World-renowned industry leaders congregate to examine the latest in innovations and best case practice to improve healthcare outcomes for UAE citizens

Dubai, UAE, 26 October 2016:  Leading experts in healthcare from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and around the world will gather in Dubai (31 October – 1 November) and Abu Dhabi (2 November) for the annual UAE eHealth Week. 

Offering five conferences, two workshops and hospital tours, the Week will take place at Dubai Healthcare City and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, where healthcare professionals will discuss ways to improve efficiency and care quality.

Led by H.E. Humaid Al Qatami, Chairman of the Board and Director-General, Dubai Health Authority, and under the patronage of the Ministry of Health and Prevention UAE, Abu Dhabi Health Authority and SEHA, UAE eHealth Week will offer a main HIMSS Conference, GenoME Conference, Pathology and Informatics Conference, WATCH Society Conference, AHIMA Workshops, and a hospital tour to Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. 

H.E. Mr. Awadh AlKetbi, Undersecretary of Shared Support Services at the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention UAE, commented ahead of the conference: “The Ministry of Health and Prevention UAE is delighted to partner with HIMSS again this year to bring the UAE eHealth Week back to the cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. This event will gather all healthcare stakeholders in this critical period of IT transformation in UAE and across the Gulf to learn about the latest and best in innovation, and delve into how to apply ideas and technologies to improve population health”. 

Developed in 2005, the HIMSS EMR Adoption Model (EMRAMSM) is a global standard used widely as a roadmap by organizations to track their digital maturity and EMR adoption levels. This 8-Stage Model is used by over 8,000 healthcare facilities worldwide in their digital maturity journey. In 2011, no hospitals surveyed in Dubai were at Stage 5. Today, over 33% of Dubai hospitals surveyed have advanced to Stage 5. At the UAE eHealth Week, HIMSS will announce the first Stage 7 EMRAM organization in the UAE:  Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. It will also announce a new Stage 6 addition, Ain Al Khaleej Hospital. 

Evidently the level of healthcare technology adoption has steadily increased in the UAE in recent years. In 2014 UAE launched an electronic healthcare information system called “Wareed” linking 14 MOH hospitals and 25 state clinics to avoid duplication of patient records and increase patient safety. The government has recently launched its integrated health record system; seeking to integrate all 2,700 public and private healthcare facilities in Dubai, providing a single electronic file for each resident. The Dubai Health Authority also has 98 dynamic initiatives in its Health Strategy 2016 – 2021. They have recently set up a new Smart Data Center to revolutionize the storage of medical records and will be implementing 3D printing technology and robotics in their hospitals by next year. 

With more than 280,000 patients per year from medical tourism and aiming to become hub for regional medical tours by boosting that number to 500,000 by 2020, UAE is actively transforming the healthcare system in order to develop best care and wellness for patient happiness.

The Week is also designed to continue improving these adoption levels across Dubai as well as Abu Dhabi healthcare organizations for better patient safety and care. The Week will see over 500 attendees and speakers from USA, Canada, Switzerland, Colombia, UK, Netherlands as well as regional policy makers, hospital leaders and top solution providers come together to experience the latest health innovations and tackle challenges around increasing demands for seamless care and enhanced patient experiences. 

Dr. Sang II Kim, Deputy Director, eHealth Suisse, Swiss Coordination Office for eHealth, is one of the number of prominent speakers at the UAE eHealth Week. Dr. Kim will lead a conversation on the current status of the national electronic patient record project in Switzerland and present future plans such as integrating mHealth for betterment of health for all Swiss citizens.

Dr. Kim said: “Building a national electronic patient record for all Swiss citizens is much more than a technical project. It requires a cultural change of all healthcare stakeholders and the approach to involve all actors over the years is complex. With the UAE’s integrated health record system launched earlier this year, and future plans to integrate that with the National Analysis and Backbone Integration for Dubai Health, I look forward to discussing areas of common challenges we face and potential solutions we can implement, at UAE eHealth Week.”

Another renowned thought leader in the industry to present at the conference is Tom Stafford, Vice President & Chief Information Officer, Halifax Health USA is one of a number of prominent speakers at the UAE eHealth Week. He will be sharing insights on how his hospital re-designed its clinical workflow by integrating its communication system with the electronic health record, reducing a 12-step process to four steps, shortening the patient discharge process on the oncology unit by nearly 10%. 

Mr. Stafford said: “There remains a lot of discussion around achieving seamless communication in order to provide optimal care for our patients, even in times of crisis. The recent Hurricane Matthew in the USA tested our hospital’s ability to do this and we thrived. I am excited to share our experience with the Middle East and hope that our project can help shed some light on solutions for Middle East providers who are having challenges with communications in the acute care setting and beyond.”

Notable happenings at UAE eHealth Week include: 

• Opening Welcome by His Excellency Humaid Mohammed Obaid Al Qatami, Chairman of the Board and Director-General, Dubai Health Authority, UAE (31 October, Dubai)
• UAE Health Information Exchange Roundtable (31 October, Dubai) 
  • Dr. Osama El-Hassan, Head of eHealth, Dubai Health Authority, UAE
  • Ali Mohamed Al Ali, Director of Information Technology, Health Authority Abu Dhabi, UAE
  • Mubaraka Ibrahim, Director, Health Information Systems Department, Ministry of Health & Prevention, UAE
  • Ahmed Aljneibi, Acting Group Chief Information Officer, Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, SEHA, UAE
• Mohammed Bin Rashid University (MBRU) and HIMSS Signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate on the promotion of international excellence in research and higher learning in healthcare education as well as to launch collaborative programs. (1 November, Dubai).
• Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi will be recognized as the first UAE hospital to achieve HIMSS Analytics EMRAM Stage 7. Ain Al Khaleej Hospital has also achieved EMRAM Stage 6. (2 November, Abu Dhabi).
• The US Embassy will be hosting a Discover USA invitation-only breakfast dialogue (31 October, Dubai). Ms. Barbara Leaf, US Ambassador to the UAE, will give the opening remarks. (2 November, Abu Dhabi).
• HIMSS-Elsevier Digital Healthcare Award 2016: Outstanding ICT Achievement and Innovations across Middle East will be celebrated (31 October, Dubai).
• HIMSS Analytics Survey and EMRAM Workshop Presentation (2 November, Abu Dhabi)

Other confirmed speakers who are currently playing critical roles in the UAE’s journey towards becoming highly digitized and connected in the healthcare space include:

• Amani Al Jasmi, Director of Information Technology, DHA, UAE
• Ali Mohamed Al Ali, Director of Information Technology, HAAD, UAE
• Suhail Mahood Al Ansari, Executive Director, Mubadala Healthcare, UAE
• Ali Juma AlAjme, Information Technology Department Director, Ministry of Health & Prevention, Dubai
• Ahmed Aljneibi, Acting Group CIO, Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, SEHA

UAE eHealth Week will run from October 31 – 2 November in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. More information can be found at www.uaeehealthweek.org. Online registration is open.