In the future, will the best health care systems exist in the countries that have historically lagged behind? A comprehensive new survey suggests that is certainly possible.

The inaugural Future Health Index from Royal Philips — an international survey designed to assess the perceived readiness of different countries to embrace an integrated approach to health care — shows that sometimes starting from scratch may yield benefits to health systems.

"What you typically see in emerging markets is that people have basically nothing and that is a big disadvantage," Frans van Houten, CEO of Royal Philips, told HCB News. "But that also means they have no legacy, and legacy is often in the way of adopting new technologies."
In the western world, according to the health index, patients have a greater interest than doctors in adopting forward-thinking technologies and integrated systems. "The resistance to adopt is a reflection of the more siloed approach in which care is being delivered and being reinforced by a reimbursement system that maintains the status quo of how care has always been delivered," said Van Houten.

In contrast, Van Houten offers the example of West Sumatra, Indonesia, where Philips' Mobile Obstetrics Monitoring (MOM) service has been implemented. That program identifies mothers-to-be who are at high risk of pregnancy-related complications by utilizing smartphone-based telemedicine.

The Future Health Index looked specifically at 13 markets to assess how ready they perceived themselves to be to establish an integrated and connected care system, with results based on a survey of 25,355 patients and 2,659 health care professionals across those markets.

All told, the index yielded an average of 56.5, (a score out of 100) with 8 countries above average and 5 below:




The United Arab Emirates was found to be the most poised for change, while the U.S. ranked sixth and Japan brought up the rear as the only country surveyed to score below 50.

According to the results, one reason developed markets may lag behind is because of the red tape involved in maintaining compliance with safety and security regulations. Over half (54 percent) of health care professionals and 43 percent of patients surveyed indicated health system bureaucracy is a major barrier to further coordinating health care in their countries.

Business Affairs Homepage