Next generation healthcare information solution enables remote monitoring of patients and islandwide access to medical records
Singapore, 17 February 2009 -- Singapore General Hospital (SGH), Singapore Telecommunications Limited (Singtel), and HSAGlobal have successfully piloted the Community Care Management Solution (CCMS), an electronic health record and management system that makes patient data available to care providers, wherever their jobs take them.
The solution, which is fully managed and hosted by Singtel, allows healthcare providers, such as doctors and nurses, to track patients’ progress from the time of admission through step-down facilities in the community. For the first time, complete patients’ health information that can be found only in case notes can be shared with caregivers across the healthcare continuum from inpatient wards to specialist outpatient clinics to polyclinics to community care settings as patient’s condition improves.
Healthcare providers can use a mobile device, such as a PC or laptop or Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), at the point of care to view and update patient records, access test results and instantly share information with other caregivers.
With secure, 24/7 access to the system, caregivers will also be able to remotely track and monitor patients’ condition outside healthcare facilities, and where appropriate, extend care to treat home-bound patients and the elderly at home or in day-care.
In the future, patients will also be able to access their records, review tasks and receive timely updates and test results via an online portal. With the use of monitoring devices, patients can capture measurements such as blood glucose and weight, and upload this information to the system for clinical evaluation. The solution is able to alert healthcare providers to abnormal results. By identifying healthcare issues early, patients and caregivers can work in tandem to prevent serious problems from occurring and prevent unnecessary re-admissions to the hospital.
Professor Ng Han Seong, Chairman, Medical Board, SGH said: "As people age, they develop complex and multiple medical conditions. The responsibility of care in the community, for chronic diseases, is shared between hospital specialists, primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, patients and their families. We must therefore leverage on technology and design care delivery systems to facilitate the effective discharge of care across the healthcare continuum."
“SGH is committed to help our patients manage chronic conditions more effectively. The adoption of technology to provide accurate and integrated patient information at the point-of-care, whether it is in a hospital, a specialist outpatient clinic, a polyclinic or in patient’s homes, can make a real difference to patient health and will lead the way for Nurses to extend the reach of nursing care beyond the walls of the hospital into the community,” said A/Prof Lim Swee Hia, Director, Nursing, SingHealth.
Mr Bill Chang, Singtel’s Executive Vice President for Business, said: “CCMS transforms the way healthcare providers operate through the innovative use of Infocomm Technology (ICT). By setting a new benchmark in healthcare, we believe CCMS is the model for the industry to follow.
“As the solution is hosted and fully managed by Singtel, healthcare providers need not worry about complex technology issues, obsolescence, system maintenance, security concerns and IT staff costs. This allows caregivers to reduce overheads and focus their efforts on providing high quality patient care.”
The solution is offered through hosted Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model for a monthly subscription fee. The SaaS model eliminates the need for heavy upfront capital investments and high on-going maintenance costs, making it a very attractive proposition for both large and small healthcare providers.
CCMS is a solution developed by HSAGlobal (HSA) for integrated care management across multiple healthcare organisations to facilitate continuity and consistency of care, streamlining of clinical care processes, and case management in the healthcare continuum. This solution incorporates clinical management tools and business process applications founded on Wagner’s Chronic Care model which is a proven clinical framework for managing care of chronic illness at both individual and population level.
HSAGlobal President and Chief Executive Officer Mr Matt Hector-Taylor says, “The burden of long-term and chronic conditions on the health care system is severe and growing rapidly. SGH and SingHealth Polyclinic’s use of CCMS to provide accurate and integrated patient information at the point-of-care, supporting clinical workflow whether it is in a hospital, a specialist outpatient clinic, a Polyclinic or in people’s homes, makes a real difference to patient health. We are delighted to be working with such prestigious organizations as Singtel and SingHealth,” says Hector-Taylor. “They are both recognized leaders in their fields and collectively we share a clear vision for enabling the delivery of more effective and efficient care integrated along the continuum.
About Singapore General Hospital
Singapore General Hospital, a member of Singapore Health Services, is the public sector's flagship hospital. Established in 1821, SGH is Singapore's largest acute tertiary hospital and national referral centre offering a comprehensive range of clinical specialties and clinical support services in the region with 1,400 acute beds and about 500 specialists. Annually, 70,000 patients are admitted to the hospital and 600,000 patients attend outpatient clinics.
About Singtel
Singtel is Asia's leading communications group providing a portfolio of services including voice and data over fixed, wireless, Internet and satellite platforms as well as pay TV. In Singapore, it serves the needs of public and private healthcare organisations with its extensive fixed and wireless network coverage and robust and reliable infrastructure. Its wholly owned subsidiaries, National Computer Systems (NCS) and Singapore Computer Systems (SCS) have extensive experience in the healthcare industry. Globally, Singtel has a network of 37 offices in 19 countries and territories throughout Asia Pacific,Europe and the United States. Together with its regional partners, Singtel is Asia’s largest multi-market mobile operator, serving more than 216 million mobile customers in eight markets.
About HSAGlobal
HSAGlobal builds and distributes the Healthphone suite of healthcare software products for integrated care and long term condition management. Our products address the needs of providers and clients in the home & community care, long term & aged care, mental health care, and chronic care sectors. HSAGlobal conducts business in New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Singapore, with staff and Service Provider partners in each country. HSAGlobal also has customers in the United States. Corporate headquarters and research & development are based in Auckland, New Zealand.
