Singapore: Singapore Minister for Health, Mr Gan Kim Yong, kickstarted HIMSS AsiaPac15 Digital Healthcare Week in Singapore on Sep 7, a gathering of clinical professionals and IT experts to streamline healthcare solutions and delivery.
International speakers from the US, Australia and Europe as well as regional policy makers, hospital leaders and top solution providers get the opportunity to discuss and share challenges around rising affluence, aging populations and the rise of chronic illnesses.

Dr Steve Tierney, medical director, quality improvement/CMIO, Southcentral Foundation, commented, "There is a lot of data collected throughout the healthcare delivery system and I believe we are only in the beginning stages of truly understanding how to turn these data into useful information that can help the industry progress to the next level. Our project has really turned things around for Alaska, and I hope our findings can help provide a solution for those in Asia with similar issues."

Dr Robert H Leviton, chief medical information officer, Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center in New York has played a key role in the integration clinical work flows of over 700 physicians from 23 specialties of medicine and surgery in both the ambulatory, emergency, behavioral, and inpatient settings for acute, chronic, and long term care with the clinical work requirements. He commented, "Doctors need to be given the time and space to do their job, which is to look after patients and ensure they recover from whatever medical issues they are suffering from. Healthcare practitioners shouldn't need to be IT experts and spend a significant amount of time looking for information they need to assist with their daily jobs. A robust and effective electronic health record system that integrates all clinical work flow will not only save time, but also human and financial resources."