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Even as the number of organizations ready to adopt a cloud-based approach is rising, nearly a fifth of healthcare orgs surveyed said they'd consider moving their data from the cloud back on premises.

Accenture's Kaveh Safavi discusses healthcare's outsized spend on labor – and how machine learning, telehealth and consumerism are transforming how work is done and who does it.

The Patient Safety Strategy says new system will use AI to improve learning from care incidents.

Singapore-founded house call doctor app Speedoc and private ambulance operator Comfort Ambulance announced a partnership that allows Speedoc users to hire Comfort’s fleet of 25 ambulances for transport to more than 100 healthcare institutions across Singapore directly through their app. Since September 2018, Speedoc has been a participant of the Ministry of Health’s regulatory sandbox – Licensing Experimentation and Adaptation Programme (LEAP), which allows the safe development of new and innovative healthcare models to be piloted in a controlled environment. HOW IT WORKS Charges for booking an ambulance via the Speedoc app will range from S$120-S$170, depending on timing, location and day. Additional charges for services such as the use of oxygen therapy or stretchers will also be clearly listed in the app for users. WHY IT MATTERS The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) announced that it will stop dispatching ambulances for non-emergencies from April 1 onward, so as to better focus on life-threatening cases. According to SCDF’s latest statistics, non-emergency and false alarm calls made up 9.6% (17,954 calls) of all emergency medical service (EMS) calls in 2018. This means that on average, SCDF responded to around 50 non-emergency and false alarm calls each day. Users who need a private ambulance can now either contact over 20 operators individually or call the 1777 hotline, but waiting times can take as long as two hours compared with around 30 minutes with the app, according to Speedoc. Speedoc is currently working with other ambulance operators to get more of them on board the app.

The Western Australia initiative will leverage existing programs and locally based expertise, as well as deliver programs currently operating outside the state.

WhiteHat's application security and DevSecOps expertise will help NTT widen the protections it can offer healthcare and other clients working on enterprise-wide digital transformation initiatives, the company says.

Deborah Heart and Lung Center’s workforce development program for its health IT team centers around staff experts who teach new recruits about how technology works there – and across the wider healthcare industry.

The partnership aims to give hospitals better insights into real-time patient data, boosting coordination with post-acute providers, payers and physician groups across the state.

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