Single platform across hospitals, specialty centres and polyclinics integrates 23,000 employees, cuts costs, and achieves higher productivity
IBM (NYSE: IBM) and SAP Asia Pacific Japan (“APJ”) today jointly announced an agreement with Singapore Health Services Pte Ltd (SingHealth), Singapore’s largest healthcare provider, to provide a single human resource platform across its institutions to consolidate disparate systems and standardise Human Resource (HR) processes for approximately 23,000 users. The system will standardise policies on compensation and benefits, performance reviews, and career development for all SingHealth staff. The project also increases IT capability, expands capacity, delivers standardisation, and sets SingHealth on a good foundation for future technology innovations.
The project will see IBM help SingHealth in SAP software implementation and consolidation, SAP software upgrade, and hardware upgrade services for three hospitals, five national specialty centres, and a network of nine polyclinics. The project is expected to be completed by June 2011. The common HR platform creates cluster-wide synergies particularly for Singapore General Hospital (SGH), KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) and Changi General Hospital (CGH). IBM will also provide Project and Maintenance Services to SingHealth’s human resource information system, to ensure consistent and optimised performance.
With installation of the software, HR processes will be standardised and simplified across all SingHealth hospitals, centres and polyclinics. One of the changes includes the standardisation of payroll runs and claim processes. Overall, this will help HR staff to optimise their productivity and in turn increase overall staff satisfaction. Ensuring that the transition is smooth, IBM and SAP will also identify functional gaps across existing HR platforms such as reporting formats, business process flows, data storage methods and configuration codes.
Ms Anna Fok, Group Human Resources Director at SingHealth said: “The aim to provide consistent and best HR practices was our top consideration when we decided to upgrade and transform our HR systems and processes. With the combined expertise of IBM and SAP, we are confident that greater synergies will be formed between SingHealth institutions to provide better HR services for all our staff. The consolidation and optimising of our HR applications and infrastructure will further position SingHealth well for growth and service demands in the future.”
“IBM has a long-standing relationship with SingHealth since 2000 when we designed an integrated healthcare information system for firstly SGH and subsequently other institutions under the SingHealth group. A decade later, we are delighted to leverage on our knowledge and understanding of SingHealth’s business priorities to harmonise its HR information system across all SingHealth institutions to deliver value to all HR staff. Through our understanding, we are able to reduce the learning curve and related risks for a project of this magnitude,” said Shyam R Mamidi, Partner, IBM Global Business Services in Singapore.
IBM also has a good understanding of the SAP environment and operating requirements, ensuring a smooth and fast transition for SingHealth. IBM is the largest partner of SAP globally, in implementing and application maintenance services. In Singapore, IBM’s extensive experience working with SAP is specifically in various SAP implementation, upgrade and maintenance projects for SingHealth. Other industries that have experienced the tried and tested IBM-SAP formula here include chemical, oil and gas, security, land transport and wafer fabrication among other clients.
“We are proud to have been working with SingHealth and helping to enhance its operation since 1997. This includes providing business applications for functions such as finance, purchasing, patient management, human resource management and business intelligence to establish the foundations to provide healthcare to the Singapore public. Integration is an important part of SingHealth’s journey, to cater to the ageing population and the need for quality healthcare. This includes integration of entities supported by an integration of systems. With the consolidated HR information system in SingHealth, key talents are further channeled to produce quality outcomes for both staff and patients,” said Krish Datta, President, SAP South East Asia.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Ms Serene Ng
Group Communications
Singapore Health Services
DID: 6557 4950
E-mail: serene.ng.sining@singhealth.com.sg