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| 1st Bacolod Healthcare Information Management Conference |
Various academe, government and industry leaders pledged their commitment to support the goal of Bacolod and Negros Occidental in creating at least 5,000 jobs in the healthcare information management (HIM) sector by 2022.
In 2014, the Bacolod-Negros Occidental Federation for Information and Communications Technology (BNEFIT) has set the goal to achieve at least 60,000 jobs in the ICT industry by 2022, including HIM jobs.
The 1st Bacolod Healthcare Information Management (HIM) Conference held last August 17 and 18, 2017 at SMX Convention Center – Bacolod successfully gathered local stakeholders to scale up the potential of the countryside in attracting HIM jobs, opportunities and investments, and bring everyone on the same page in the area of HIM education and training. The first day saw more than 300 students while the second day gathered leaders and executives from colleges universities and training institutions, medical and healthcare and IT companies, national and local government executives, real estate developers and other private-sector stakeholders.
Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Maraňon, Jr. in his speech said the province is “at the threshold of a new beginning to expand and conquer another industry – the healthcare information management.
Our joint target with BNEFIT for Bacolod and Negros Occidental is to successfully expand to three areas - software development, a creative process like game development and animation and in healthcare information management, Maraňon said.
BNEFIT Executive Director Jocelle Batapa-Sigue said of this target, 5,000 are targeted to be from the HIM sector which covers the whole spectrum of health services that require voice, non-voice, data analytics and information management such as medical coding and billing, and medical transcription, among others.
The Healthcare Information Management of the Philippines (HIMAP) Director Raymond Ang said the healthcare BPO market is projected to reach US$ 276.79 Billion by 2021 from US$170.47 Billion in 2016, growing at a CAGR of 10.2% during the forecast period from 2016 to 2021. In the Philippines, as of 2016, there are 118,000 workers in HIM and we the projected annual growth rate of 10 percent, the industry forecast is 210,000 jobs by 2022, Ang in his presentation said.
Judilyn Caňete, president of MedStar Philippines Healthcare Information Management, a New York based company which recently expanded to Bacolod encouraged the HIM conference delegates to concentrate on training and certifying the local workforce for medical coding and billing. She said her company is open to partnerships with schools on how to create scholarships for trainees in coding and billing.
After his Manila site, Butch Valenzuela, president of Visaya KPO, is eyeing Bacolod as an expansion site for health-related voice BPO jobs. Valenzuela said the local stakeholders must develop its talent supply to address the requirements of the HIM industry.
Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary Monchito Ibrahim, in his keynote address, commended BNEFIT and the local stakeholders for anticipating and preparing for the growth of the HIM industry. He said stressed there is a need to change mindset especially in the minds of young people about how the business process outsourcing industry is moving towards high skilled jobs.
The two-day event was organized by BNEFIT to explore potential synergies in creating innovative platforms for delivering global HIM services, discover the magic of HIM education to create jobs and investments for countryside development and create a conducive ecosystem for HIM jobs and investments.
The roster of resources speakers includes Ibrahim, Caňete, Valenzuela, Ang, Sammy De Leon, president of SSP Virtual Assistants in Davao, Zeno Martinez, publisher of TechBlade.PH, Jay Errol Aray, site director of Hinduja Global Solutions in Iloilo, Emmy Lou Versoza – Delfin, Director for Innovation of the DICT, Kristelle Lynne Ong, president of Philippine Call Center Institute, Vida Candida Arciaga, Vice President for Human Resources of XL Service Philippines, Diego Jose Ramos, President of Medical Tourism PH, Merle Salvani, Region 6 Governor of Philippine Nurses Association (PNA), Leif Brian Margallo, Founder and CEO of Virtual Workforce Professionals, Inc., Levi Trio and Anthony Visitacion of Teleperformance and Dorothy Londres.
/JBS
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