health system. It does this by reducing costs to the consumer, fostering relationships between patients and their carers, utilising data to distinguish optimal care quality and promoting better daily health habits generally.
1977 YEAR FOUNDED
CEO
DAVID S. WICHMANN
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T O P 10
J&J is a take-care-of-youyour-whole-life company CLICK TO WATCH
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1886 YEAR FOUNDED
Johnson & Johnson $293bn
CEO
ALEX GORSKY
The largest company by market cap and the second-oldest on this list, J&J’s goal to improve the health of the world has remained unchanged for 134 years. With 250 subsidiaries in 60 countries and servicing 175 via more than 130,000 employees, the company’s well-known brands include Band-Aids, Tylenol, Neutrogena and, of course, Johnson’s Baby products. A company which truly values innovation, J&J actively assists promising individuals and businesses in fulfilling their ambitions. It does this through close collaboration, resource sharing and expert guidance. “We aim to build value-creating partnerships with biotech, med tech, and health tech startups, entrepreneurs, academics and other partners around the world to change the trajectory of human health,” said William Hait, MD, Global Head at J&J Innovations.
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106
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HEALTHCARE TECH TO NAVIGATE THE NEW NORMAL WRITTEN BY
JONATHAN CAMPION PRODUCED BY
CAITLYN COLE
he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
L&T TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
Jyotirmay Datta (JD), EVP & Business Head at LTTS, tells us about his company’s place in the new, post-Covid medical industry
T 108
he Covid-19 pandemic has brought about a paradigm shift in the healthcare industry. All players, from medical device
manufacturers to healthcare providers to medical practitioners, have been forced to rethink the very fundamentals of how their work is performed. In a wide-ranging interview, Jyotirmay Datta (JD), EVP and Business Head at LTTS, speaks about the ways that his organization can play an important role in the positive changes that healthcare businesses are enacting, to prepare the medical industry for the post-Covid world.
GETTING THE PRODUCT MIX RIGHT FOR THE POST-COVID WORLD JD explains that due to postponement of elective procedures, much lower visits to Outpatients departments and low utilization of ER, every part of the Healthcare industry is disrupted by COVID19. However, the level of disruption is different for SUMMER/AUTUMMN 2020
109
he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
Listen to the Podcast here
L&T TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
“ We have a role in the life-cycle of each product, from its design to the time it is introduced to the market” 112
— Jyotirmay Datta, EVP & Business Head, Healthcare Industry Vertical, L&T Technology Services Ltd (LTTS)
SUMMER/AUTUMMN 2020
different players. One consequence is that hospitals are reducing their spend on medical equipment to conserve cash while significantly increase allocation of funds to upgrade their telehealth capabilities. This is affecting all device OEMs to varying degrees depending on their product mix, but all of them are trying to reduce their expenditure in the short term. This is where LTTS comes in: to help organizations to adapt their product mix to suit hospitals’ new requirements, and to do so in a cost-effective way. He pinpoints accelerating R&D, particularly
A Day With L&T Technology Services CLICK TO WATCH
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1:47
113
fight against Covid-19, as a key space
WORKING TOGETHER TO STREAMLINE DIAGNOSTICS
for LTTS to grow in, as well as sup-
One of the biggest demands on the
porting their manufacturing and supply
medical industry in recent months has
chains, and supporting the producers
been to improve the speed of diagnosis,
with regulatory approvals.
while not compromising on the accu-
for the products in demand for the
“The top medical device companies
racy of tests. JD is confident that the
all reflect a very similar sentiment,”
healthcare industry can accomplish
says JD. “When we look at the pharma
this - and is certain that LTTS can help.
and health insurance companies, there
He mentions that effective diagnos-
have been very little impact on them.
tics requires effective collaboration
So, they are continuing to perform
between OEMs, clinical trials organiza-
well, revenues are growing and bottom
tions, regulatory agencies and different
lines are still very healthy”.
healthcare bodies. With wide-ranging he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
L&T TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
Telehealth Product Transformation for a leading OEM CLICK TO WATCH
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2:12
114
experience in diagnostics and regula-
the testing and the validation process
tory affairs, LTTS is well placed to
for some of this equipment that is being
expedite testing and validation of the
tested by the OEMs. We also are helping
new solutions that are tabled, can offer
with the manufacturing capacity as well.
services for regulatory submissions,
We have a role in the life-cycle of each
and can help to enhance their manufac-
product, from its design to the time it is
turing capacity.
introduced to the market.”
“The OEMs, clinical trials organizabodies, healthcare bodies - to make
IMPROVED REMOTE CARE THE SILVER LINING
sure that R&D happens in a very efficient
Another key area for LTTS is remote
manner they all have to coordinate and
patient care. This issue is even more
collaborate very well,” continues JD. “In
essential considering the challenges
the near term, LTTS is helping expedite
posed by Covid-19. JD feels that here,
tions, regulatory agencies, government
SUMMER/AUTUMMN 2020
too, LTTS has a role to play in supporting healthcare providers.
“Now, as a result of Covid-19, regulations have been eased by CDC and
“If there is one positive outcome of this
HHS for more than 80 telehealth-based
life-changing event, it is the massively
procedures. CMS has approved them
increased adoption of telehealth and
for Medicare, and other insurance
remote care solutions,” he says. “If we
companies have agreed for reimburse-
were to rewind the last six months, some
ments. As a result, providers have rolled
of the major issues standing in the way
them out in greater numbers. Patients
of greater adoption of telehealth were
have adopted them like never before:
regulatory approvals for most of the
in some of the larger health systems,
procedures, insurance reimbursements
telehealth transactions have gone from
for telehealth-based treatments, and
a few thousand per month to tens of
security concerns.
thousands per week.” 115
E X E C U T I V E P R O FILE :
Jyotirmay Datta Title: EVP and CBO
Company: L&T Technology Services
Industry: Healthcare Jyotirmay Datta (JD) is the EVP and CBO - Healthcare at L&T Technology Services and heads the Medical Devices Business with P&L responsibility for LTTS’ businesses across Med-Tech, Lifesciences and Healthcare customers. With 30 years of experience in the Technology and Healthcare industries, JD specialize in shaping, nurturing and leading businesses that serve the needs of Med-Tech & Lifesciences companies and Healthcare providers in improving access, efficacy and outcome of Connected Care across the care pathway. he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
L&T TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTION: A PROBLEM OR AN OPPORTUNITY? One challenge to the healthcare industry that is still causing anxiety amongst its stakeholders is disruptions to the supply chain. LTTS is one of the companies that is helping medical device manufacturers to relocate their manufacturing plants, adding new manufacturing lines, and enabling higher operational efficiency to ensure supply of critical medical equipment to the healthcare providers is continued. 116
“I n some of the larger health systems, telehealth transactions have gone from a few thousand per month to tens of thousands per week” — Jyotirmay Datta, EVP & Business Head, Healthcare Industry Vertical, L&T Technology Services Ltd (LTTS)
Finding alternative sites and adapting to a new supply chain is complex: medtech manufacturing locations, JD explains, are spread across the USA, Europe and Asia. As per JD, Medtech companies are seriously evaluating their strategy for expansion in South
for the company’s iBEMS platform,
Asia including India. This is offering
an innovative, cloud-based building
opportunities for LTTS.
experience management system of systems that allows individual systems
THE IBEMS PLATFORM: THE SHIELD TO KEEP PATIENTS AND HEALTHCARE STAFF SAFE
to each other. This solution can also
JD also sees an opportunity for LTTS
spaces healthy for air quality, social
to make hospitals a more harmoni-
distancing and temperature monitor-
ous place in the post-Covid world. He
ing. JD paints the picture of a hospital
explains that it is the perfect moment
experience that is entirely touchless.
SUMMER/AUTUMMN 2020
in the hospital to intelligently connect now upgraded to keep the hospital
117
“Let’s try to visualize how this may
in the pathological and imaging labs,
play out,” says JD. “A patient enters
information can be communicated
the hospital and is greeted by a robot.
via gestures. Technologies that guide
A thermal detection is done; their face
the patient without requiring any con-
image is captured, their symptoms are
tact have become so important for
entered using IT, and then the patient
making sure the environment is safe
is directed by the wayfinder to the
and healthy.”
relevant medical officer. Medications are then ordered online and delivered to the patient’s home. Touch screens can be replaced by voices; he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
118
AltaMed’s digital healthcare transformation S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
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WRITTEN BY
LEILA HAWKINS PRODUCED BY
GLEN WHITE
h e a l t h c a r e gl o b a l . c o m
A LTA M E D H E A LT H S E R V I C E S
Raymond Lowe, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at AltaMed Health Services, discusses clinical system transformation and remote working
N 120
on-profit healthcare company AltaMed Health Services was founded as the East Los Angeles Barrio Free Clinic in
1969, with a mission to provide healthcare to the underserved Latino and multi-ethnic population of east Los Angeles. There was a lack of healthcare available in this area and today they’re one of the largest community health centres in the country, serving nearly 300,000 patients with more than 1,000,000 visits a year. AltaMed serves everyone and anyone independent of their ability to pay or their immigration status. “We welcome everyone at AltaMed and we are here to help them with primary care and their health concerns, providing quality care without exception” Lowe says. “At our core is social justice.” Lowe joined AltaMed in January 2018. The company had been going through a decade of “explosive growth”, with the number of patients they serve having increased tenfold. S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
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A LTA M E D H E A LT H S E R V I C E S
“ Through our digital transformation, our patients will have access to healthcare through mobile devices, when and how they want it” — Raymond Lowe, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, AltaMed Health Services 122
He launched its digital transformational journey with a focus on healthcare’s quadruple aim: improving quality, improving patient experience, improving provider satisfaction, and lowering costs. In order to do this Lowe set about developing a comprehensive plan that was rapid, agile and included input from business stakeholders in clinical and financial operation areas. “A DevOps initiative or technology without operational buy-in will likely not deliver the right outcomes,” Lowe says. “I always keep in mind what the corresponding workflow is and what the KPIs are that we need to meet for the organization, thinking not just in terms of technology, but from an operational perspective. “Digital transformation is not easy,” he adds. “Aligning the organization requires flawless delivery of operations. Good IT requires detailed planning and strong operations to ensure the organization will be successful. Ultimately, I think IT needs to run like magic.” The last two years have certainly produced many benefits. AltaMed has hardened core services, particularly uptime and critical services,
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
AltaMed Health Services CLICK TO WATCH
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1:00
123 implementing cyber solutions to
make our data centre to UTI tier III,
address threats that arise with
and we’ve added 350 new virtual
increased remote working and tel-
machines and 33 hosts in the last
ehealth solutions. The company has
two years within the VMware envi-
further been able to extend meeting
ronment,” Lowe explains.
services so remote workers can col-
To upgrade its network and cyber-
laborate seamlessly regardless of
security AltaMed has relied heavily
location and the number of attend-
upon its partners. Lowe explains that
ees. As well as managing televisits
there was technical debt when he
and increased traffic to their patient
first joined, and he needed to bring
portal, they’ve deployed the Epic
the corporation to an enterprise class.
electronic medical record system, a
“Fortunately I have a good partner
new managed care software solution.
network with Cisco and Presidio,
Virtualization has also been a key element. “We’ve been able to
having worked with them previously at Dignity Health, and Red8 is an h e a l t h c a r e gl o b a l . c o m
A LTA M E D H E A LT H S E R V I C E S
124
existing partner at AltaMed. We
cybersecurity. My entire digital, video
did a baseline gap analysis to plan
and telehealth strategy is built upon
how to correct the environment so
this framework and we are able to
we could be at an enterprise level.
work fast - taking the time to lay the
This involved collaborative working
proper foundation allows you to move
both with my technology team and
fast and perform transformation at
my partners, and through that we
the speed of light. We also entered
developed a remote multi-phase
into enterprise licensing agreements
programme. Ironically, most of it was
in the Collaboration (Webex) and
actually completed prior to COVID-19.
Cisco’s Security Umbrella.”
“The partnership with Cisco and
A partnership with NetApp and
Presidio allowed AltaMed to trans-
Red8 allowed AltaMed to simplify data
form the network, switch route,
management and non-disruptively
hyper converged infrastructure and
scale capacity, while cost-effectively
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
supporting its general-purpose business applications. Red8 also worked with Lowe’s team consolidating fragmented infrastructure, allowing it to stabilize and grow the core of its managed care business. They also assisted in overall design and deployment of data protection, retention, and encryption. “Partners really help to shorten the time to market. No organization has all the talent that’s necessary, and great organizations are built on great opportunity. I’ve been very fortunate to have a very strong partner network that has been an extension of my team.” Lowe says.
E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :
Raymond Lowe Title: Senior Vice President / Chief Information Officer Company: AltaMed Health Services Industry: Healthcare Location: Los Angeles, USA Ray Lowe serves as the Senior Vice President / Chief Information Officer of AltaMed Health Services. Ray started at AltaMed Health Services in January of 2018. Ray currently resides in the Greater Los Angeles Area.
The COVID-19 outbreak has substantially changed the way the company works. In keeping with social distancing guidelines, AltaMed has expanded video and telephonic appointment it opened nine outdoor testing sites including in some places where there was no power or network services. “We had to figure out how to deploy corporate wireless out into a parking lot to support a clinic,” Lowe explains. “From an application and DevOps perspective, in days h e a l t h c a r e gl o b a l . c o m
125
CLOUD FIRST PARTNER
ACCELERATING HEALTHCARE’S DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
Automate the routine, focus on health Today’s modern IT organization is being asked to do more than ever before in an IT enviroment that is more complex than ever before. Red8, alongside NetApp, is dedicated to solving these critical technology challenges through modern infrastructure solutions. Delivering flexible and scalable cloud, cybersecurity, devops, advanced analytics and data center solutions; transformation starts here. Start your digital transformation today by partnering with Red8 and NetApp.
NETAPP AND RED8: POWERING ALTAMED’S TRANSFORMATION NetApp’s Dave Nesvisky and Red8’s Eric Sarraf, Luke Lederman and Brandon Kaier discuss their partnership with AltaMed and the services they provide. Red 8 and NetApp have played a crucial part in non-profit healthcare company AltaMed Health Services transformation. Red8 is a system integrator and consulting firm, specialising in areas such as data centres, cybersecurity, DevOps and operations. For more than 20 years, it has helped customers streamline operations and roll out new technologies. NetApp is a specialist in data management and storage, dedicated to helping customers solve their data challengers whether on-premise, in the cloud or hybrid. It serves organisations of every size in the context of healthcare, from community access hospitals to national health systems. Working together with AltaMed and its CIO Raymond Lowe, the two companies have helped to simplify data management and scale capacity in a nondisruptive manner, while cost-effectively supporting AltaMed’s general-purpose business applications. “Our relationship with AltaMed started around eight years ago,” says Eric Sarraf, Senior Account Executive at Red8. “We deployed their very first data storage systems, and since then we have rolled out a number of NetApp systems. Once Ray joined the organisation, we were really able to expand our services.” Accordingly, Red8 has worked to consolidate fragmented infrastructure, allowing AltaMed to stabilise and grow the core of their managed care business. They also assisted in overall design and deployment of data protection, retention, and encryption systems. NetApp, meanwhile, provides the crucial data management and storage infrastructure, as Dave Nesvisky, Executive Director - Healthcare, explains: “As the relationship has matured and as the use cases have expanded, AltaMed has enjoyed the benefit and the simplicity of being able to manage all of their data using a common interface - instead of having islands of information and a large portfolio of disparate
NetApp & Red8
products. It takes risk out of the equation, and ultimately also saves considerable training costs in different technologies and platforms.” The work they’ve done together has had the effect of streamlining operations, and freed up employees to spend less time managing the day-to-day. “Before, several people were dedicated to just infrastructure,” says Red8’sSenior Systems Engineer, Luke Lederman. Today, they’re in a position where not only can they spend less time managing it, but also where they can scale much more easily as the business grows.” According to Red8 Field CTO Brandon Kaier, It’s a relationship born of a keen understanding of the ways technology is transforming the industry. “Digital transformation for organisations is, at the end of the day, pretty simple. It’s gaining unrealised value out of a physical asset through the use of technology. Why the partnership with NetApp and AltaMed is so important is the rise of cloud and cloud applications. Everybody, not just born-digital companies, is trying to figure out how they can accelerate their application development.” The partnership, then, has brought reliable, scalable benefits to the mission critical healthcare environment in which AltaMed operates, doing more with data and freeing up its employees’ time. Red8.com/Healthcare
A LTA M E D H E A LT H S E R V I C E S
“ Taking the time to lay the proper foundation allows you to move fast and perform transformation at the speed of light”
128
— Raymond Lowe, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, AltaMed Health Services
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we deployed a brand new build for COVID-19 to support the testing sites”. We needed increased infrastructure uplift for virtual meetings to provide rich video experience for our patients, providers and employees. For social distancing and remote work we deployed 800 laptops over a three-week period. Working with Cisco and Presidio helped us accelerate the implementation of a thousand remote workers, which happened in a matter of days.” Lowe says this was a real test as to nimbleness and agility. “Our teams excelled during this crisis, meeting the needs of our employees and continuing to care for the underserved population of Southern California.” Looking ahead, he says some of these changes will remain in place. “Social distancing is now the norm, and certain jobs may not return to the office. From a technical perspective we need to ensure that we have a highly reliable network, connected in a secure manner, allowing employees to be productive either on site or remotely.” “From a patient perspective, many h e a l t h c a r e gl o b a l . c o m
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A LTA M E D H E A LT H S E R V I C E S
people are very concerned about being in crowds, so we are looking at shifting the way we provide care with a much heavier emphasis on video and telephone services.” We are deploying patient-centric care with flexible walls, meaning our patients won’t have to come to a clinic to see a provider. They will be able to obtain care from their location on their schedule. Also for COVID-19 testing we are deploying temperature kiosks that prompt patients and employees 130
to answer CDC guideline questions to ensure the safety for everyone.” AltaMed’s digital journey has already
“ A DevOps initiative or technology without operational buy-in will likely not deliver the right outcomes” — Raymond Lowe, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, AltaMed Health Services
seen it expand into these areas and they are prepared to continue this digital transformation. For patients enroute to an appointment, AltaMed has enabled them to check in to their appointment on their phone, and wait in their car until someone is ready to see them. They will then receive a text message reminder to let them know when to enter the medical building. To improve the quality of care in the home for chronic disease
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
1969
Year founded
3,170 Number of employees
131
management, AltaMed is also work-
organization that lives its mission
ing on remote patient monitoring
and values providing healthcare
for people with chronic diseases, for
to the most vulnerable and under-
instance by sending out glucometers
served communities. “Through our
to track weight and blood pressure
digital transformation, our patient
in patients with diabetes, conges-
will have access to their providers
tive heart failure, hypertension and
from their mobile device or home
COPD. For moms, it is deploying an
when and how they want it.�
application that will provide education, tracking and support during their pregnancy journey. AltaMed Health Services is an h e a l t h c a r e gl o b a l . c o m
132
WRITTEN BY
JONATHAN CAMPION PRODUCED BY
RYAN HALL
SUMMER/AUTUMN 2020
Emerson St. for Teens & Young Adults provides a supportive community for individuals age 15 – 26 seeking connection and belonging.
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The Mental Health Center of Denver: The human side of tech he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
MENTAL HEALTH CENTER OF DENVER
Dr Wes Williams, Chief Information Officer of the Mental Health Center of Denver, tells us how technology could make Denver the healthiest city in America Dr Wes Williams wants Denver to be the healthiest city in America. His role in this, as Chief Information Officer of the Mental Health Center of Denver, is to lead on technologies that play an instrumental part 134
in supporting the city’s most vulnerable. But in the course of a wide-ranging interview, Williams also speaks enthusiastically about how innovation has benefited the people who work at the organisation.
MAKING TELEMEDICINE WORK: THE TRANSITION TO REMOTE TREATMENTS In Colorado, the COVID-19 pandemic has not only taken a toll on people’s mental health; it has also created unprecedented challenges for the clinics that provide them with care. Even for an organisation that prides itself on its innovative approaches, the transition from in-person therapies to telemedicine hasn’t been easy. Dr Williams admits that when the organisation was forced to bring all of its services online – which it managed to achieve in two days – putting the technology in place was SUMMER/AUTUMN 2020
The Mental Health Center of Denver’s Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services team provides specialized outpatient mental health care for deaf and hard of hearing children, families and adults.
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he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
MENTAL HEALTH CENTER OF DENVER
“ You can get sucked into thinking that the tech itself is the solution. But the reality is that it’s only the easy part” — Dr Wes Williams, CIO, Mental Health Center of Denver
136
Dr Williams feels that in some ways the upheaval could have been a bless-
only the start of the process. “You
ing in disguise. “The takeaway for me
can get sucked into thinking that
is that if you practice something, you
the tech itself is the solution. But the
can figure it out. We’ve had the chance
reality is that it’s only the easy part.
to really practice and learn how to do
It took a lot more work to figure out
this well. That’s been the silver lining.
how to really do that work – how to
And from a telemedicine standpoint,
make everything happen”.
I’m optimistic that even when it’s safe to go back into clinics, some folks are going to choose to continue to receive their care via telemedicine, because it’s more convenient”. To illustrate his idea, he mentions that since patients have been attending appointments remotely, the number of no-shows has decreased by almost a third.
SUMMER/AUTUMN 2020
Benefits of VR Treatments CLICK TO WATCH
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2:49
137 C OM C AST P ART NE RSH I P A vital partner for the Mental Health
“Modern medical facilities like MHCD
Center of Denver has become Comcast
require fast, flexible and secure network
Business, which provides broadband
connectivity that ensures the integrity
connectivity at 35 locations across the city,
and availability of health data when
critical redundancy for multiple residential
treatment teams need it,” said Robert
and walk-in facilities and supporting a
Thompson, vice president of Comcast
widespread shift to telehealth services.
Business for the company’s Mountain
During the Covid-19 crisis, thanks to Comcast
West Region. “Comcast Business was
Business, the Center’s workforce was able to begin telecommuting on the same day that the service delivery line shifted to telehealth. The throughput is now able to support
proud to help the MHCD team quickly get the network up and running, so staff could continue to provide the highest quality care to outpatients and residents.”
multiple concurrent video sessions – from five telehealth sessions a week before the
For more information, please visit
pandemic, now about 4,000 are possible.
https://business.comcast.com/denver.
he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
“ If you practice something, you can figure it out. We’ve had the chance to really practice and learn how to do this well” — Dr Wes Williams, CIO, Mental Health Center of Denver
truly make a difference to people’s lives. Before its clinics were closed, it had introduced virtual reality (VR) into its therapy sessions and mindful-
INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES FOR MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENTS
that VR is a perfect fit for what the
The Mental Health Center of Denver
sessions are aiming to achieve:
harnesses technologies in ways that
“What’s great about VR compared with
ness classes. Dr Williams believes
139
E X E C U T I V E P R O FILE :
Wes Williams Title: Chief Information Officer Industry: Mental Health Care Location: Denver, Colorado Dr. Wes Williams joined the Mental Health Center of Denver in 2007 and now serves as vice president and chief information officer. In 2020, Wes was awarded the Colorado CIO of the Year Corporate ORBIE, honoring chief information officers who have demonstrated excellence in technology leadership. Wes opened Mental Health Center of Denver’s Innovation Technology Lab in 2019, using humancentered design to find digital health innovations to improve access, engagement, and treatment efficacy. Wes is currently serving a threeyear appointment by the governor to Colorado’s eHealth Commission, representing behavioral health interests. Wes is a licensed psychologist in Colorado.
© 2018 Guerrero, LLC/Photo by Cassandra Davis he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
Mental Health Center of Denver Pairing social workers with police to provide added resources for working with the mentally ill - saving lives and diffusing situations. Flexential empowers this mission with IT infrastructure and data security.
Customer Story - Mental Health Center Denver Flexential.com
Colocation | Cloud | Connectivity | Managed Solutions | Professional Services
Sanderson Apartments features permanent supportive apartment homes and is designed to provide a safe, open and inviting environment that minimizes the effects of trauma, avoids any sense of confinement and ensures residents feel safe.
141
any other cognitive behavioural ther-
Dr Williams talks passionately about
apy is that it’s so immersive. It sort of
the benefits that this brings. “I think
tricks your mind into being right there.
that it’s a special part of our organisa-
And I think that is especially impactful
tion. There’s a lot to be said for going
for things like mindfulness, and expo-
back to work, and having that sense
sure therapy”.
of meaning in your day”. The Centre
Another of the Center’s ambitious
is involved in the IT aspects of the pro-
projects is a supported employment
gramme, and developed an app that
programme, which helps people
helps staff cultivate new placements.
suffering from serious mental illness
So far, over 160 people have found
to find work. The Center liaises with
work through this scheme.
both patients and potential employers
The Center has also used IT to make
in order to set up placements, and
the programme work more efficiently he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
MENTAL HEALTH CENTER OF DENVER
1989
Year founded
$100Mn+ Revenue in US dollars
900+ 142
Number of employees
The Mental Health Center of Denver’s 2Succeed in Education program offers a wide variety of trainings, including computer classes. SUMMER/AUTUMN 2020
Using Technology to Treat Health CLICK TO WATCH
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143 for the people who coordinate it.
hasn’t gone unnoticed. In July he
Dr Williams explains: “Previously the
received an ORBIE award at the
staff working on our supported employ-
Colorado CIO of the Year Awards, for
ment programme had to spend a lot
his work at a corporate organisation.
of time just doing reports. But we have
Talking about the lessons that larger
been able to automate a lot of the
organisations could learn from how
bureaucracy and paperwork – and that
the Mental Health Center of Denver
feels good, because it means that they
manages its resources, he stresses
have time to spend actually working with
that clear-headedness counts for
people, instead of filling out forms”.
more than deep pockets. “In order to really do something unique and
MAXIMISING THE POTENTIAL OF HEALTHCARE TECHNOLOGIES
finished everything else. It’s about tak-
Dr Williams’ success in making a dif-
ing that vision and figuring out: given
ference with healthcare technologies
my limited resources, how should I
innovative, we can’t wait until we have
he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
MENTAL HEALTH CENTER OF DENVER
“ We have been able to automate a lot of the bureaucracy and paperwork – and that feels good, because it means that [our staff] have time to spend actually working with people” 144
— Dr Wes Williams, CIO, Mental Health Center of Denver
line things up?” But he is most keen to credit the people who have allowed the Center to be a pioneer in innovative solutions: “I really like the staff here. They have a culture of innovation – they’re used to doing things differently clinically; used to figuring out what works. When we have good people, we can take that same innovative approach to technology, and how might that help with healthcare”. When it comes to new innovations, the Centre looks outwards as well as inwards; but Dr Williams points out
Lessons for Innovative IT CLICK TO WATCH
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SUMMER/AUTUMN 2020
145
that it doesn’t have to look far. “One
time. What I’m hoping is that everything
of the things that’s really special about
we’ve learned about telehealth during
Colorado is there’s a lot of collaboration
the pandemic takes root in healthcare,
within healthcare. Every other month
and really explodes”.
there’s a meeting of hospital and healthcare CIOs. We talk about the different challenges we have faced, and how we handled the situations. And this feels special, because in this landscape our organisations are all sort of competing, but people are still willing to share”. How will we see telemedicine develop in future? “This is a really interesting he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
146
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
MED-EL: digital transformation for quality of life WRITTEN BY
WILLIAM SMITH PRODUCED BY
BEN MALTBY
h e a l t h c a r e gl o b a l . c o m
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MED-EL
Martin Hairer, Chief Digital Officer of medical technology (medtech) firm MED-EL, on the company’s use of technology to improve customer outcomes
M
edtech company MED-EL is a leader in the field of implantable hearing systems, as the company’s Chief Digital Officer Martin
Hairer explains: “Our core competency is to develop hearing implant solutions. That’s where our expertise is – developing implants, surgical tools, stimulat148
ing nerves and adapting sound in a way that the brain can interpret it as close to the experience of natural hearing as possible.” Of course, underlying and enabling that central competency is a raft of different business functions, but Hairer is clear that the business as a whole is inspired by this mission. “We are very research driven – that’s how the whole company works. We are pioneers. We are challenged by nature, by the human body, and what we all have in common here is the question: ‘What can we do as a company that leads to better outcomes for our customers?’. This is always the number one priority. It’s not profit. Of course, we need to make money, but it’s much more important the customer has the best outcome, which itself leads to increased profits.”
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MED-EL
“ We are very research-driven – that’s how the whole company works. We are pioneers” — Martin Hairer, Chief Digital Officer, MED-EL 150
As Chief Digital Officer (CDO), his role at the business involves overseeing the company’s internal technological progress. “I am the senior technology executive here at MED-EL, responsible for creating and implementing plans, ensuring they align and driving them. We support our critical line of business, develop customer-centric solutions and streamline business operations through the use of technology and continuous improvement processes to fulfil our customer’s needs.” Hairer’s approach involves finding new solutions, for the benefit of all stakeholders. “I try to motivate people to innovate, to think outside the box and find better solutions, not only from a technology perspective but also one that fits the needs of the customer.”
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
AudioLink Hands-On: Listening to Music | MED-EL CLICK TO WATCH
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151 As CDO, Hairer has overseen the implementation and utilisation of several technologies. Cloud is one
to concentrate more on our core competencies and processes.” As a global company, operational
such area, with the organisation rely-
excellence is crucial, an area where
ing on a selection of cloud providers.
automation technology has proved a
“We are a worldwide company, so
boon to MED-EL. “Robotic process
connectivity’s always a huge topic
automation is heavily used here. New
for us, not only internally but in terms
processes are automated every day,
of connecting to our customers. With
allowing us to avoid mistakes from
the cloud, we now have the option
human errors, and so on. Of course,
to scale much faster, while also
automation is also crucial in the direction
increasing IT security tremendously,
of manufacturing – answering the ques-
all while handling this across different
tion of how we can develop and produce
continents. For us, it was the helping
more of our implants with the same
hand giving us the possibility
setup of human resources, for example. h e a l t h c a r e gl o b a l . c o m
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MED-EL
154
MED-EL is exploring a number of
feedback immediately. In the past,
new directions to empower its cus-
that’s something you could only get
tomers. One is a mobile application
specifically with professionals offering
known as ReDi App. “Artificial intel-
speech therapy. Now, we can further
ligence (AI) is now heavily used by us
support our customers to be able to do
to help and self-enable our customers.
this in addition to the speech therapy
One example is the ReDi App, a prod-
at home or on the train and so on.”
uct we’ve launched already in several
Another innovation has seen the
countries. It helps the user to train
launch of a platform known as MED-EL
language skills, meaning we analyse
& more, the capabilities of which
speech and give advice on how you
Hairer explains: “We’ve been working
can improve your language develop-
for a couple of years to onboard part-
ment, and you can get real-time, live
ners and develop service into
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
a platform that would be helpful for our
audio processor, or training to hear
customers. MED-EL & more is the first
phone calls in a noisy environment,
club model we have for our custom-
for instance.”
ers, fully equipped and facilitated by
Various partners have been sup-
our myMED-EL portal. It is fascinating
porting MED-EL on its ongoing digital
how fast-growing the demand is to
journey. “We use the big players like
not only get exclusive offers in terms
Amazon Web Services, of course, as
of discounts, but get services that fit
well as Microsoft Azure. We use a lot
perfectly for someone in a specialist
of SaaS solutions. For example, we
situation, like a person who lives with
use Auth0 as our central authentica-
a cochlear implant and has additional
tion mechanism for our customers.
needs like support to maintaining the
We have a huge set of partners we’re 155
E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :
Martin Hairer Title: Chief Digital Officer
Company: MED-EL
Industry: Medical Device
Location: Austria
I’m an incurable optimist who believes in a bright future and our ability to enable everyone through technology. I like to solve problems. Throughout my career, I have been driven by my intellectual curiosity to find answers to the most pressing questions. Whether it’s finding a use-case for new technologies or finding a unique technique for a special use-case, I’ve been able to quickly uncover a customer’s pain point and identify a strategic solution. With my refined skill set, I bring customer-centric mindfulness that enables me to innovate and thrive. My intellectual curiosity also drives me to be a lifelong learner. h e a l t h c a r e gl o b a l . c o m
MED-EL
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“ There is so much more potential to improve the quality of life for our customers” — Martin Hairer, Chief Digital Officer, MED-EL
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
working with – there is not one set
It’s horrible to do this on your own.
of products from one company you
You need an army of cybersecurity
can buy to become fully digital.”
specialists who keep only one tool
One crucial partnership is with
up and running safely, and that’s
secure collaboration provider Box,
exactly where Box came in. It provides
as Hairer explains. “As you can imag-
us a really nice way to collaborate
ine for us with our business partners
across the company and partners.”
and clinics, data and information,
Aside from internal evolution,
exchange and collaboration is a very
MED-EL is also witnessing a change
important topic. Everything we can
in the expectations of customers,
improve in that regard has a tremen-
which it endeavours to address. “It’s
dous impact on cost savings and
fascinating to see the patient culture
quality and outcomes for the users.
change. As far as I can recall, it was
Before our cloud transformation
always that inventors and professionals
here at MED-EL, we tried to maintain
pushed something into the med-tech
everything with data exchange tools.
industry, and patients received it. Now, patients are more seen as
DID YO U KN OW ?
• 2,200 employees from around 75 nations with 30 locations worldwide • Enable people in 124 countries to enjoy the gift of hearing • Its systems have restored hearing to more than 200,000 individuals worldwide.
customers and can influence future products and solutions. That’s a shift you can see in a lot of other industries, of course, with customercentricity and building products based on customer feedback. “With digital-savvy customers expecting a certain level of offering, Hairer and his team are rising to meet the demand. “Customers are now saying: ‘I know that this is a great device or solution, but why does it need to be more complicated h e a l t h c a r e gl o b a l . c o m
157
MED-EL
AudioKey Hands-On: Creating an Account | MED-EL CLICK TO WATCH
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S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
“ AI is now heavily used by us to help and self-enable our customers” — Martin Hairer, Chief Digital Officer, MED-EL
than ordering something on Amazon?’. It’s challenging us to find better ways to make things more customisable and to engage with our customers much more deeply.” Like all companies around the globe, MED-EL is finding it has to adapt to a changing world, but Hairer is cautious of predictions of a so-called ‘new normal’. “We often hear this from politicians and governments all around the world, but I don’t know what the ‘new normal’ is. It implies that there is an old normal. Of course, we have a roadmap, but this is not a new road we’re going
h e a l t h c a r e gl o b a l . c o m
159
MED-EL
1990
Year founded
200,000+
Systems used to restore individuals hearing
2,200 160
Number of employees
down.” Accordingly, Hairer sees the
we need to deal with a lot of different
chief outcome of the pandemic for
government regulations and laws
MED-EL as being an acceleration of
around the globe. Every country is
existing programs. “It’s reprioritised
dealing with the pandemic in their
our thinking. The stage we thought
own way, making their own rules,
we’d be at in a year is already here.
and that means we need to make
And I’m really glad to see that this
sure that we fulfil all these require-
is the pace we change things, and
ments, with social distancing being
move forwards.”
number one. “It’s like Charles Darwin
That ability to react with agility
said. It’s the most adaptable species
comes despite the company’s scale.
on this planet that survives. And this
“We operate in 124 countries, with
is something that fits perfectly with
our offices in 30 countries, meaning
MED-EL.”
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
“ It’s fascinating to see the patient culture change” — Martin Hairer, Chief Digital Officer, MED-EL 161
As for the future, Hairer believes
implants and non-implantable devices
MED-EL is well equipped to thrive
and accessories, but also real digital
despite the challenges presented
services. We have seen that there
thanks to new avenues of exploration.
is so much more potential to improve
“We are a technology company, an
the quality of life for our customers
engineering, research-driven firm and
and this will play a huge part for the
it means we adapt to new challenges
company in the next couple of years.”
quickly. For that reason, I believe that this current situation is a catalyst, not only for the whole healthcare industry, but for us as a company to put digital technologies much more into our product portfolio. That’s not only h e a l t h c a r e gl o b a l . c o m
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THE JOURNEY TO HEALTHCARE TRANSFORMATION WRITTEN BY
MATT HIGH PRODUCED BY
LEWIS VAUGHAN he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
CERNER MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
KARIM ABD-ELHAY, GENERAL MANAGER OF CERNER MIDDLE EAST, DISCUSSES THE COMPANY’S END-TO-END HEALTHCARE TRANSFORMATION
A
lthough Karim Abd-Elhay has only held the position of General Manager of Cerner Middle East and Africa since the turn of
2020, he has been with the company for 15 years. This has both given him a wealth of experience upon 164
which to base his approach to leadership, and a unique insight into the digital evolution of the broader healthcare industry. Abd-Elhay began his Cerner journey as a finance controller – a role that he says gave him a firm understanding of dealing with clients, structuring and building out financial strategies and contracts, and a general sense of the intricacies of the healthcare information system. He subsequently worked his way through several positions, including Operations Manager for the Middle East, where he actively drove expansion into other countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar, and Strategic Business Executive. In the latter position Abd-Elhay became immersed in business development and operational strategies, working more closely with clients and partners.
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he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
CERNER MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
“ CLOUD IS A JOURNEY THAT DOESN’T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT, BUT THERE ARE HUGE BENEFITS FOR OUR CLIENTS AND US FROM EMBARKING ON THAT JOURNEY” — Karim Abd-Elhay, General Manager (Saudi & Egypt), Cerner Middle East
“It’s a journey that absolutely let me understand Cerner and how the business operates,” he explains. “Navigating your way through the core areas of the business, particularly at a strategic level, and gaining that really diverse business and industry knowledge has helped me to hone the ability to focus on the bigger picture. Each of those roles involved understanding the long-term implications of strategy or investment, or any other decision-making, and that’s certainly shaped my approach to lead-
166
ing – I’m driven by long-term outcomes for me and the business, not only shortterm achievements.” Cerner is an organisation built on a strong culture. The company, which alongside its Middle East operations has its headquarters in the U.S., provides intelligent, technology-driven solutions for the healthcare industry. This includes a suite of digital solutions designed to streamline clinical workflows, network and security services, technology and consulting, end-to-end revenue management cycle technology and more. Each of these is underpinned by a philosophy that drives the business and is centered around SUMMER/AUTUMN 2020
Innovating for a healthier population together CLICK TO WATCH
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167 a belief in a world without medical
in an industry that is increasingly being
error that is underpinned by an inte-
driven by technology and digital trans-
grated, patient-focused system that
formation. “Innovation is really important
allows information to flow across the
– in our business, it has to be – but equally
health economy.
so is the simplification of that technol-
“We pride ourselves on our culture
ogy. A lot of our work involves looking
and vision,” says Abd-Elhay, “and every
at our client processes and delivering
person in Cerner, regardless of his
smart and innovative ways of getting
or her position or level in the business,
more out of them to improve both their
is expected to be driven by core pillars
business and the healthcare sector.”
that we all follow: respecting each other
Somewhat unsurprisingly, given
and collaborating together, delivering
his experience in the industry, Abd-
on our commitments, behaving with
Elhay is well versed in the pace of
integrity, innovation and simplicity.” The
change sweeping across healthcare.
latter, he notes, is particularly important
Technology is, he explains, playing a key he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
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“ EVERY PERSON IN CERNER, REGARDLESS OF HIS/HER POSITION OR LEVEL IN THE BUSINESS, IS EXPECTED TO BE DRIVEN BY CORE PILLARS THAT WE ALL FOLLOW” — Karim Abd-Elhay, General Manager (Saudi & Egypt), Cerner Middle East
A counter to the second point is that, as with countless other industries, the implementation of advanced digital technologies does bring efficiency both in terms of operations and cost. To this end, Abd-Elhay points to machine learning and artificial intelligence, and the greater use and understanding of data, as being primary drivers of change for the industry. These technologies, as he explains, are influencing every aspect of the healthcare chain.
role in the shaping of the future industry.
“Some are ripping up the traditional
However, the sector has been slower
processes entirely, such as machine
on the uptake of some innovative solu-
learning algorithms that support cli-
tions than others. “It’s not as advanced
nicians to deliver the best care,” he
as some other sectors, like banking for
says. “Others are more patient facing.
example,” he explains. “And that’s really
Much of that is focused on engaging
because of the complexity inherent in
the person to take an active role in
providing healthcare. Any decision you
preventative care rather than treat-
make, any new technology you imple-
ing illness once it has happened, so
ment can have the ultimate impact on
technologies that aid a more proactive
a patient and there are so many factors
approach to offering healthcare.”
that must be considered in any new
This approach – to create a healthcare
adoption. Another concern around tech-
environment in which technology allows
nology implementation is cost; there
institutions, clinicians and caregivers, as
is a lot of discussion around how to
well as patients, to proactively improve
achieve all of the necessary objectives
health is a fundamental aspect of Cerner
with less resources, or certainly smarter
Middle East and Abd-Elhay’s vision.
use of resources.”
The company is in the midst of its own he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
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“ DATA IS TRANSFORMING THE SECTOR IN A NUMBER OF AREAS, SUCH AS PREDICTION AND THE ANALYSIS OF PATTERNS OR BEHAVIOURS THAT WILL ALLOW A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF CERTAIN DISEASES OR ILLNESSES” — Karim Abd-Elhay, General Manager (Saudi & Egypt), Cerner Middle East
SUMMER/AUTUMN 2020
171
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CERNER MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
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digital transformation, he says, that is
and the patient and helps the clinician in
seeing it embed these new innovations
the documentation and ordering, giving
into its own products and services. “On
more quality time for clinicians to spend
machine learning and AI, for example,
with the patients.”
we have our own algorithms that can
More broadly, Abd-Elhay explains that
help for identifying possible diseases
Cerner is focusing its efforts on ‘popula-
at an early stage and which are easy to
tion health’. “There’s a lot of data out
treat at that point. We also have a similar
there, but no one is aggregating it,” he
technology for analysing patient data
says, “whether that’s from information
and highlighting the possibility of sepsis;
available with healthcare organisations
this has seen a lot of success in reducing
perspective or the patient’s side (like
mortality rates. Similarly, we are working
physical activity, sleeping patterns,
on an AI-driven solution that analyses
diet, and many more). We realise that
the conversation between the physician
the percentage of patient health data
SUMMER/AUTUMN 2020
E X E C U T I V E P R O FILE :
Karim Abd-Elhay Title: General Manager for Saudi & Egypt Industry: Information Technology & Services Karim Abd-Elhay, General Manager for Saudi & Egypt, responsible for maintaining a successful business relationship between Cerner and its clients, increasing client satisfaction, and growing Cerner’s business in Saudi & Egypt. Karim is a strong client advocate who focuses on value creation for Cerner’s clients, including client satisfaction and success measures. He has been successful in creating partnerships towards industry performance excellence. Through his previous clients’ assignments, Karim was able to help multiple clients to succeed in overcoming their challenges and excel in showing their success stories. This has been reflected in clients’ success metrics, improved efficiency and strategic changes. Throughout his Cerner career, Karim has held several positions and contributed to the success of Cerner Middle East in different roles. He joined Cerner in 2006 during the initial setup of Cerner Middle East as a Finance Controller. His role exceeded the internal accounting and financial side to build relations with Cerner clients and help them in their financial planning and contracting needs. Also, he held the role of the Operations Manager where he contributed to the growth of Cerner by building strategic relationships with Cerner’s partners and opening Cerner branches in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt. Before taking the General Manager responsibility, Karim was Strategic Business Executive for Middle East, through which he delivered great results for Cerner business and clients in the region. Prior to joining Cerner, Karim held several accounting/ finance roles with Americana Group. He also held several voluntary roles with the Institute of Management Accountants including the President of UAE Chapter.
he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
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SUMMER/AUTUMN 2020
175 available within healthcare organisa-
Of course, traditional business
tions are much less than what can
models and previous approaches to
be captured outside it. So, the focus
technology have been disrupted by
right now is on using that data to see
the impacts of the global COVID-19
how we can monitor the health of the
pandemic. For the healthcare sector,
population to actively keep everyone
Abd-Elhay recognises a quickening
healthy and to interact with people
of the trend towards remote health-
before they become patients. It’s an
care, telemedicine and limiting visits
area, due to our expertise, that I see
to hospitals unless absolutely necessary.
Cerner really excelling in and provid-
“There has been some resistance to
ing great value in our region. Data is
it previously,” he explains, “but COVID-
transforming the sector in a number
19 has just changed the landscape.
of areas, such as prediction and the
So, video conferencing with your
analysis of patterns or behaviours that
clinician, mobile visits and diagnoses,
will allow a better understanding of
telemedicine – all of these things that
certain diseases or illnesses.”
limit contact are just becoming more he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
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“ I’M DRIVEN BY LONGTERM OUTCOMES FOR ME AND THE BUSINESS, NOT JUST SHORT-TERM ACHIEVEMENTS” — Karim Abd-Elhay, General Manager (Saudi & Egypt), Cerner Middle East
SUMMER/AUTUMN 2020
important. There’s also a noticeable shift in the importance of organisations being flexible in terms of their day-to-day operations and processes, how they adapt their environments to suit the needs of patients, how they can repurpose physical spaces and so on.” Countless industry sectors continue to debate what the ‘new normal’ will look like post COVID-19. For Abd-Elhay, the increased use of technology and shift in approach to that technology will be permanent. Those organisations that have embraced innovative solutions have reacted better to the crisis and positioned themselves at the forefront, he explains. Cerner is one of those organisations. The company very quickly recognised the extent of the COVID-19 crisis and responded rapidly so as to fully support its clients. From updating its website with relevant information to actively being involved in the development of field hospitals built specifically to deal with the pandemic, the company has supported customers and the broader industry with its technology. Naturally, to successfully deliver such measures and to keep ahead in the transformation of the sector, he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
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Cerner works with several technology
Also the business has a strong partner-
companies on developing impactful
ship with Amazon Web Services (AWS)
solutions . Abd-Elhay recognises the
to facilitate its migration to the cloud.
importance of strong collaboration with
“Cloud is a journey that doesn’t happen
partners, stating “there’s no need to
overnight, but there are huge benefits
reinvent the wheel while we can work
for our clients and us from embarking
with experts in their respective fields”.
on that journey, and from working with
For example, Cerner partners with
AWS. It eases the technology manage-
Imprivata to streamline and simplify the
ment for our clients and provides the
secure access of the caregivers to the
required computing power for the Big
system which leads to a more satisfied
Data and analytics tools that we need
end users and more efficient operation.
to apply to each client, and ensures
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that we are able to provide the maxi-
us forwards and it’s certainly an area
mum value in our services.”
that I see Cerner dominating in the
Cloud forms only part of the future
future. The future of healthcare lies
journey of the business. This road-
in data and how to use that data to the
map, as Abd-Elhay explains, will be
best effect and I think we have a big
technology-driven. “That move to the
advantage in that regard.”
cloud will really power our clients and us into the next stage of our journey and enable many of the new and innovative solutions we intend to implement. In terms of my vision, I think that the population health concept will drive he a l t hc a re gl o b a l. com
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