How IT can solve challenges for mid-size hospitals

MUMBAI: Globally, the healthcare industry is considered one of the biggest spenders on IT. In India, IT in healthcare is a recent phenomenon. IT-enabled processes in healthcare have so far been restricted to large tertiary hospitals.

However, with growing competitiveness in healthcare delivery formats, the mid-size Indian healthcare provider is increasingly turning to IT tools and applications to gain that edge. Health IT offers manifold benefits of improved patient safety and satisfaction as well as maximization of operational efficiencies. Affordable IT solutions that can enhance as well as enable the above are the need of the hour.

To address the growth and increasing trend in IT requirements in the Mid-Size Hospital segment, Frost & Sullivan shall be organizing a multi-city knowledge workshop on "Challenges for Mid-Size Hospitals - How IT can solve them", meant exclusively for Key Decision-makers of mid-size hospitals. This workshop is scheduled for 18th November in Bangalore, 9th December in Mumbai and 16th December in Delhi.

The aim of this one-day workshops is to enable hospitals to emerge as efficient healthcare providers - by providing participants an interactive platform to discuss challenges and propose solutions for high voltage efficiency gains. This workshop will provide the top management of such hospitals insights into a ROI maximization approach for IT investments.

According to Frost & Sullivan there are close to 1,000 mid-size hospitals in Metros, A type & B type cities in India. This segment provides single specialty, multi-specialty and general medical services.

Frost & Sullivan recently conducted an extensive research on such hospitals. The study primarily aimed at understanding the various challenges faced by the top-tier management of such hospitals and how they have embraced IT to solve them. The study reveals some interesting facts about IT penetration potential in this segment.

Frost & Sullivan estimates that in the last three years, the average IT spending in IT procurement has increased from Rs. 1 million to Rs. 4.5 - 6 million and for new hospital projects it has gone up to Rs. 10 million and above. The Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) for investment in IT up-gradation is approximately 35-50 percent.

Research analysis indicates a clear need for cost effective yet superlative technology platforms to enable efficient, effective and affordable quality healthcare. Technologies that will improve clinical outcomes as well as patient satisfaction are widely welcomed by emerging hospitals. At the same time, they are wary of frequent failures of IT implementations and expensive experiments attempted by many hospitals. Given this heady combination there seems to be ample opportunity for experienced IT companies to create win-win situations in this segment notes, Sandeep Sinha, Program Manager - Health IT Practice, Frost & Sullivan, India.

The mid-size hospital segment is considered the emerging segment in India due to its expected role in expanding health services to the farther reaches of the country including A & B class cities and beyond. This unique event focuses dedicatedly on addressing the challenges faced by this segment.

© CIOL Bureau