Samaritan Hospital bets on technology and reduces costs
DCI
The growth of the hospital sector has led companies like the Samaritan Hospital (Hospital Samaritano) to prioritize investments in technology in order to improve the management and gain efficiency in patient care. By the end of the year, the entity intends to inject R$ 3 million (US$ 1.7 million) to improve its hospital management system - currently the company uses the Tasy, by WHEB Sistemas, in the management, integrated to the IMPAX, by AGFA Healtcare, which provides digital medical images. Both the systems were implemented in the middle of last year at a cost of R$ 5 million (US$ 2.54 million) and helped the Hospital increase its earnings: from R$ 211 million (US$ 115.3 million) in 2008 to R$ 233 million (US$ 118.3 million) in 2009. This year, the Samaritan intends to grow 10% with the new technologies.
According to the Information Technology (IT) Manager of the Samaritan, Klaiton Simão, the use of the technologies has driven the growth of the medical center since they became operational in April 2009. "There is no doubt, those investments made last year paid off a while ago", he said, on the return the hospital had with the reduction of the operational costs had with the technological optimization of the company. Simão explains the main gain for the institution was the improvement of the assistance offered; now with the possibility of the doctor having access to the history of the patient's visits and diagnoses on the computer. Until 2011, the medical center will be under a phase of consolidation of the medical center investments in technology. The IT Manager of the Samaritan Hospital also said that after the modernization of the IT area the hospital became the model for other medical centers in Brazil. "It has undoubtedly become a reference, especially because of the positive impact it had on our patients", says Simão.
Such appetite of the health companies for innovations also draws the attention of companies from several segments to become suppliers of hospitals. The centenarian Karsten, for instance, launched the Karsten Care line to meet the needs of the healthcare sector. Last year, the company had R$ 390 million (US$ 198 million) in earnings and it should get to something near R$ 450 million (US$ 250 million) until the end of 2010.
Another company aiming at the hospital segment is Guido Contini, a office furniture maker. According to the president of the company, Gustavo Saguia, the company opened a furniture plant in Bom Jesus last month to meet to the growth that will be boosted by the sales of furniture to hospitals. Guido Contini has invested R$ 2 million (US$ 1.1 million) to put the new plant into operation.