IBM Helping Hospitals Build Smarter Healthcare Systems

IBM (News - Alert) has announced that it is helping hospitals to deploy smarter healthcare systems while also improving staff efficiency and reducing medical errors through electronic medical records (EMR).

 

The company said that institutions like Capella Healthcare, Memorial Hermann Hospital System, Trillium Health Centre and Vanderbilt University Medical Center have also opted for IBM solutions to install automated healthcare systems in their facilities.

 

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was passed in order to promote health IT among hospitals and healthcare providers to reduce healthcare costs and enhance patient care. With the plan, it will be possible to cut waste, reduce the need to repeat expensive medical tests, and most importantly, save lives. According to surveys, deadly but preventable medical errors kill nearly 100,000 people each year - costing the U.S. as much as $29 billion annually.

 

IBM officials say that the problems associated with healthcare like rising costs, limited access, high error rates, lack of coverage, poor response to chronic disease and the lengthy development cycle for new medicines could be reduced or even eliminated if only an automated and smarter healthcare system is in place.

 

A smarter healthcare system starts with better connections, better data, and faster and more detailed analysis. It means integrating medical data and centering it on the patient, so each person "owns" his or her information and has access to a networked team of collaborative care.

 

IBM can help deliver smarter healthcare through real-time access to clinical and business information spanning multiple systems, as well as many sources of information such as digital imaging and laboratory results.

 

Officials add that IBM is also working to design a global repository of medical data, giving doctors diagnostic resources.

 

"Now is an important time for industry leaders to step up and contribute to healthcare reform and transformation. To accelerate achievement of such goals, IBM is teaming with our many business partners, alliances and key clients to drive the creation of integrated delivery systems, including electronic medical records, that help the worldwide healthcare system become more interconnected, instrumented and intelligent," said Dan Pelino, general manager, IBM Healthcare & Life Sciences Industry.

 

Memorial Hermann Hospital System (MHHS) has opted for IBM software and services in concert with IBM Business Partner CGI's Sovera solution which will offer them a 24/7 Web-based access to MHHS patients' financial information like prints of patients’ insurance cards that can be input at more than 25 registration sites. The institution says that it has saved more than $1.2 million in operational costs in just 20 months and has greatly improved its patient care.

 

Capella Healthcare also said that by using an electronic system from IBM, valuable time amd money can be saved as it paves way for faster review of patient information. The company says with the electronic system, a patient's medical records, including results from blood tests or MRIs, are immediately available for off-site physician offices to view -- lowering the risk of patient test duplication, therefore, improving patient care while saving the patient both time and money.

 

Also, Canada’s Trillium Health Centre is using IBM business intelligence to provide real-time, accurate insight into patient length of stay, patient safety, service accessibility, staff retention and budgets.