HIMSS-Elsevier Digital Healthcare Award Middle East 2017 Winners Announced

DUBAI and ABU DHABI, UAE, November 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Elsevier, the information analytics business specialising in science and health, and HIMSS Middle East have announced the winners of the third Middle East HIMSS-Elsevier Digital Healthcare Award 2017. The award recognizes outstanding achievements and innovations globally in the usage of health information technology, and features two categories: Outstanding ICT Achievement and Outstanding ICT Innovation.

This year saw 14 submissions from across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). A leading theme among submissions was a focus on deploying solutions to enhance health information exchange across healthcare systems to positively impact patient and resource management.

The winners and finalist are:

Outstanding ICT Achievement Category 

• Winner: Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group, KSA
• Finalist: Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, UAE
• Finalist: King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz University Hospital, KSA

Outstanding ICT Innovation Category 

• Winner: Ministry of Health & Prevention (MOHAP), UAE
• Finalist: Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group, KSA
• Finalist: Ain Al Khaleej Hospital, UAE

"It is an exciting time for healthcare in the Middle East, with healthcare providers in the region investing in innovations that help achieve greater outcomes for patients," said Tim Hawkins, Managing Director, Clinical Solutions in EMEALA for Elsevier.

"Elsevier is proud to partner with HIMSS to recognize and support its initiatives to drive real benefits for clinicians and patients alike."

"Elsevier extends congratulations to all of the winners and finalists from this year's awards. We believe that technology is extremely important in answering demands on healthcare today and in the future, but this must also be joined with the use of credible, evidence-based information to drive better patient outcomes," Mr. Hawkins added.

Nominated in both categories and winner of the Outstanding ICT Achievement Category, Mr. Al Mayman, ITG-VP, and CIO of Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group, KSA said, "We are extremely honored to be nominated as finalists for both categories and to win the ICT Achievement Award. Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib is committed to innovations across our hospitals. Our tele-radiology and Tele-ICU & Command and Control Center projects have improved patient care in both these departments tremendously since roll-out. We are happy to share our achievements with regional peers."

Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group's winning project - Moving to Centralize Radiology Information System (RIS) and Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACs) to Enhance Collaboration Across Multiple Sites and use Tele-Radiology - has contributed to higher reports quality, higher services quality with a centralized system, and better resource management and staff allocation. Since implementation, there has been significant improvement leading to 77% of routine radiology cases reported within the first two hours in 2017 compared to 2016. Similarly, 7% emergency cases reported within 30 minutes or less in 2017 compared to 2016; and 17.6 % reported within 60 minutes in 2017 compared to 2016. Patient satisfaction has also increased tremendously.

Similarly, since the rollout of the PaCE Dashboard and BI Analytics Project, benefits have been multifold. Patient waiting time in outpatient clinics across all MOHAP hospitals has reduced from 42 minutes to 22 minutes per month. 96% of emergency department patients are now discharged within 4 hours and there is a 15% improvement in bed occupancy and bed utilization.

Dr Aamir Ali, Health Information Manager at Ministry of Health and Prevention UAE said, "We are delighted to win the HIMSS-Elsevier ICT Innovation Award. MOHAP wanted to develop a program that can deliver accurate and timely clinical, administrative, operational data and financial data, to help in monitoring and evaluating the delivery of healthcare at MOHAP hospitals in an efficient manner. Utilizing information technology as a tool to bring this project to life has brought about many positive outcomes for us and our patients. We strongly believe by delivering analytics to clinicians and analysts on the frontlines of care along with to executives in the boardroom any healthcare organizations can critically evaluate care processes and aggressively pursue the best opportunities for improving outcomes. In doing so, healthcare organizations will be rewarded with clinical and financial success in a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape."

The judging panel for this year's award consisted of leading healthcare professionals across the GCC and globe:

• Cherie Pardue, Chief Information Officer, American Hospital Dubai, UAE
• Dr. Emad Alshawaf, Consultant in Anesthesia & Critical Care, Chest Hospital, Ministry of Health, Kuwait
• John Daniels, Global Vice President, Healthcare Advisory Services Group, HIMSS Analytics, USA
• Dr. Khalid Alodhaibi, Corporate Chief Information Officer, Medical Services Department, Ministry of Defense, KSA
• Dr. Ryan Banez, Medical Informatics Lead, Ayala Healthcare, Philippines
• Tim Morris, Product and Partnership Director, EMEALAAP Health, Elsevier

"The level of ICT adoption in the Middle East has steadily increased since this Award was first introduced to the region in 2015. Congratulations to all participating organizations for sharing your stories," said John Daniels, Global Vice President, Healthcare Advisory Services Group, HIMSS Analytics, USA. "Your efforts are resulting in better care outcomes, greater staff engagement and more satisfied patients. Continue to innovate as the benefits you will reap are numerous,"

The two winners were revealed on the first morning of UAE eHealth Week 2017 (November 12). More information can be found at www.uaeehealthweek.org.

About HIMSS 

HIMSS is a global voice, advisor and thought leader of health transformation through health IT with a unique breadth and depth of expertise and capabilities to improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of health, healthcare and care outcomes. HIMSS designs and leverages key data assets, predictive models and tools to advise global leaders, stakeholders and influencers of best practices in health IT, so they have the right information at the point of decision. Through its health IT network of over 1 million experts, over 200 knowledge exchanges and collaborations, including 68,000-plus members, HIMSS drives innovative, forward thinking around best uses of technology in support of better connected care, improved population health and low cost of care. HIMSS is a not-for-profit, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois with additional offices in North America, Europe, United Kingdom and Asia. www.himssasiapac.org

About the HIMSS-Elsevier Digital Healthcare Award 

The HIMSS-Elsevier Digital Healthcare Award is a global platform to recognize outstanding achievements and innovations in the usage of health information and technology, to advance patient care and safety. Established in 2013, it is held annually across Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Europe.

About Elsevier 

Elsevier is a global information analytics business that helps institutions and professionals progress science, advance healthcare and improve performance for the benefit of humanity. Elsevier provides digital solutions and tools in the areas of strategic research management, R&D performance, clinical decision support, and professional education; including ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, ClinicalKey and Sherpath. Elsevier publishes over 2,500 digitized journals, including The Lancet and Cell, more than 35,000 e-book titles and many iconic reference works, including Gray's Anatomy. Elsevier is part of RELX Group, a global provider of information and analytics for professionals and business customers across industries. www.elsevier.com

Media Contact: 

Christopher Capot
Global Communications, Elsevier
+1-917-704-5174
c.capot@elsevier.com