Recession advice to hospitals

Cut costs with Business Process Re-Engineering

Over 150 delegates from hospitals across all southern states attend seminar
Healthcare experts speaking at a seminar on cutting costs in an economic meltdown have advised hospitals that they should look at Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) and Process Management Tools to address their current challenges.
The seminar on 'Hospital Reengineering In an Economic Meltdown' was held at Hotel Atria recently by Hosmac Foundation, the CSR arm of Hosmac India Private Limited, a leading hospital planning and consultancy firm and was attended by over 150 delegates from across all the southern states. These included key influencers, industry leaders, hospital administrators, medical directors, CEOs, COOs, CMOs and entrepreneurs.
Speaking at the seminar Dr Vivek Desai, Managing Director, Hosmac said, "To address the current challenges in the hospital, efficient Business Process Reengineering and Process Management tools can be used to reduce operation costs, generate new revenue opportunities, deliver products and services faster, improve customer service and increase visibility and control."
It further helps to explore the role of Information Technology in process efficiencies, cost containment by modern tools like activity based costing and also the financing options available in healthcare", he added.
Highlighting the role of Information Technology, Ms Rizwana Peerbhoy, Director, Information & Communication Technology and Hospital Information Management, Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, said, "Information technology has helped our hospital tremendously in improving our business process and thereby enhancing efficiency of both clinical and support functions."
Exponential rise in the cost of delivery of healthcare services, price competition are the major factors that are forcing hospitals to scrutinize their business processes and to redesign them in a manner that would not only help to keep the prices competitive but also help in delivering quality care to the patients. BPR is a problem solving approach that emphasizes radical change in the way business is done to achieve dramatic improvements in cost, quality, service and speed.
In India where per capita health expenditure is not very high and also healthcare budget is decreasing, BPR can provide some solution in reducing wasteful processes in government health setups. Private hospitals can also get benefit from BPR in containing cost and keeping the cost within reach of the general masses.

About Hosmac India Private Limited: Hosmac India Private Limited, with its head office in Mumbai is a pioneering name in hospital planning & management consultancy since 1996. The company's area of expertise is spread across the following service offerings:
Hosmac Projects - Build Services, Equipment Consultancy, Project Management
Consultancy, Turnkey Design
Hosmac    Consulting   Services    -   Management   Consultancy,   Public   Health
Consultancy
In a short span of 13 years, Hosmac has notched up an impressive string of more than 250 projects in India and abroad. The regional offices are located in Gurgaon, Kolkata, Guwahati, Patna and Bangalore, with an overseas office in Dubai.
Objectives of a typical BPR project:
Increase service level
Reduce total process cycle
time
Reduce waiting time
Increase throughput
Reduce activity cost
Reduce inventory costs
Hosmac Knowledge Forum is an initiative of Hosmac India Pvt. Ltd. to disseminate and channelize knowledge of unexplored areas in the healthcare sector.
For more information on Hosmac log on to www.hosmac.com.