CASE STUDY
In Singapore , the National University Health System ( NUHS ) is no stranger to innovation . Since its formation , it pioneered a number of medical breakthroughs , like experimental therapy for children battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia , the first gynecologic robot assisted cancer and endoscopic surgery in South East Asia , and discovered the gene RUNX3 , which prevents the uncontrolled growth of cells leading to colorectal cancers .
Increasing demand requires innovation
As hospitals in Singapore cannot keep expanding capacity to meet increasing demands , Singapore ’ s Ministry of Health is focusing on the prevention of chronic diseases . When patients fall ill , they are transferred from the hospitals to the community , where people can receive appropriate care at home , avoiding frequent hospital admissions .
NUHS , in its efforts to execute the Ministry of Health ’ s strategies , decided to invest in Artificial
Intelligence ( AI ) and predictive capabilities to enable earlier interventions .
Dr . Ngiam Kee Yuan , Group Chief Technology Officer at NUHS , said : “ In Singapore , we face the same kind of challenges as everyone else in healthcare . We have an ageing population , an increase in chronic diseases , slower workforce growth , as well as an increase in the number of patients seeking medical care at our facilities .
“ To address these concerns , the government has put in place a strategy called The Three Beyonds to meet the needs of a slower workforce growth as well as to care for more patients : we want to move beyond the hospital to community , to move beyond quality to value , and to move beyond healthcare to health .”
With a new focus on community health , NUHS wanted access to real-time data to help execute predictive capabilities : learning how and when people were getting sick to better prevent chronic diseases .
WE WANT TO MOVE UPSTREAM INTO PREVENTIVE COMMUNITY
HEALTH BY INCENTIVIZING HEALTHY PATIENT BEHAVIORS THROUGH THE USE OF AI AND
AUTOMATION AT SCALE .
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