March 12, 2007
HP
Harry Kim
Director, WW Health and Life Sciences Vision for Personalized Medicine
How has your company adapted and responded to the changing economic climate in the past five years when so many others companies did not?
The convergence of bioscience innovations, technology capabilities, and the ageing population has pressured the health and life sciences value chain to transform. Bringing together diverse data sets from biosciences, pharmaceuticals, healthcare providers, and payer communities to create new insights requires collaboration enabled by information management capabilities. HP delivers the technology that powers genomic and proteomic research, speeds deliver of new pharmaceutical agents, and improves quality of care through our Digital Hospital Solution.
What is your vision for the future of the life sciences market?
Today, the health and life sciences industry represents a $3.3 trillion value chain. Unfortunately, over 1/3 or $1 trillion is waste (non value added procedures, duplicative efforts, manual processes, mistakes). Technology will play a key role in addressing the waste and improving quality of care. The emerging “perfect storm” of the aging population, pervasiveness of technology/internet, advancements in biosciences, cost burden to individuals and businesses, and increased regulatory environment will fuel a step-function increase in technology adoption. Over the next few years, technology adoption (or lack of adoption) will become either a strategic asset or a strategic liability for health organizations and the customers they serve.
Beyond just doing things more efficiently, the industry will begin to transform the way it manages and delivers health. We recognize that an individual’s health is determined by four factors: the genes you are born with; the lifestyle you lead; the environment in which you live; and the healthcare you receive. This concept of personalized medicine (integrating your genetic profile, personal health history, lifestyle, and clinical medical record) will not only improve an individual’s health outcomes, but will shift our view of health management — from “sickcare” to proactive health management.
What products and services does your company provide and what special capabilities do they offer the life sciences market?
We are investing in solutions to one of the nation’s leading challenges — it is nothing less that transforming the way healthcare is delivered: improving the quality, value, and accessibility of healthcare. No other technology company offers the technology breadth and go-to-market coverage. Examples of some of the technologies HP provides for the life sciences market include:
Products and Services — enterprise portfolio of server, storage, software, workstations, mobile devices, and printing capabilities with associated consulting and management services
Solutions — combinations of HP and partner products and services to address a specific business need or requirement. (e.g. eMedical Records, Digital Hospital, Product Tracking & Authentication, HP Medical Archive Solution)
Technology — portfolio of IP and technology products (e.g. micro-fluidics, nano-technology)
Partnerships are an effective way to track life science advances and ensure that your company delivers timely products and services. Which life sciences companies or organizations have you partnered with or invested in and why?
The industry is not looking for point solutions to point problems… it is looking for better integration and information management of the data/tools that are in practice today. HP primarily partners (not competes) with industry leading application providers who can help us provide the most comprehensive solution to improve quality of care and create new ways for healthcare to take advantage of IT.
HP’s technology fuels industry leading application providers (Cerner, McKesson, Siemens). Example of key customers/partnerships include:
- Department of Veterans Affairs — HP supports and maintains the world’s largest healthcare integrated network system: 166 hospitals; 6 million patients; 11,000 physicians; 52,000 nurses; 4,000 pharmacists; 55 million images; and #1 WINTEL Platform according to CHIME
- HP collaborates with Harvard/Partners Center for Genetics and Genomics —furthering the Personalized Medicine agenda
- Integrate Genetics, Genomics and Imaging into Clinical Research and Patient Management
- Improve the Care Provided to Patients both Inside and Outside of the Partners Network
- For example, through this partnership the Gateway for Integrated Genomics-Proteomics Applications and Data (GIGPAD) application was developed. This unique integration platform has won awards such as: BioIT’s Best Practices Award, JBoss Innovation Honorable Mention award, recognition from HIMSS, and the Partners Healthcare: Partners in Excellence Award
- Norway, St. Olavs Hospital — HP (+ partners) has implemented the Digital Hospital solution now benchmarked as “the world’s benchmark in terms of tactical and strategic usage of technology in life and death scenarios for the better of their customers, the patients.” (per IDC)
What are your most exciting products and initiatives in development?
HP’s Digital Hospital solution unites people, processes, and technology onto a common platform. Hospital staff members use advanced information systems to document patient records, enter and process orders, interact with patients, and access image files, creating a more productive, secure, and safe environment for both patients and healthcare professionals.
HP is fueling the personalized medicine frontier. Integrating research (genomic and proteomic) data with clinical data requires a robust and scalable technology platform; HP’s Digital Hospital is key in enabling this integration.
Where do you see your company in five years?
HP as the trusted, technology leader in bringing innovative solutions that improve the operational efficiencies while delivering better quality of care. HP helps to transform the way health is managed and delivered measured by improved health outcomes.