Compassana, a new community project resulting from a unique alliance between Medbase, Hirslanden, Groupe Mutuel, Helsana and SWICA, was recently launched. Compassana is an innovative healthcare ecosystem platform whose mission is to facilitate the coordination of outpatient, inpatient and digital services in healthcare systems. The goal is to bring together insurers, doctors and their practices as well as private hospitals under one roof to facilitate data exchange. Everything will be electronic. However, the patient can set limits and control the flow of his data.
A digital health ecosystem
The five healthcare players Medbase, Hirslanden, Groupe Mutuel, Helsana and SWICA are joining forces to create a new digital healthcare ecosystem that aims to improve coordination in medical care.
This project, which takes the form of a joint venture called “Bluespace”, is open to all players in the healthcare system, including medical and paramedical specialists, health insurance companies and suppliers of new technologies. The main objective of the initiative is to unite and simplify the exchanges between all the protagonists of the health care system and to develop in synergy innovative solutions that simplify the life of the patients, while making the health care system more efficient.
A complete and autonomous portal
How to bring together the key players? The Compassana project takes the form of a digital portal facilitating the exchange and coordination of inpatient, outpatient and digital health services. This platform offers greater autonomy to patients. They can thus organize their own personal care. By providing access to their personal medical information, this process allows users to take more responsibility.
Symptom checking, online appointment booking and teleconsultations will be part of the offer, but the ambitions of the project go even further. Indeed, medically optimized care paths will be set up. They will be assisted by digital means.
Controversial opinions
Thomas Boyer, general manager of Groupe Mutuel, says on the 12:30 news that this platform is an additional service for the patient because it is available 24 hours a day. He goes on to say that the platform allows for easier access to providers and, he hopes, also for optimized quality thanks to a better connection of professionals. The goal is to avoid duplicate reviews. Currently, health care providers cannot communicate with each other the results of medical examinations that have already been performed, for example. Compassana would help to overcome this medical problem.
Simon Zurich, vice-president of the Swiss Patients’ Federation, counters Thomas Boyer’s comments by saying that this new platform represents a real waste of patients’ and insured persons’ money. He believes that Compassana does not bring any added value, because a system already exists: CARA. CARA is the result of the association of the French-speaking cantons that have worked to set up the electronic patient file (EPR). The law governing the EPR stipulates that insurers are currently excluded. Simon Zurich reveals that insurers have wanted access to patient data for many years. To do so, they are creating private initiatives to create a type of electronic patient file and thus gain access to valuable data. Simon Zurich believes that the trend should be towards a single certified and controlled player.