Digital Health
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TPP
enjoying generous per diem allowances, find reasons to extend their stay or to increase the scope of the care they receive at the overseas health facility. On top of this, the dependence on last- century communication methods often leads to fragmentation of care between services in the country of residence and the overseas provider. So how can this multi-million dollar
Using technology to drive down the cost of referring abroad
‘Medical tourism’ is a multi-million dollar industry, but the cost of referring patients is also spiralling. TPP looks at how this can be improved
H
ealthcare delivery across national borders is big business, for all parties involved. The process of
sending a patient for treatment abroad can mean an economic boost for the hospitals accepting the patient, and it can also create a boost in local tourism. According to UK newspaper The Guardian1
, ‘medical tourists’ visiting the
UK spent an estimated £219m on hotels, restaurants, shopping and transport in one year. On top of that, 18 top UK hospitals who accept overseas private patients reported an income of £42m for providing specialist care to overseas patients. But what about the cost to the
governments and companies who foot the bill when citizens they are responsible
for need treatment in hospitals abroad? In the Middle East, where nearly all healthcare is paid for by the government, the cost of sending patients for specialist treatment overseas can be phenomenal. In 2010, countries including the UAE
and Kuwait were sending as many as 3,000 patients to the UK for treatment every year2
. Both countries also send
patients to other world-class treatment centres in Germany, France and the USA. Whilst some Middle East countries are actively developing their own tertiary referral hospitals, in the meantime, the cost of sending patients abroad (often with family members in tow), is beginning to spiral out of control.
Fragmentation of care So why is the cost so high? Our analysis has identified that once a patient is transferred to an overseas facility, the referring team has inadequate visibility of the progress and outcome of their care. Often, patients and their chaperones,
106 Global Opportunity Healthcare 2015 | Issue 01
industry be improved? The whole of the patient pathway should be underpinned by a shared electronic record to eliminate hand-offs and achieve integration between diverse carers. Modern electronic health record systems, in use all over the world, allow for data to be shared in a timely and reliable manner, and for administration tasks to be streamlined. Why can’t we use the same system across international boundaries? If each team involved in the process of managing treatment overseas had access to the same view of the electronic health record, and were able to communicate instantly with other, the entire process would be significantly more efficient.
Increased transparency Changes to the management plan will be readily apparent to the referrals abroad office, who will maintain control of all decisions. When these patients return from abroad, the full details of the treatment they have received will be available to ensure continuity of care. As Qatar’s National Health Strategy outlines4
, the goal for a Treatment
Abroad service is to be more efficient and effective. This will include a smoother service for patients, increased transparency, better clinical outcomes and more follow-up care closer to home. All of these goals can be achieved quickly through the implementation of an integrated electronic international referrals system.
1
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/oct/24/
medical-tourism-generates-millions-nhs-health 2
journal.pone.0070406 3
Default.aspx 4
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/ tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/209171/reftab/96/
http://www.nhsq.info/strategy-goals-and-projects/af-
fordable-services/management-of-treatment-abroad/ project-overview
Further information To find out more about the service being offered by TPP across the Middle East, contact
internationalenquiries@tpp-uk.com
global-opportunity.co.uk
|
TPP
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