Healthcare IT

Digital network increases healthcare access

Digitalization makes healthcare delivery in Brazil uncomplicated and affordable.

5min

Nadine Meru

Published on February 28, 2025

In São Paulo, more than 30 outpatient facilities are digitally connected, and over 570,000 people were continuously monitored by Galileu Health in the first year. The goal is connecting patients with the appropriate services so that they can proactively manage their own health. In turn, preventive and proactive health activities can reduce financial costs for the healthcare system.

In addition to the high costs that could be saved in the healthcare sector by reducing serious illnesses, patients can also be educated to become more aware of their own health. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by all United Nations member states in 2015, set the goal to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages [1]. Achieving universal health coverage with financial security requires efficient, accessible, and adequate healthcare.

Many people are reluctant to seek medical care, even if they should. To better understand the reasons behind this reluctance, researchers used data collected as part of the U.S. Health Information National Trends Survey to categorize possible causes. A total of 7,674 participants were asked whether they avoided going to the physician even when they suspected they should. More than 30 percent said they avoided doctors' visits, with reasons including a lack of time, high costs, a lack of health insurance, inconvenient clinic hours, and transportation difficulties [2]. To help address this reluctance, Siemens Healthineers developed a digital solution that aims to overcome many of these hurdles.

A patient is having a video call to receive medical consultation.

A digital network offers patients the ability to download an app or use video calls to receive medical consultations. This self-explanatory digital technology gives people virtual contact with a doctor when network reception is available and encourages them to take care of their own health and recovery.

In addition to the many reasons for this unwillingness to be examined, the situation exists in both rural areas and densely populated cities with millions of inhabitants. These areas face the challenge of creating an efficient healthcare infrastructure that makes accessing primary medical care as easy as possible.

Medical education and accessibility

São Paulo is one of the 26 states of the Federative Republic of Brazil and had more than 44 million inhabitants in 2022. Galileu Health is a Brazilian ecosystem of solutions that orchestrates the entire healthcare system to generate value for people through care management in intelligent journeys and innovative technology. The company reaches the general population using digital health tools that increase access to healthcare.

Digital health is an overarching term that includes eHealth (e.g., patient engagement, care collaboration, tele and video consultations, electronic health records, and interoperability) and technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). Galileu Health offers a digital network for healthcare providers and patients in the form of a digital health platform. This technology provides interoperability with eHealth Solutions from Siemens Healthineers via standardized interfaces that allow systems to communicate with each other.¹

By collecting medical data and allowing direct exchange between patients and the medical team, the platform enables better prevention, faster recovery, and knowledge sharing. More than 30 outpatient facilities have joined the network, including UBS Jardim São Bento, to provide their patients with easy access to primary medical care.

Jônatas Lima de Bem, MD, Supervising Doctor, CEJAM, São Paulo, Brazil

Digitalization brings value to patients’ lives

The digital health platform is very simple and intuitive to use. With functionalities like telediagnosis, it facilitates telehealth services and teleconsultations with specialists. It also allows patients to download a smartphone app to start an interaction using AI. Those who are not familiar with or able to use apps can talk to a specialist via a video consultation, sitting in quiet rooms offered by local hospitals.

All types of patient interactions with healthcare providers are digitally captured and can be analyzed using a variety of AI protocols, while maintaining confidentiality. For example, a patient can fill in a self-explanatory health questionnaire and AI will help put the patient on a care path. This digital health system also allows severity to be classified and assigned to possible symptoms, which means that prevention can be initiated more quickly. “For the doctor on the front line, this speeds up diagnosis and enables more specific treatment,” explains Jônatas Lima de Bem, MD, supervising doctor at CEJAM in São Paulo.

Maria Aparecida tells her experience with digital health.

A secure tool which gains popularity

Since Galileu Health implemented this comprehensive platform a year ago, more than 570,000 patients have been using it. “It is robust, secure, and provides peace of mind in my daily work. I know that data is accessible, and I know the platform will be online whenever I need it,” says Tiago Frigini, Director of Technology at Galileu Health.

A statistical survey conducted by Galileu Health indicates that using the digital platform's connectivity has allowed their hospitals to prevent stroke in 240 cases of atrial fibrillation within the first 12 months.

We've already had centers, for example, where a patient presented with chest pain that didn't seem typical, and they were quickly given an ECG in less than six minutes. The ECG results came back indicating that the person was indeed having a heart attack. This speeds up diagnosis and enables more specific treatment.
Jônatas Lima de Bem, MD, Supervising Doctor, CEJAM, São Paulo, Brazil

The following results were collected after 12 months and show how the Galileu Health platform was received:

570,000 patients joined the digital network in Sao Paulo. — 570,000 patients joined the digital network in São Paulo in the first year.

Reduced waiting times and impact on the healthcare system

The digital health program reduces waiting times and the need for hospitalization, which has a significant impact on the entire healthcare network. Galileu Health’s approach not only improves patient outcomes, but also makes the healthcare system more financially sustainable. It makes it easier to identify avoidable costs for hospital stays and unnecessary interventions. The digital health platform could help to optimize health expenditure and improve the overall efficiency of the system, as visits to the emergency room were reduced by 41 percent, hospital admissions by 35 percent, and monthly costs by 18 percent.

Clévia Pampolha explains the virtual healthcare journey.

Digitalization will become increasingly important in the future, as it brings sustainability to healthcare systems. Solutions such as this digital health platform can serve as a model for all healthcare systems worldwide.

Jônatas Lima de Bem sums up by saying, “The most significant aspect of this solution is that we can act before the disease has become established, before symptoms even appear.” In other words, as Clévia Pampolha, manager of UBS Jardim São Bento, says: “It's like the patient is the sun and everything revolves around them, focusing on care, on their individual care pathway, and this encourages them to engage in their own health and recovery process.”

By Nadine Meru

Nadine Meru has a PhD in biology. She works as a digital editor at Siemens Healthineers, specializing in innovative technology, digitalization and eHealth solutions, and workforce shortages.

Disclaimer:

¹ eHealth Solutions consist of several products. eHealth Virtual Visit and eHealth Stroke are manufactured by Siemens Healthineers, Erlangen, Germany. All other products of eHealth Solutions are manufactured by ITH icoserve technology for healthcare GmbH – A Siemens Healthineers Company, Innsbruck, Austria. Products of eHealth Solutions are not intended for diagnostic purposes. The product offerings are not commercially available in all countries. Please contact your local Siemens Healthineers organization for further information.

The statements, data and statistics were provided by the customer of Siemens Healthineers. What were described herein are based on results that were achieved in the customer’s unique setting. Because there is no “typical” hospital or clinical institution and many variables exist (e.g., hospital size, samples mix, case mix, level of IT and/or automation adoption) there can be no guarantee that other customers will achieve the same results.

The product names and/or brands referred to are the property of their respective trademark holders.

References:

[1] United Nations. The 17 Goals. United Nations Department of Global Communications. Available at https://sdgs.un.org/goals. Last accessed Feb 20, 2025.

[2] Taber JM, Leyva B, Persoskie A. Why do people avoid medical care? A qualitative study using national data. J Gen Intern Med. 2015;30(3):290–7. Available at https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4351276/. Last accessed Feb 20, 2025.