LINK Development & Get Real Health Partner to Revolutionise Healthcare in the Region

(Cairo- 7 October, 2013) LINK Development, a leading provider of integrated software solutions across the Arab region, Europe and Canada and an OTVentures subsidiary, has been selected by international healthcare technology pioneer Get Real Health to offer its award winning InstantPHR™ technology platform to patients and healthcare providers.

The partnership underscores the potential both organisations see in the fast-moving Arab health IT sector, which is expected to witness a soaring spend of US$125 billion by 2015, when the global spend would reach US$ 250 billion.

Healthcare is one of the largest and fastest growing sectors in the world as well as the region, where healthcare spending totalled US$65.6 billion in 2009.  This amounts to 4.3% of GDP. Regional healthcare spending is estimated to grow by almost two-fold by 2015 to reach US$125 billion, half of the total global spending. According to World Bank, global spending on healthcare is expected to grow to US$250 billion by 2015.

Amin Azab, Managing Director of LINK Development, a subsidiary of OTVentures which is a pioneering digital and technology solutions provider for both online and mobile platforms, said: “Healthcare providers, both private and government, will be poised to claim a sizeable share of the local market when they adopt innovations around healthcare service delivery models, payment reforms, patient health record access and online care management tools.  “The InstantPHR development platform will enable us to build robust and flexible patient connected care solutions for healthcare organisations throughout the region.” 

LINK Development will be showcasing InstantPHR, which is integrated with the Microsoft HealthVault ecosystem, during GITEX Technology Week in Dubai, 20–24 October 2013. The solution offers multiple deployment options using HealthVault® and SQL Server and provides features, or widgets, that are available as SharePoint-compatible web parts. This provides additional flexibility to the LINK Development healthcare solution team to customise solutions based on customers’ and patients’ needs.

The demand for adopting health IT innovation and electronic systems, designed to meet health needs in a more cost effective way, is growing in the region. This is partly due to more pressure on governments to improve healthcare services as well as higher literacy rates that are driving this demand. Through this agreement, LINK Development will deploy the award-winning InstantPHR™ patient engagement platform from Get Real Health, a global patient engagement software company based in the United States, throughout its global customer base.

“We are excited to be working with LINK Development to make our InstantPHR™ product available to its healthcare customers around the world. The Arab Region, in particular, is experiencing rapid growth in the healthcare sector. We welcome this opportunity to work with the team at LINK Development to implement innovative patient engagement and connected care solutions that will benefit health authorities, clinicians, and patients alike,” said Robin Wiener, Get Real Health president and founding partner.

InstantPHR™, the revolutionary product from Get Real Health, will help regional organisations meet government initiatives by empowering patients and providers with data-rich engagement tools. This powerful app gives providers access to their patients’ holistic health record, including important daily observations tracked at home, thus providing insight into each patient’s well-being. For example, healthcare providers can be alerted when patients managing chronic conditions have several health readings outside their normal target range, or experience a severe change in their mood or sleep patterns. These types of early warnings allow clinicians to intervene when necessary outside of regular appointments.

InstantPHR will allow LINK Development to leverage its solid foundation using core Microsoft products, like SharePoint, Dynamic CRM, and HealthVault®, to extend further into the healthcare sector by offering patient portal and personal health record applications to patients and healthcare organisations.

By allowing the patients and their providers the ability to store and access health information, patients are better able to document their health and to have that information at their fingertips, online or by using the mobile application.

“LINK Development has a long track record of collaborating with industry and government partners in the region to develop tools, products and services that empower citizens across various services. This initiative is the latest strategic partnership that will further enhance LINK Development’s robust suite of solutions,” explained Amin Azab.

Both LINK Development and Get Real Health develop solutions based on Microsoft products and services. LINK Development is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, and Get Real Health has maintained ties with Microsoft since the launch of Microsoft HealthVault® in 2007. InstantPHR is integrated with the Microsoft HealthVault ecosystem and offers multiple deployment options using HealthVault® and SQL Server. InstantPHR features, or widgets, are available as SharePoint-compatible web parts which offer additional flexibility to the LINK Development healthcare solution team.