Deloitte, the business advisory firm, has launched the Deloitte UK Centre for Health Solutions – a new research hub for the healthcare and life sciences industry, led by Karen Taylor OBE, the former Director of Health Value for Money at the National Audit Office.

The Centre will provide insights for the firm’s healthcare and life sciences clients, helping Deloitte’s aim to become the market leading adviser. It will actively promote an environment that encourages and supports innovation in health solutions, driving independent and objective research analysis into the most complex industry issues; creating and publishing evidence-based insights and points of view.

Simon Hammett, UK and EMEA healthcare and life sciences leader at Deloitte, comments: “The Centre is a significant investment by the firm and a key enabler of our strategy to develop the capabilities of the healthcare and life sciences practice in the UK and on the international stage.

“The Centre will cover a broad health and life sciences agenda, from pharmaceuticals and medical innovation, healthcare management and reform, to the patient and healthcare consumer. It will contribute to both a private and public sector perspective, placing Deloitte at the forefront of industry debate.”

Rebecca George OBE, UK public sector health practice leader, adds: “At this time of great change and challenge for the NHS, the Centre will provide evidence-based analysis across organisational, regional and institutional boundaries. It will provide insight into the delivery of complex services in a fast changing environment which will help me and my teams deliver even more effective and targeted services.”

The Centre, comprising a team of researchers, led by Karen Taylor OBE, and assisted by Dr Karen Young, senior research manager, will work collaboratively with Deloitte’s industry practitioners, and the firm’s wider research teams.

Karen Taylor OBE, Deloitte UK Centre for Health Solutions research director, says: “The environment in which healthcare and life sciences operate has never been more challenging, both financially and in terms of balancing the supply of and demand for services. With significant changes afoot in the healthcare sector, there will be numerous opportunities and challenges in the sector, particularly in light of the challenging financial climate.

“Against this background, I am delighted to have the opportunity to lead such an exciting and ambitious initiative, at a pivotal and challenging time in the development of new science and innovation within the healthcare and life sciences industry.

“I am a strong advocate of action based on evidence. The Centre, aims to identify solutions that involve new business models, new incentives, and accelerated use of new technology, such as information technologies, and which shift the focus of healthcare from providers to consumers. We will focus our research to provide a balanced, evidence-based view that will present insights, identify solutions and intelligence that influences policy makers, informs our clients and, importantly, benefits the end user, the patient.”

Source: www.top-consultant.com

CSC has signed a non-binding Letter of Intent with the UK Department of Health (NHS) that defines a way forward for CSC to deliver healthcare solutions and services, primarily across the North, the Midlands and East of England, in support of the NHS’ reform agenda. In connection with the announcement, CSC filed a Current Report on Form 8-K with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Letter of Intent reflects a new approach, moving toward a construct of more localized initiatives, reflecting the shift to more devolved decision-making and budgetary control within the NHS. Systems will continue to meet agreed rigorous national standards and will improve connectivity and interoperability of health providers in order to enhance overall patient care in England.

The principles contained in the Letter of Intent are intended to establish a framework for a broad agreement to be entered into by the parties by 31 March 2012. As a part of this agreement, it is intended that CSC will contract to deliver additional Lorenzo implementations, adding to the 10 deployed successfully to date, with options for more where demand materializes. CSC is confident that Lorenzo’s modern technology base and the fact that it has been specifically designed in collaboration with the NHS, should result in further demand in the future.

Beyond Lorenzo, CSC provides a wide range of other solutions and services to the NHS, including General Practitioner, ambulance, and community systems, and digital imaging, and these services will continue.

CSC believes that the principles contained in the Letter of Intent represent the appropriate way to support the NHS’ reform agenda, providing value for money to taxpayers and, through technology, significantly improving standards of patient care in England.

Source:  www.top-consultant.com

CSC has signed an agreement to acquire all of the outstanding equity of iSOFT Group Limited, one of the world’s largest providers of advanced healthcare IT solutions, by way of a court-approved scheme of arrangement. SCS said the acquisition will accelerate CSC’s strategic growth plan in the Life Sciences market and reinforce the company as a very strong player in healthcare information technology.

Troubled healthcare software firm iSoft was the subcontractor to key National Programme for IT (NPfIT) suppliers Accenture and CSC. Protracted delays in rolling out its Lorenzo platform eventually led to Accenture abandoning most of its £2bn in NPfIT contracts. CSC, the lead contractor in three out of five regions for the NHS’s £12.4 billion IT overhaul, was left as iSoft’s main partner in the massive health IT project.

Most recently, CSC and iSoft failed to meet a deadline in March for installing Lorenzo at the Pennine Acute Hospital Trust and have been unable to receive key payments from the Department of Health (DoH).

The offer to iSOFT shareholders is at A$0.17 per share in cash, putting the value of the company at £120 million. Closing of the transaction is expected during CSC’s Q2FY12, and is subject to various conditions, including, among others, iSOFT shareholder approval and certain Australian and EU regulatory approvals.

Adding iSOFT’s 3,300 global employees including those from major research and development centers in India, Spain, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Central Europe, will expand CSC’s capability to support existing customers, develop more innovative solutions, and add a robust set of clients in new and emerging markets.

“The combination of these companies will further establish CSC as an innovative leader in global healthcare IT,” said Michael W. Laphen, CSC chairman, president and chief executive officer. “Through our combined experience in global healthcare delivery, complementary world-class healthcare software solutions, and enhanced capabilities in system integration, outsourcing and process management, we are forming a compelling lifecycle of services to better serve our global clients and improve patient care.”

More than 13,000 healthcare providers and governments in 40 countries use iSOFT’s e-health software solutions to manage patient information and drive improvements in their core processes. With the expertise and experience of more than 1,300 development professionals and more than 200 clinicians, iSOFT solutions touch more than 200 million patients across five continents every day, and its systems are installed in more than 8,000 hospitals and clinics. This scale has allowed iSOFT to keep abreast of the latest trends in healthcare technology and practices and translate them into innovative and practical solutions.

“iSOFT’s Electronic Health Record software and services, coupled with CSC’s global healthcare expertise and delivery capabilities, will create a very powerful force in the global healthcare market to enhance the provision of integrated care,” said Andrea Fiumicelli, chief executive officer of iSOFT. “This is a great development for iSOFT’s employees as they will have the opportunity to continue their important work in healthcare IT whilst developing their careers across CSC’s global business.”

“When completed, this acquisition will be a critical step in the expansion of our global healthcare business. CSC will be at the forefront of emerging healthcare technologies, giving our clients access to an expanded range of healthcare capabilities and continuing our journey of bringing the vision of a single patient record to life,” Laphen added.

Perella Weinberg Partners LP is acting as financial advisor to CSC and Jones Day is acting as legal advisor to CSC.

Source:  Top-Consultant