Staying healthy becomes a real priority for everyone as we claw against COVID-19 and its socio-economic repercussions. As medical frontliners defend our forts within the walls of hospitals and clinics, safeguarding patients’ and medical workers’ healths through social distancing is key to meet today’s demands and needs. This is why many clinics nationwide expanded to teleconsultation and home service. Among them is the Keralty Group, a trusted healthcare provider since 1954 that began in Spain and expanded to Latin America, United States, and Asia — starting with the Philippines in 2016. Their nine strategically located facilities like Megaclinic (Mandaluyong), TopHealth (Manila), and MetroSanitas Festival (Muntinlupa) have one goal: provide world-class Multi-Specialty, Ambulatory Surgical clinics in the country.
When the virus started to wreak havoc and we knew little about how it was transmitted, the biggest challenge was “ensuring patient and staff safety, so we made sure proper infection control is implemented,” according to Keralty Clinics Philippines’ Business Development Director Philip Neri Estocada. Walk-in services started picking up post ECQ, but even more so for their online and telemed services that they supplemented their operations with technology and reliable connectivity.
As a healthcare facility, patient records had to be accessible but confidential. For that, Keralty relies on Globe Business, their “partner in innovation,” says Estocada.
With Globe Business’ Direct Internet, Keralty clinics experience a dedicated bandwidth with equal speeds for file uploads and downloads. There will be no more long waits for retrieving files or routing paperwork. Patients and doctors have more time to talk, the former feeling more cared for, and the latter happy to have served better, both secured without sacrificing their health.
Google Workspace also enables Keralty to update and see files on-the-go. Teleconsultations can run seamlessly over Google Meet, vital health indicators quickly recorded in Google Sheets, then securely filed in Google Drive. Simple yet substantial, these solutions empower practitioners to serve more Filipinos with equal professional care as in-clinic.
Keralty Group will keep expanding, especially in underserved areas in the Philippines. Globe Business will be by its side, continually developing cell sites and digital solutions. Stay up to date with Globe Business here.
Before the pandemic, visits to the doctor entailed filling out forms, getting tests done, and waiting patiently in line before your name was called. Fast forward to today, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an obvious change in healthcare. With health seekers still wary about heading to hospitals to get a consultation and care from their primary providers, telemedicine technology is being adopted by healthcare industries around the world for cost-effective, convenient, and risk-free access to care.
The adoption of telehealth technology has certainly been an effective and convenient means of providing care during the pandemic. It will likely continue to be utilized even after the situation returns to normal. Moreover, the adoption of telehealth has helped in addressing some of the challenges faced by HCIs today.
1. Scarce resources
Admittedly, the Philippines does not have an equal allocation of resources in healthcare. There is a huge and obvious unequal distribution of critical care devices, drugs, and even healthcare personnel across the country, especially in public hospitals. The use of telehealth minimizes the need for an in-person visit to a doctor’s clinic for minor concerns and, instead, pushes health seekers to get consultation via the phone. In a way, resources are saved and allocated towards patients that warrant more attention and care.
2. Inequitable access to health information and care
Not everyone has access to information and care that they need, and with the pandemic, consumers are pushed to adopt traditional healthcare rather than get help from medical professionals. With telehealth technology, information about one’s condition is now just an application, call, or text away.
Due to the pandemic, healthcare providers are realizing that patient care can be done virtually, whether through a video conference or a voice call. Telehealth greatly reduces the need for face-to-face consultation, especially in today’s contactless environment.
“Major efforts are really towards the direction of telehealth to minimize physical contact,” shared Dr. Saturnino Javier, Director of Makati Medical Center, in a virtual forum organized by BusinessWorld and Philippine Star.
“Even during the height of the pandemic we have encouraged many of our practitioners to embrace teleconsultation or telemedicine to be able to connect with the patients who have no opportunity to visit them in the hospital,” added Dr. Javier.
In fact, a few hospitals in Manila have already explored the use of telehealth in place of physical consultations. These include a few prominent hospitals such as the Medical City, Makati Medical Center, St. Luke’s Medical Center, Asian Hospital and Medical Center, Providence Hospital, and Cardinal Santos Medical Center.
According to a recent survey, 91% of the respondents are more likely to set an appointment virtually with a healthcare provider than schedule an in-person appointment. It is validated by reports that predict virtual care is likely to soar to more than a billion for 2021 alone.
Virtual care is quite easy to adopt not only because it greatly minimizes the risk of acquiring COVID, but because the technology needed for it is simple. Consumers need only a smartphone, a desktop computer, or a laptop. In some cases, a regular mobile phone will do as patients can get a consultation with their doctor via call or text.
Other than the ease of use, telemedicine offers more flexibility for healthcare providers and consumers. Patients who live in far-flung areas or don’t have the means to travel to a hospital far from their area can simply utilize virtual care. Healthcare practitioners can also adjust their schedules for after-hour calls or weekend consultations.
The pandemic accelerated the use of telehealth from three to five years in just three months. Moreover, the pandemic has proved that the implementation of telemedicine can be done in just a short period of time with the technology already used today. Telemedicine technology has for certain improved and enhanced the delivery of healthcare by making it easily accessible to all.
Virtual care is pushing more consumers to get health information, schedule an appointment, or receive diagnosis and treatment online. Overtime, remote monitoring technology will also be used for active and passive consumers in the healthcare industry. In conclusion, customers just want timely and safe access to health information, which virtual care technology can provide.
With the rollout of 5G networks as well, the adoption of telehealth will further be accelerated. Make sure you’re prepared for this move by acquiring digital solutions made for telehealth and remote care from Globe myBusiness.
Learn more on how you can apply telehealth to your medical practice by talking to a Globe myBusiness representative. Sign up now!
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The COVID-19 pandemic brought out humanity’s survival instincts, 21st century style. Those who didn’t cook suddenly became home chefs and expert food Instagrammers, the risk-averse learned to shop online, and those who no longer braved the daily traffic finally found time for DIYs, side businesses, and passion projects. Logistics, data connectivity, and technology are powering the economy at its quietest hours when everyone’s cooped up at home.
However, quiet doesn’t mean Filipinos weren’t busy — many businesses were putting guard posts against the deadly virus through PPEs, supporting the scientific hunt for a cure, and strengthening the healthcare industry so they can efficiently diagnose and restore wellness of their patients.
One such company is HYBrain Development Corporation, who recently joined the Globe Partner Network, a program aiming to foster an ecosystem of Tech Leaders with SMEs.
The Bacolod-based software company together with Globe myBusiness are championing digital transformation by equipping health facilities with information management systems that streamline their operations. As seen in this partnership, Globe Partner Network aims to create a network of tech leaders, making them closer to SMEs, to drive and speed up tech adoption.
SMEs oftentimes request for help on where to start, and it takes solution-oriented tech leaders like Globe myBusiness and HYBrain to point them in the right direction.
In case you are wondering why a software company decided to focus on the healthcare industry, HYBrain’s CEO and Founder John Dueñas shares that it was a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) white paper that changed their company’s course. Their group was alarmed by PwC’s 2017 study that the Philippines will be short of over a million healthcare workers and hospital beds by 2035 when 80% of our population is 60+ years old. “So when we were looking at it, trying to analyze the data, we have seen that there should be a change in how we do healthcare,” Dueñas continued.
When they partnered with Adventist Medical Center of Bacolod to change their information management system, they learned the ins and outs of hospital management, transforming their company’s goal to scale technological assistance in business operations and healthcare management to the 2,000+ hospitals nationwide. “These hospitals are in dire need of an innovative information management system that will be able to assist them in managing not just business operations but also healthcare management,” says Dueñas.
In the process, their team grew from 3 developers to 42 multi-skilled personnel whose drive led to HYBrain’s numerous awards including 2019’s Best AI and Machine Learning Start-Up in the Philippines, and a finalist in their division in the ASEAN Rice Bowl Awards. In 2018, they were also invited by the Healthcare Information Management Association of the Philippines to join prestigious roadshows in Korea to present to venture capitalists, and in the US where they became a member of the Healthcare Information Management Society Congress in Las Vegas.
Being in Bacolod is key to HYBrain’s success as the city has talented manpower and rich infrastructure, dubbing it as one of the Top 100 cities in the world for the Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) sector in the past years. The government’s support through DTI’s marketing efforts and DOST’s Research and Development subsidy also gives hope to more future innovations for the company.
Similarly, private partnerships are also important. HYBrain considers their collaboration with Globe, currently their official reseller and infrastructure provider, a milestone for their success. “Not all start-ups get to do that. Now we’re partnered with Globe for a number of hospitals to be able to service them with their requirements,” Dueñas says.
Dueñas also shares that with Globe myBusiness has greatly supported them with their requirements, with turnaround times for issues resolved less than 24 hours. “Globe myBusiness is not just a service provider. Globe myBusiness became a business partner in terms of alleviating what we can do in the market and how we serve the very critical [healthcare] industry at this time, especially during the pandemic,” he shares. “And that pretty much sums up the kind of communication that we have with our clients that came about because of the infrastructure of Globe myBusiness in place.”
Like Globe myBusiness who has put up the Globe Partner Network to empower businesses, HYBrain commits to the belief that their clients’ success is their success.
While most hospitals are only opening up now to implementing new software to modernize their management systems, it’s a sign of where the future of healthcare is going. We are entering the age where resiliency is imperative and pivoting strategies are the norm. It is this adaptability that helped HYBrain be a bastion for innovation.
More and more businesses are onboarding technology not just for an edge in the market, but to reduce costly inefficiencies and find opportunities despite adversity. Dueñas reminds us never to be scared of change because after all, it is the only way to grow.
Want access to the world of IT and how it can raise your business up? Be accredited to be part of the Globe Partner Network today and sign up for Globe myBusiness Academy!
Empower your healthcare business with the right information technology system by contacting HYBrain Corp. and inquire about their services.
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