Self-health management at the population level is only possible when the entire health ecosystem pools its resources and energies, says Benedict Tan, who will be speaking at the Asia-Pacific HIMSS22 conference in Bali this year.
Tan is Group Chief Digital Strategy Officer and Chief Data Officer at SingHealth, Singapore’s largest public health cluster.
He envisions a future where digital technologies empower every patient to take control of their own health.
In today’s Healthcare 4.0 era, which has brought together both digital and non-digital technologies, this is increasingly becoming a reality, he says.
“As we have seen the healthcare industry adapt quickly and efficiently during the COVID-19 pandemic, I am optimistic that to achieve this we just need to pool our efforts and resources,” he continues.
Tan has been in the healthcare IT business since he got his first job at the National Computer Board in Singapore, which got him a position at the Ministry of Health (MOH).
Tan has a passion for all aspects of healthcare IT, from ensuring his colleagues’ notebooks and IT networks are working well to implementing artificial intelligence (AI) solutions that enable fast and accurate patient diagnosis.
“Some may not see the importance behind the mundane and seemingly simple IT tasks, but they are just as important to me as providing healthcare professionals with the right IT tools and solutions so they can treat patients and save lives,” he says .
Over the course of his career, Tan has been involved in a number of key healthcare IT projects, including the review and streamlining of the civil service benefit claim system and the implementation of an RFID-based bed management system for Singapore General Hospital.
“Both involved working with several key stakeholders to thoroughly review and understand the processes, which span agencies and departments, with the aim of simplifying and streamlining them with digital technologies. Ultimately, the focus of both projects was to improve the lives of customers, that is, the officials making the claims and the patients who need hospital beds for their recovery.”
He remembers meeting a young doctor who had decided to specialize in medical informatics. “When asked why he decided to work on IT instead of treating patients, he replied: ‘If I practice medicine, I can potentially treat thousands of patients in my lifetime. But if I implement successful IT solutions, I can potentially save millions of lives.’ His answer inspired me and has kept my passion alive ever since.”
A public health cluster like SingHealth is constantly exploring and adopting new digital technologies to transform its services for better patient care and experience, says Tan.
Currently, SingHealth is continuing its success in deploying SELENA+, an AI system to detect serious eye diseases, by working on AI/machine learning projects that also read digital images to aid in the clinical diagnosis of other health conditions. It also explores the use of AI technologies to predict workload and aid in planning to optimize resources and improve patient experience and clinical outcomes.
In addition, the health group works with the MOH and other public health clusters to leverage digital tools that support population health.
A growing concern, but one that healthcare agencies face more than organizations in other industries, is the rising cost of implementing new technologies. Tan and his team are very aware of this.
“While digital technologies bring many benefits to patient experience and patient outcomes, public health agencies need to manage the costs of adopting digital technologies to keep healthcare affordable and accessible for patients,” suggests Tan.
Tan will be speaking at the HIMSS22 APAC conference during the keynote session Care is’t What it Used to Be: The Need to Elevate Consumer Experience. The conference will take place from September 26th to 29th in Bali, Indonesia. Learn more here.
