Maccabi Healthcare Services launches new patient services with Software AG

Maccabi has been able to make nearly 80% of appointments virtual, with 90% of COVID-19 patients able to receive ‘Home Hospitalisation’. Maccabi integrated video-conferencing into ‘Clicks’, its Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system, which is used by all staff.

Caregivers can initiate virtual appointments at the click of a button, reducing risk levels for them and the patient. It also increases hospital availability, so that patients who do need hospitalisation can be admitted more quickly. COVID-19 cases in Israel hit a high of 8,000 and an average of 4,000 at any one time.

Maccabi has been undergoing a consistent digital transformation, which current CIO Ofir Kadosh believes is the foundation that allows them to be agile today: “Technology changes how we can provide healthcare and we are a digitally driven organisation. We’ve been investing in a technology strategy for many years. That made us better prepared to make quick decisions and to deliver new services for patients right away but ensuring the highest quality. Quality is a gamechanger, everything must be of the highest standard, because anything less risks patients’ lives.

“If you want to handle the crisis, you need to spot and deal with the bottlenecks in the service. Without that, you will become overwhelmed and unable to deliver quality care. We have retained full utilisation of our facilities AND delivered comprehensive patient care because we have a strong technology backbone, which Software AG has helped us to build.”

Maccabi has committed itself to becoming more digital, which include integrating data into decision making processes. Accurate information also helps the not-for-profit organisation to constantly innovate and provide high quality services. This helped Maccabi become the first organisation outside of the Ministry of Health to be authorised to administer COVID-19 tests. Its reporting systems were easily integrated within a matter of days. This - and other core systems - are all fully integrated thanks to webMethods from Software AG.

Philippe La Fornara, head of EMEA at Software AG added: “Maccabi Healthcare Services is a digital leader - not just in Israel and not just in healthcare. It’s a global example of digital excellence. Maccabi can deliver high quality at the scale it needs to because of the commitment to data and technology throughout the whole business. Integration is mission critical for its new initiatives and we’re proud to power that.”

Future plans for Home Hospitalisation - a first in Israel - build on the work already done. Rolling out medical IoT, for instance, will increase the range of services that can be delivered in home and remotely. Giving medical staff up to date information on the patient can help not only to monitor their status, but also improve diagnosis and prognosis.