Is there still room for technological innovation in healthcare?

Grégoire Dallemagne, Executive VP Strategy Belgacom

Belgium has a stable healthcare system, but there is room for even more innovation. Belgacom contributes to this via initiatives such as MyCareNet and Belgium-HF, which provide patients, their family and medical care providers with the tools and managed services to digitally link, inform and support them.

The fact that the ‘healthcare’ division hold such a prominent place in the Belgacom Group is not by chance. ICT is the driver for developments in healthcare: it accelerates the exchange of medical data and increases the quality of care. Belgium has a stable healthcare system, but there is room for even more innovation, with eHealth as the cornerstone. Belgacom has proved that it has a key role to fulfil in the sector, as is testified to by contributions to projects such as MyCareNet and Belgium-HF. An unmistakeable role is also earmarked for the Group in eHealth: it supplies tools and managed services to patients, their family and medical care providers to link, inform and support them digitally. All of this takes place in cooperation with colleague healthcare experts.

One question is centrally important for Belgacom: what investments must be made to create genuine added value so that the future of the care system remains safeguarded in our country? The answer meant an in-depth redrawing of the work method, which was baptised “open innovation”. On the one hand, Belgacom thinks up new ideas, applications and innovative products in working groups and on the other hand it stimulates new innovative service via its partnership network.

In this spirit, Belgacom is supporting an ever increasing number of projects, such as Belgium-HF.
BELGIUM-HF, which stands for Better Efficacity in Lowering Events by General practitioner’s Intervention Using remote Monitoring in Heart Failure, has the goal of drastically reducing the re-hospitalisation of patients with congestive cardiac insufficiency by using an innovative combination of home monitoring and the supportive role of the GP. This link-up between the GP and telemedicine makes this study completely unique in Belgium and Europe. The combination of expertise in field medicine, cardiology, support for the individual, telemedicine and telecommunication form the cornerstone of this project’s success.