DHA launches smart tool for healthcare investors

Dubai / Emirates Business

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) on Sunday held an event to launch a smart tool that will allow current and further healthcare investors to utilize the financial data using the Health Accounts System of Dubai (HASD).
The tool provides round-the-clock access to vital information to help enhance better decision-making in the health sector by comparing the organization’s financial standing with those in the peer group.
The tool will help all hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, health insurance companies and third party administrators in Dubai. Members of government entities, healthcare providers, insurance companies, third party administrators and other stakeholders were present at the event, which took place at Hyatt Regency in Dubai.
The event was conducted using advanced online meeting and video conferencing, and virtual attendees from 10 countries took part in the event.
The report has been shared with these stakeholders and they can access the detailed findings using the smart HASD tool.
Dr. Haidar Al Yousuf, Director of the Health Funding at the DHA, said: “We began the implementation of Emirate’s mandatory health insurance scheme in 2014 and today it is in the final stages, we are confident that when the roll-out is complete, the health expenditure will also increase substantially. The HASD report will help understand the allocation of funds, which is vital for all stakeholders in decision-making. It is imperative to monitor the flow of funds between different sources and different schemes and this report achieves just that. The fact, that this data can be analyzed using an online tool will significantly help healthcare entities including health insurance providers and TPA’s to benchmark their performance against the industry, to strategize to increase market share, and to improve efficiency.”
Al Yousuf said the Smart Health Accounts System of Dubai (HASD) is a tool that allows stakeholders to use HASD results for comparative analysis and evidence based decision-making. The tool is aligned with DHA goals of ensuring transparency, OPEN DATA and promoting investment. The tool is available free-of-cost and can be used by the current and future providers and investors.
Altijani Hussin, health economics consultant at DHA, added that although the health accounts is done in more than 100 countries, Smart HASD is the first-of-its-kind to allow comparative analysis at the level of healthcare providers, health insurance, and healthcare services based on an international methodology. The tool turns the technical data into two beneficial facts for investors: it measures the market share of their organizations from the total market in Dubai, and it compares their financial flow to peer groups in Dubai.
Hussin added that the DHA’s funding department provides complete support to investors by addressing all their queries including questions on healthcare expenditure. “We also monitor developments in the health sector such as where the health funds come from, which schemes are used to pool these funds, which providers received these funds, and what services are purchased.”
As per the HASD, the total health expenditure in Dubai was 12.77 Billion in 2014, out of which 70% was funded by the private sector. The total expenditure on health is expected to increase in the following years as more people become insured. Of the 12.77 Billion AED spent in 2014, 10.95 Billion AED was spend inside Dubai and 1.83 Billion outside Dubai. The Health expenditure of the private sector was 8.5 Billion AED and increase of 37% from 2012.
International speakers
The HASD event also included virtual participants from the World Health Organization regional office in Cairo, Amsterdam, USA etc. During their participation, the speakers highlighted the importance of conducting health accounts in parallel with the implementation of the Health Insurance Law in Dubai. They said that the use of the most updated methodologies and the use of Smart HASD will make Dubai a pioneer in the UAE and the region in the field of evidence-based health investment promotion.