Alexandra Hospital, the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and Microsoft announced today the signing of a memorandum of intent (MOI) to work together to develop Alexandra Hospital's vision of a hassle-free ...
Singapore, 18 November,2004| For Immediate Release
Groundbreaking Project Intended as Test Bed for the Healthcare Sector
Alexandra Hospital, the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and Microsoft announced today the signing of a memorandum of intent (MOI) to work together to develop Alexandra Hospital's vision of a hassle-free hospital. Over the next three years the initiative, to be known as Healthcare.NET, will pilot and test bed the use of infocomm technologies to bring about a patient-centric, seamless, safe and ,cost effective healthcare system. Innovations that work can be deployed in other healthcare institutions.
Minister for Health Khaw Boon Wan, IDA Chairman Lam Chuan Leong and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer attended the ceremony today to sign the MOI and initiate the project. The MOI was signed by Liak Teng Lit, CEO of Alexandra Hospital, Mrs Tan Ching Yee, CEO of the IDA, and Andy Zupsic, Managing Director, Microsoft Singapore.
Under the MOI, Alexandra Hospital will work with the partners to streamline its processes and enhance patient services with the help of technology. The initiative will be implemented first at Alexandra Hospital's Department of Emergency Medicine (DEM), followed by its Specialist Outpatient Clinics (SOC) and all Inpatient Wards. The IDA will provide technology advice and support to help manage the project, and bring on-board industry partners for the development and deployment of solutions for the project. Microsoft will provide software development and IT consulting resources using its .NET technology.
Building a hassle-free hospital means figuring out what healthcare means from the patient's point of view," said Liak Teng Lit of Alexandra Hospital. "In order to advance Singapore's health system, we know that we have to develop new models of care or enhance and re-shape old ones to provide the care that a patient needs while decreasing waiting times and improving the patient's experience. Information technology can make this vision a reality. It will enable us to provide the best care throughout the three distinct stages of illness care, from the preventive or pre-illness phase, to actual treatment and post-illness care."
"IDA is happy to support this project because it pilots the innovative use of infocomm technologies in the healthcare sector, to enhance the quality of care to patients and improve efficiency in the hospital. In addition, this project will help our local infocomm companies acquire new capabilities in developing healthcare solutions on the .NET platform," said Mrs Tan Ching Yee, Chief Executive of IDA.
For Microsoft, Healthcare.NET is the latest example of and how .NET technology can be used by the public sector and help Singapore realise its full potential. "The healthcare sector in Singapore is already clearly among the best in the region," said Andy Zupsic, Managing Director, Microsoft Singapore. "We're delighted to partner with Alexandra Hospital and the IDA to proactively find new ways to further improve quality, efficiency of services and ultimately the patient's experience."
The three-year Healthcare.NET project will deliver critical information to healthcare workers that will enable faster diagnoses, more effective treatment and an enhanced experience for patients, using intuitive "digital dashboard" user interfaces. Patients will be empowered with healthcare information for preventative and post illness care as well as their treatment in hospital. The dashboards will provide a consistent interface that allows users - whether patients or healthcare workers - to intuitively start using the system with minimal training, and share information where appropriate.
Microsoft's .NET technology will be used to integrate and leverage existing legacy Systems, with built-in scalability and the ability to benefit from strategic technologies such as biometrics, smart cards and RFID as medical applications emerge.
"In order to realise this vision it is important that we do not re-invent the wheel, but leverage on what is already there," said Liak Teng Lit. "Microsoft's software offers a platform for many applications that are easy to use and customise for both patients' and doctors' use. With such technology we can adapt the software for use across multiple devices and in a variety of settings, and so merge information and processes in to a single connected system. Both patients and doctors can access critical information with just one touch."
Associate Professor C Rajasoorya, Chairman Medical Board of Alexandra Hospital added, "This collaboration is a multifaceted programme, tweaked with time, to maximise the utility of current as well as future technology in the healthcare industry. A familiarity with common operating systems and software only helps to implement changes rapidly in a least disruptive manner, with widespread acceptability as well as a short learning curve. It is an icon of collaboration, where concepts and processes are piloted within a smaller hospital. If successful, this can represent a model for the true hospital of the future."
About Alexandra Hospital
Nestled in the central-western area of Singapore, Alexandra Hospital (AH) is a 400-bed general and acute care hospital, offering our patients the very best personalised care in a tranquil and healing environment. We provide specialist (medical and paramedical services) care and consultation services in the treatment of various diseases and illnesses
Patients are our priorities. We have set up an environment of patient-centred nursing care and have put systems in place to ensure excellent quality of service. At AH, we also believe not only in treating illnesses but also in preventing them. Our prescription on health is to prevent illnesses through public education and health screenings and to treat any illness in a holistic manner to the best of our ability in quality care.
About IDA
The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) is committed to growing Singapore into a dynamic global infocomm hub. IDA uses an integrated approach to developing infocommunications in Singapore. This involves nurturing a competitive telecoms market as well as a conducive business environment with programmes and schemes for both local and international companies. For more information, visit https://www.imda.gov.sg/.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower- people through great software - any time, any place and on any device.
Contact details
For Alexandra Hospital
Braema Mathi,
Corporate Communications Manager
Tel: 6379 3550
Braema_MATHI@Alexhosp.com.sg
For IDA Singapore
Constance Tan,
Senior Manager, Corporate and Marketing Communications
Tel: 6211 0296
Constance_TAN@imda.gov.sg
For Microsoft
Tan Lee Yong,
Upstream Asia
Tel: 6323 7377
msftsg@upstreamasia.com
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