HCA wins IT Innovator of the Year Award 2013

HCA International Limited, which owns six of London’s leading independent hospitals, has won the prestigious 2014 HealthInvestor Award for ‘IT Innovator of the Year’.

The award marks the third success in as many years for HCA International at the HealthInvestor Awards, which are chosen by a panel of 21 independent judges. In 2013 HCA won ‘Public/Private Partnership of the Year’, and in 2012 the company won ‘Private Hospital Group of the Year’.

Augustine Amusu, HCA International’s Head of IT Programmes, was presented with the award by the distinguished writer, broadcaster and Times columnist Matthew Parris, at a ceremony held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in central London on Wednesday 11 June.

HCA continues to invest heavily in its hospitals with approximately £250 million poured into technology and facilities over the last six years. This award was won for providing the best possible patient care through continual investment in the delivery of innovative solutions and leading technologies. One of the examples cited was the use of VitalPAC ®, an award-winning handheld device which can help save patient lives by allowing teams to identify the most at risk patients across a facility and direct resources effectively and quickly.

The judges praised HCA’s technological innovation:

“Evidence that they are a really innovative organisation, who invest in information technology well beyond the basic patient administration systems and websites. Really good use of a mix of leading new technologies developed by UK SMEs like VitalPAC ®/the Learning Clinic and its own internal development that are designed to support staff in their work and to improve patient experience and safety.”

“HCA deserve this award for a range of IT innovations ranging from patient monitoring in critical care units, enabling medical staff to remotely review clinical information and streamlining patient booking-in arrangements.”

Augustine Amusu, who continues to drive IT innovations across HCA hospitals together with his colleagues, said he was elated that the organisation’s commitment to improving patient outcomes had been recognised.

“HCA International is committed to delivering efficiency and excellence in quality of care. As a result of the substantial technological investments we have made, communications between the healthcare professionals working at our hospitals have been greatly improved. This ultimately helps them to provide a better experience for patients”, he said.

Michael Neeb, President and Chief Executive Officer of HCA International added his congratulations: “The staff and consultants at HCA hospitals continually strive to improve the services they can provide for patients. Investing in innovative technology helps healthcare professionals and patients to feel confident in their ability to achieve this, and is therefore an incredibly worthwhile and rewarding investment.

HCA International recognises the importance of deploying innovative technologies and we look forward to the improvements that our investments will continue to provide for patients in the future.”

Note to Editors

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HCA International hospitals provide care for more than 400,000 patients a year with an international reputation for the highest standards of complex care. HCA has invested more than half a billion pounds over the past ten years in its facilities, including a comprehensive range of the latest diagnostic and treatment technology. HCA is the only private provider to have ITU level 3 in all of its hospitals. For more information, visit www.hcahospitals.co.uk

2013 patient surveys showed: 97.6% of HCA patients would recommend an HCA facility to their friends and family; 99% are happy with the quality of care and cleanliness of their treatment; and 99.8% said they were treated with dignity and respect.