Singapore and Hong Kong – August 22, 2012 – Patient satisfaction has emerged as the main driver for IT investments in the Asia/Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) region between now and 2013, according to a recent survey conducted by IDC Health Insights. Refer to Figure 1. In this survey, 310 healthcare organizations across the region were interviewed in order to explore their sentiments and adoption plans for horizontal and industry-specific IT solutions. More insights are revealed in the IDC Health Insights report, “Asia/Pacific (Excluding Japan) Healthcare IT Trends 2012 - 2013” (Doc # AP9296302U, August 2012).

Figure 1

"Patient satisfaction is the key business goal for healthcare organizations today. With patients becoming more enlightened as well as demanding, it is imperative for healthcare organizations to come across as responsive and communicative when dealing with them, whether they are within or outside the hospital walls, especially with the emergence of the concept of patient-centric care", says Sash Mukherjee, Senior Market Analyst, IDC Health Insights Asia /Pacific.

All the organizations polled are currently investing in multiple horizontal technologies, and 91% of the organizations have invested in healthcare industry-specific solutions. The results of the survey also showed that APEJ healthcare organizations are looking to increase their IT investments in the next twelve months, with 97.4% of the respondents indicating an increase in budget for industry-specific solutions.

Security has rightfully emerged as a key technology objective for healthcare executives, with the emergence of both clinical mobility and mobile health, which increases the risk of security breaches as a result of multiple points of data access.

While investments in telecommunications, networking and mobile devices are set to see a steady increase over the next 12 months, IDC Health Insights expects limited uptake of mobility solutions in the region.

"The smart healthcare organization will leverage on the mobile revolution running through the region and invest in both clinical mobility and mobile health for better clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction," advises Mukherjee.

Highlights of this report include:

• Investments in desktops and notebooks and servers remain on top of the list.
• When it comes to industry-specific solutions, EMR/EHR solutions will see the most investments in the next twelve months.
• A little over 50% of the organizations polled are currently outsourcing IT functions, with application management being the most commonly outsourced IT function.

For more information about this IDC Health Insights report, “Asia/Pacific (Excluding Japan) Healthcare IT Trends 2012 - 2013” (Doc # AP9296302U, August 2012), please contact Sheryl Fuertez at +65-6829-7758 or sfuertez @idc.com. To set up an interview with Sash Mukherjee, contact Lay Fang Tan at lftan@idc.com.

About IDC Health Insights

IDC Health Insights assists health businesses and IT leaders, as well as the suppliers who serve them, in making more effective technology decisions by providing accurate, timely, and insightful fact-based research and consulting services. Staffed by senior analysts with decades of industry experience, our global research analyzes and advises on business and technology issues facing the payer, provider and life sciences industries. International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology market. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world’s leading technology, media, research, and events company. For more information, please visit www.idc-hi.com, email info@idc-hi.com, or call 508-935-4445. Visit the IDC Health Insights Community at http://idc-insights-community.com/health .

About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy. More than 1,000 IDC analysts provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries worldwide. For more than 47 years, IDC has provided strategic insights to help our clients achieve their key business objectives. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research, and events company. You can learn more about IDC by visiting www.idc.com.

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