The performance of the cancer care system in Malaysia is under scrutiny. The
landmark Healthcare Performance and Management Report System (HPMRS) study will
help identify what works and what does not. And that will help policy decisions
too.
KUCHING, May 6 (Bernama) -- A Healthcare Performance and Management Report
System (HPMMS) study is underway to provide the Malaysian government with
recommendation for the increased use of performance measurement and reporting
for purposes of accountability and population health. The research protocol of
the HPRMS has been reviewed and approved by the Ministry of Health’s Research &
Ethics Committee, paving the way for clinical groups and healthcare providers to
participate in the first ever program of its kind that aims to promote
improvement in the delivery of care to patients.
Oncology is a key focus area, and the HPMRS for Breast Cancer hopes to provide a
standard measurement for cancer department of hospitals in Malaysia (government
and private).
“A set of key questions that we hope to answer are as follows, Firstly, in terms
of disease staging - do Malaysian breast cancer patients present early or late,
and what types of breast cancer do they present with? Secondly, it looks at
timely access to treatment – post diagnosis, how long do patients have to wait
for the appropriate treatment? Finally, the HPMRS study looks at 1 and 5 year
survival rates – which simply translate to how long do Malaysian breast cancer
patients live once they have been diagnosed?” explained Dr. Lim Teck Onn, the
former director of the Clinical Research Centre (CRC) at Hospital Kuala Lumpur
(HKL), who is one of the Principal Investigators of the HPMRS project.
It is hoped that the results of the HPRMS study will help identify opportunities
where healthcare professionals can pursue quality improvement in cancer care and
also provide valuable information that allows policy makers to evaluate with the
aim of mobilizing policy change for better quality care.
“Although significant gains have been made in both the prevention and treatment
of cancer, many Malaysians do not receive the evidence-based intervention, such
as screenings and adjuvant therapies, that are known to be effective in the
early diagnosis and subsequent management of their disease,” said Dr Arni Talib,
Pathologist at HKL.
“Clearly, with a maturing healthcare sector, the time has come for Malaysian
healthcare companies to seriously consider introducing performance measures. The
Board of Management of these companies must learn to demand more than just
financial reports from their managers, not to mention the potential value of
superior performance measure for marketing purpose and to differentiate one’s
self
from the competition,” elaborated Dr. Lim.
This study involves the active participation of representatives from across the
spectrum of healthcare stakeholders, and is guided by a Committee comprised of
experts from the cancer community, as well as others with expertise in
performance measurement. Its Principal Investigators are Dr Gerard Lim (Head of
Oncology Department, HKL), Dr Lim Teck Onn (former director of CRC), Dato’ Dr
Mohamed Ibrahim A. Wahid ( President of Malaysian Oncological Society),
Professor Yip Cheng Har (Breast Surgeon, University Malaya Medical Centre) and
Dr Arni Talib (Pathologist, HKL).
The 3 year study is expected to conclude in 2013 and is supported by Roche
(Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. An update of the study results will be presented every 6
months.
About HPMRS
Founded in 2010 by Yun Consulting, ClinData & Stats Consult, HPMRS is designed
to help healthcare industry implement routine healthcare performance measurement
and reporting. It provides a complete one-stop solution including measurement
protocol, on-line data submission, independent third party data audit,
statistical reports & publishing. Healthcare providers measure performance for
variety of reasons such as to comply with regulation or JCI accreditation, to
meet the demands of healthcare payers or the requirement, of Health Tourism
Council; but ultimately through rigorous and transparent performance measurement
and reporting, HPMRS is meant to promote healthcare accountability and to
improve the delivery of care for our population health. Managed by a total of 5
professionals comprising health researcher, data managers and statisticians,
HPRMS is committed to their core business of health research and delivering
excellent client service. For more information, please visit www.hprms.com.my
About Roche
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is a leader in research-focused
healthcare with combined strengths in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Roche is
the world’s largest biotech company with truly differentiated medicines in
oncology, virology, inflammation, metabolism and CNS. Roche is also the world
leader in in-vitro diagnostics, tissue-based cancer diagnostics and a pioneer in
diabetes management. Roche’s personalized healthcare strategy aims at providing
medicines and diagnostic tools that enable tangible improvements in the health,
quality of life and survival of patients. In 2011, Roche had over 80’000
employees worldwide and invested over 8 billion Swiss francs in R&D. The Group
posted sales of 42.5 billion Swiss francs. Genentech, United States, is a wholly
owned member of the Roche Group. Roche has a majority stake in Chugai
Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information:www.roche.com
SOURCE: Roche (M) Sdn Bhd
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Name : Lynn Wong Abdullah
Media Relations
Mobile: +6012 2980579
Email : poh_lyn.wong@roche.com
--BERNAMA