A good discussion always increases the dimensions of everyone who takes part. IBM and SRIT facilitated a meeting between many bright minds in the healthcare sector through co-hosting a content powered seminar on “Choosing the best IT solutions for hospitals”. The purpose of the seminar was to create awareness among hospitals on the immediate need to adapt to high-end technology demands.

Synopsis

Today’s dynamic business environment has resulted in technology acting as a major differentiator between organizations. The success of participants in the health system depends on their ability to adapt to such high-end technological changes. Speakers from IBM, SRIT and other leaders from the sector addressed these aspects at the seminar held on 9th of August at Hyatt Regency, New Delhi.

A diverse group of doctors, top management, industry participants and Health IT companies representing public and private sectors, were welcomed to the event by Mr. Vivek Iyer of IBM. The talks by SRIT and IBM on ‘Choosing the Right HIS Vendor’ and ‘IT for succeeding in the emerging healthcare scenario’ respectively, address the entire gamut of issues related to Healthcare Informatics and IT. Panel discussion was an integral part of the event where all minds opened up to debate on the applicability of HIS in clinical or administrative functions. The seminar concluded with a strategic, yet cheerful networking lunch giving participants, opportunities to explore synergistic possibilities amongst themselves.

Excerpts

• Speeches
  Mr. Manish Sharma from SRIT elucidated the criticality in choosing the right HIS vendor and how. The question today is not whether automation and IT are required, it is about how best to get this automation and leverage IT as a benefit. The same applies to health system where the choice of HIS vendor and not the need, is more pronounced. The choice depends on various factors like requirements, costs involved, predictability, applicability etc. Each of them has to be pondered on while carefully evaluating different vendors. Mr. Manish closed the talk with SRIT’s HIS product, RCare Magnum.
  
  Ms. Shanti Mathur gave the message from IBM on how IT usage helps organizations succeed in the emerging healthcare scenario. The future of healthcare lies in the evolution and transformation of delivery from a fragmented network to a patient-centric offering. IT integration in the health systems is the key to enable such shifts. The functionalities and flexibility of IT enables support to heterogeneous infrastructures, faster integration and improved ROI for healthcare participants. Ms. Mathur concluded with emphasizing on choosing, planning and implementing the right IT solutions.
  

• Discussion
  A healthy, meaningful discussion changed the mood of the seminar from being reactive to proactive. Attendees pooled in their knowledge resources to discuss if HIS is specifically required for clinical or administrative functions. The panelists for the discussion were;
  
  • Mr. Krishna Kumar acted as the moderator in the discussion. He is the CIO of CyberMedia and has been the editor of PC Quest earlier. He is behind the ideation and starting of PC Quest Labs which does testing and publishing of software products.
  • Dr. Ram Kumar is the Executive Director – Technology and Operations at SRIT. Prior to coming on SRIT board, Dr. Ramkumar was Director with Intel India for its Network Connectivity Division and Head of Innovation & Research programs - Healthcare Platforms Research Lab. With over 22 years of rich experience and expertise, he is responsible for technology innovation and operational excellence for e-health networks at SRIT.
  • Mr. Manish Gupta is the CIO of Fortis Healthcare Ltd. Early in his career, he was an e-business consultant to Fortune 100 clients of IBM in the US. On his return to India, he worked with Nestle as Program Manager for ‘Global Business Excellence’ and with Whirlpool as GM – IT. 
  • Mr. Partha Dey is the CIO of Artemis Health Institute
  • Ms. Shanti Mathur heads the Healthcare Division at IBM.
    
  
  Although the course of discussion took to supporting the need for HIS in clinical functions, it later looped into the doctors being defined as the crux in any healthcare system. As the discussion progressed into a Government v/s Private Hospital scenario, Dr. Ajit Nagpal, Advisor Hospital Affairs, Ministry of Health, UAE took a neutral stand and emphasized the differing requirements for government and private organizations which received consent from the audience. The session was dynamic, educative and focused on the current issues plaguing the healthcare industry and solutions for them.

• Networking meet
  Following the eventful session was a networking lunch where all participating minds came together for a free exchange of ideas and viewpoints. The meet enabled an exploration of future synergistic possibilities amongst various participants.