Smarter health care

Stimulating healthcare with IBM

Healthcare solutions for the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act

Healthcare in the U.S.: A diagnosis

Health systems in this country are being
stretched to their limits as they strive to
address health issues such as increas-
ing costs and complexity, inconsistent
quality and access to timely care. The
majority of healthcare consumers feel
increasingly uninformed, disconnected
and helpless. Here are some startling
facts about the state of healthcare in
the U.S.:

● Each year, 98,000 to 195,000 people

are killed by medical mistakes and
1.5 million are harmed because of
errors in the way medications are
The American Recovery and prescribed.
Highlights Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) is an ● Every year, 8,000 U.S. lives are lost
unprecedented effort to jumpstart the because of insurance coverage gaps.
■ IBM solutions for healthcare help
U.S. economy, making funding available ● 24 percent of Americans report that
government agencies and organi-
to address specific healthcare chal- they do not get medical care because
zations implement, use and sup-
lenges. With this economic stimulus of cost and more than 15 million peo-
port electronic health records
funding comes the opportunity for gov- ple are underinsured, many of whom
ernment healthcare agencies and are working.
■ IBM solutions for healthcare sup-
organizations to implement healthcare ● This year, $2.5 trillion will be spent on
port the secure exchange of
solutions from IBM that can help them healthcare—that’s 17.6% of the
healthcare information
enhance the quality of care they cur- U.S. GDP. By 2015, that number will
rently provide. rise to $4 trillion and almost 20% of
■ IBM offers healthcare solutions,
the GDP.
services and financing developed
to meet the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Consumers are demanding more from
their providers. Individuals are taking on
more financial burdens and greater
responsibility for their own health and
care. The Internet-driven, instantly con-
nected world of today presents chal-
lenges to healthcare organizations as
they face:
● Rising consumer expectations for
greater value from the healthcare
system
● Increased visibility into quality and
patient-safety issues
● Increased transparency of informa-
tion, which enables consumers to
make decisions based on the cost
and quality of healthcare services
Savvy and demanding consumers are
only part of the challenges providers
face. Many lack funding and capital to
provide the kind of care needed by
many patients. Medical records cannot
be easily shared between providers and
that can lead to some of the mistakes
previously mentioned. Incompatible for-
mats, such as paper medical files and
electronic x-rays, are part of the reason;
another contributor to the challenge is
the lack of infrastructure that can pro-
mote information sharing.
These issues are set against a back-
drop of shortages of clinicians, general
practitioners and medical specialists.
The need for progress is clear. Funding
from the ARRA and solutions from
IBM and IBM Business Partners can
help bring the U.S. back from the brink
of this crisis.
Improving the prognosis: IBM steps
forward
The ARRA makes it possible for hospi-
tals and physician practices to take that
all-important critical first step toward
electronic medical records—one that
can address the challenges mentioned
previously and yield positive results for
healthcare organizations and their
patients in the U.S.
With funds from the ARRA and help
from IBM, government agencies and
organizations can implement healthcare
solutions that help them deal with their
current healthcare issues. IBM provides
a comprehensive offering portfolio to
help support healthcare reform,
advance strategic initiatives and, ulti-
mately, to empower a healthier society.
IBM and IBM Business Partners
together deliver end-to-end clinical,
business and infrastructure solutions
that help address many of the health-
care industry’s most complex
challenges. From planning and imple-
mentation to optimization and transfor-
mation, these offerings can help all
healthcare stakeholders prepare and
contribute to a more effective health
system. These solutions include clinical
and patient portals, clinical analytics
and performance management, clinical
services that optimize and advance
electronic health record implementa-
tions, and health information
exchanges. All of these offerings can be
tailored to ARRA requirements and
include electronic health records, secu-
rity, services, financing and more.
Electronic health records
Today’s health records are scattered
over myriads of patient-based reposito-
ries. If a patient has a primary care
physician and gets treated by an ortho-
pedic practice, separate paper records
are maintained for that patient at each
location. If a patient is admitted to a
hospital trauma center for treatment, is
discharged, but then needs to return to
that hospital for surgery, the patient
might have two separate records at the
hospital—or even more. There might be
information in a patient’s primary care
physician’s file record that a surgeon
needs but cannot access because the
record is only available to the primary
care physician.
Electronic health records provide
healthcare providers with patient med-
ical history in concise electronic format
that can be shared among multiple
healthcare entities easily. For example,
the exchange of healthcare information
has the potential to boost patient safety
by making it easier for different physi-
cians and hospitals to access the list of
medications a patient takes regularly or
a list of allergies a patient might have.
Electronic health records can also help
reduce overall healthcare costs. For
example, one of the major sources of
rapid growth in healthcare costs comes
from medical imaging. Medicare Part B
spending on imaging rose from
$6.80 billion in 2000 to $14.11 billion
in 2006. Access to a patient’s images in
an electronic health record is an effec-
tive way to avoid duplicating expensive
imaging procedures. Another high
cost to healthcare is the printing and
mailing of checks. America could save
$11 billion annually if all medical pay-
ment transactions in the U.S. were han-
dled electronically by direct deposit.
An electronic health records system can
also help reduce medical errors and
boost worker productivity by providing
healthcare workers with decision sup-
port. Fast access to medical literature
and current best practices in medicine
enable proliferation of ongoing improve-
ments in healthcare efficacy.
Everyone is on the electronic health
records bandwagon—from Microsoft®
to typical infrastructure providers to
independent software vendors. This
is a hotly competitive area with over
200 independent software vendors in
the marketplace who are rapidly con-
solidating. IBM’s approach is different,
however.
IBM is playing a critical role during this
time in history because we touch more
points in healthcare than anyone else—
from connecting electronic medical
records to doctors, hospitals and phar-
macies to improve care and reduce
cost to accelerating medical research
with analytics. Rather than concentrat-
ing solely on an electronic healthcare
record-specific solution, we are offering
a more connected healthcare system
that delivers better care with fewer mis-
takes, predicts and prevents diseases
and empowers people to make better
choices.
IBM is also working with our Business
Partners to provide solutions that inte-
grate data so doctors, patients and
insurers can share information seam-
lessly and efficiently. IBM also helps
clients apply advanced analytics to
improve medical research, diagnosis
and treatment with the ultimate objec-
tive being to improve patient care and
help reduce healthcare costs.
Security
For healthcare organizations, IBM and
IBM Business Partners provide solu-
tions and the supporting infrastructure
to safeguard patient privacy and ensure
that only the appropriate parties have
secure and immediate access to critical
data. Our offerings help secure elec-
tronic health records and protect sensi-
tive data from unauthorized access and
malicious threats so hospitals can focus
on what is important—patient care:
● Advanced security intelligence from
the IBM Internet Security Systems
X-Force® research and development
team healthcare organizations and
agencies anticipate and block
Internet threats before they affect the
network.
● Managed protection for healthcare
agency and organization network,
servers and desktop protects sensi-
tive medical data and assets and
healthcare organization reputation.
● IBM Virtual Patch® shields vulnerabili-
ties at the network level.
● IBM Virtual Security Operations
Center is a secure, Web-based tool
that healthcare organizations can use
to monitor the security of their sys-
tems continuously and easily.
Additionally, IBM provides guaranteed
offerings and performance-based serv-
ice level agreements—resulting in up to
$50,000 cash payment if service level
agreements are not met.
Services
IBM Global Business Services and
Global Technology Services consultants
have deep and broad expertise with the
implementation of comprehensive
healthcare systems and solutions. For
example:
● IBM hospital planning and
design/build services combine infor-
mation systems expertise with clinical
and business expertise to develop the
combination of people, processes
and care best suited to the health-
care organization.
● IBM healthcare business consultants
are highly skilled in optimizing clinical
processes and implementations. In
2006 and 2007, IBM’s healthcare
business consulting services were
ranked no. 1 in clinical implementa-
tions by KLAS, the independent
healthcare ranking organization. In
2007, they were ranked no. 3 in clini-
cal planning and assessment.
● IBM healthcare analytics services
help agencies and organizations
transform data into intelligence so
they can improve the quality of care
they provide and make increasingly
informed clinical decisions.
● IBM medical imaging and storage vir-
tualization services, such as Grid
Medical Archiving Solution, facilitate
cost-effective digital image storage,
access and workflow and enable
remote diagnosis and consultation in
the hospital and beyond.
● IBM mobility services, such as wire-
less infrastructure, hands-free com-
munication, RFID technology,
integration middleware and the
enabling technologies, help provide
immediate, secure access to patient
information at the point of patient
care.
● IBM portal solutions and services
help make information available inter-
nally and externally to providers, pay-
ers and potential patients.
Financing
Since the ARRA was signed into law,
IBM has been helping healthcare
organizations establish the infrastruc-
tures that can allow them to spur
growth in their communities and
improve service levels. In this spirit,
IBM Global Financing has earmarked
special financing programs for IT
initiatives so healthcare agencies and
organizations can start their projects
now without having to wait for the dis-
tribution of funding.
IBM Global Financing programs can
help healthcare organizations and agen-
cies streamline the entire IT infrastruc-
ture life cycle—including planning,
procurement, budgeting, payment and
asset disposition. Organizations and
agencies maximize their spending
power with flexible ways to fund their
acquisitions.
Conclusion: Why IBM?
IBM’s broad and deep experience in the
healthcare industry and relationships
with all major healthcare IT vendors
help ensure that we deliver integrated
solutions that incorporate best prac-
tices to address healthcare business
problems. We have applied our health-
care knowledge, technology and
research to deliver innovative solutions
that help clients solve problems of any
scale or complexity.
Providers need a proven leader with
experience in helping organizations
undergoing change—one with the
financial stability to see them through
over the long haul. As a healthcare
industry leader, IBM is committed to
helping healthcare provider organiza-
tions thrive in the new world ahead.
Feature Benefits

Medical data integration ● Facilitates electronic health records so provider organizations, physician practices, clinics,
laboratories, patients and insurers can share information seamlessly and efficiently

IBM Maximo® Asset Management ● Enables you to track and manage your critical, expensive medical equipment

Advanced security intelligence from ● Helps anticipate and block Internet threats before they affect the healthcare network
IBM Internet Security Systems X-Force®

Managed protection for healthcare ● Helps protect sensitive medical data and assets
agency and organization network,
servers and desktop

IBM Virtual Patch® ● Shields vulnerabilities at the network level

IBM Virtual Security Operations Center ● Continuously monitors the security of healthcare systems and data

IBM hospital planning and design/build ● Combines information systems expertise with clinical and business expertise to develop
services the combination of people, processes and care best suited to the healthcare organization

IBM Healthlink Solutions ● Streamlines implementations, optimizing an agency’s current processes and investments
and enabling new solutions such as electronic health record systems

IBM healthcare analytics services ● Helps transform data into intelligence

IBM security and privacy/disaster ● Helps protect patient data from internal and external threats, helps ensure 24/7 availability,
recovery services helps provide business continuity and meet regulatory demands

IBM medical imaging and storage ● Facilitates cost-effective digital image storage, access and workflow and enables remote
virtualization services, such as Grid diagnosis and consultation in the hospital and beyond
Medical Archiving Solution

IBM mobility services ● Exploits wireless technology, including RFID, to provide immediate, secure access to
patient information at the point of patient care

IBM portal solutions and services ● Helps make information available internally and externally to providers, payers and
potential patients

IBM Global Financing solutions for ● Low rates and flexible payment options, deferred payment plans, structured lines of credit
ARRA and specialized project financing packages that align payment streams throughout the
course of the project to anticipated benefits
For more information
To learn more about IBM and
IBM Business Partner solutions for
healthcare, please contact your
IBM marketing representative or
IBM Business Partner, or visit:
● ibm.com/healthcare
● ibm.com/smarterplanet/stimulus
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Produced in the United States of America
September 2009
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