Swedish NGO to Standardise Treatments

BENGALURU:  The International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM), a not-for-profit organisation that works with patients, providers and registries to create a global standard for measuring results by medical condition, from cancers to coronary artery disease, is working with major hospital chains in the country.

ICHOM, according to the organisation’s website, grew out of the conviction that the universal development and reporting of patient outcomes by medical condition is the best enabler to transform delivery system.

It is working with the Apollo Hospitals, Fortis, Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Hospital, Bengaluru and Aravind Eye Hospitals. The organisation is looking to standardise treatment outcomes for some 12 conditions.

This could help in checking the quality of treatment, Thomas Kelley, director of standardisation and business development, ICHOM, told Express.

He was in Bengaluru to participate in The International Congress on Patient Safety.

“Standardising the process leads to a better outcome which further leads to a faster innovative cycle,” Jennifer Clawson, Associate Director, BCG, told Express on Friday.

Innovation means improving the value of healthcare and the challenges faced by the hospitals help them to improve effectiveness, she added.

ICHOM outlines the argument for using health outcomes and data to redefine the nature of competition in healthcare.

The Boston Consulting Group, which was one of the founding organisations of ICHOM, was the first to introduce competitive strategy to the business world.

Measuring the ICHOM standard sets means measuring the results of treatment that patients experience.

Competitive healthcare helps give better healthcare facilities, along with the engaged team of clinicians. It also focuses on lowering the costs.

“Patients are the centre of our focus and part of the working group (patient representatives),” said Priyanka Aggarwal, partner and director, The Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

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