OneCare Medical - Healthcare Outlook - issue 2

CUSTODIANS OF HEALTH

Preventative, accessible and professional healthcare.

That was the common aim of an experienced group of doctors who formed OneCare Medical in 2013, opening the very first clinic in Boon Lay that year.

One of those doctors was co-founder and CEO, Jimmy Chew. An accredited family physician, he completed his medical undergraduate studies at the National University of Singapore, obtaining a graduate diploma in family medicine before gaining a wealth of experience in both the surgical and medical departments of various public healthcare institutions in the country.

Chew, and the rest of the 180-strong OneCare Medical team, firmly believe that prevention is better than the cure. As such, the company aims to provide preventative healthcare by dealing with the prevention of illness to lower the associated effects and risk factors of disease.

“OneCare Medical is a primary care general practitioner (GP) chain providing affordable, accessible and quality healthcare services to the community,” begins Chew.

“We have been opening up to five clinics per year and currently we are operating 25 clinics, which are fairly well distributed throughout the whole of Singapore.”

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, close to half a million patients visited

OneCare Medical clinics every year. The majority of these clinics are located in the residential heartlands, making them the convenient choice for healthcare services.

PRIMARY CARE FOCUS

Such is the multitude of complex healthcare choices and treatment

options now available on the market, OneCare Medical’s team of family doctors try their utmost to enable patients to make the best decisions for their health.

Seeing to patients from across all age groups and demographics, the company strives to listen carefully to any health concerns, addressing them with informed discussions and clear explanations.

OneCare Medical clinics also have access to Singapore’s National Electronic Healthcare Record (NEHR), which enables continuity of care between various healthcare institutions in the city-state.

“We offer a full range of the usual primary care services including acute and chronic disease consultation, health screenings, vaccinations, statutory medical examinations for patients, and much more,” Chew outlines.

“First and foremost, our main focus is to make sure that we provide excellent and affordable primary care services. That’s what makes us different.”

OneCare Medical’s focus on primary care has been necessitated by the highly competitive nature of the healthcare industry, in which the company has sought to find its niche and be the best at it in order to stand out from the crowd.

“Competition is unavoidable in almost all industries and healthcare is

In an appointment with Dr Jimmy Chew, CEO of OneCare Medical, he tells us more about the company’s full range of healthcare services provided to patients in Singapore

Writer: Jack Salter

Project Manager: Callam Waller

no exception, so we try to be the best at what we do by providing highquality primary care to the masses.”

The concept of workplace health is also becoming increasingly relevant, as more and more companies recognise that future success in a globalising marketplace can only be achieved by a healthy, qualified and motivated workforce.

A healthy workplace environment ensures a flexible and dynamic

balance between meeting customer expectations and organisational targets, as well as the skills and health needs of employees.

As such, OneCare Medical also helps to relieve organisations of the strain of managing medical administration, providing monthly invoices and reports on employee health matters to ease the burden of healthcare administration tasks for companies.

HEALTHCARE OUTLOOK: WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT TAKE ON THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY IN SINGAPORE?

JIMMY CHEW, CEO: “Singapore’s healthcare system in general is pretty efficient with fairly good standards.

“We have competent, well-trained healthcare professionals in Singapore, so I would say that the system is trusted by citizens to take care of their health needs.

“Of course, with an ageing population comes the increasing burden of chronic diseases, so we at OneCare Medical have to plan ahead to be able to deal with that, together with making sure that healthcare costs don’t spiral out of control.

“As for the COVID-19 pandemic, I believe the whole nation plays a very important role in the response. So far, we have avoided some of the worstcase scenarios whereby the healthcare system becomes overwhelmed and healthcare professionals are put in a difficult position.

“We have mostly been able to prepare for what we expected to happen during the pandemic. There have been some unexpected challenges, but more or less we have managed to overcome them.

“In the private sector we have definitely seen a reduction in patient numbers, so that has affected revenue for a lot of private practices, but that is probably due to people working from home or avoiding clinics for less serious illnesses.”

SPECIALIST PARTNERS

Most OneCare Medical clinics are open seven days a week, an attractive proposition for patients in search of doctors that are always there to attend to their primary care needs, whenever and wherever they require it.

Indeed, accessible healthcare for OneCare Medical is not just about having a number of clinics well distributed across Singapore, but also the availability of doctors.

Complemented by supporting services such as telehealth, radiology and appointment booking systems, OneCare Medical relies on partners to further diversify and provide a more complete, specialised primary care service.

“We work with laboratory, homecare, ancillary and specialist service providers; these are things

that help to add value to our patients’ healthcare experiences,” Chew says.

For example, OneCare Medical has been working very closely with StarMed Specialist Centre, an advanced one-stop specialist centre with a comprehensive range of clinics and services.

“Because we are focused on primary care, we do not really have our own specialists. That’s where the likes of StarMed Specialist Centre come in, to help us create a healthcare ecosystem,” Chew reveals.

“We both have a common investor called Health Management International (HMI) Group, which has invested in ourselves and StarMed Specialist Centre to form this synergistic collaboration.”

In 2019, HMI Group invested in 40 percent of OneCare Medical with the

PromiseLand is an Independent Financial Advisory Firm and General Insurance Broker founded in 1986 and headquartered in Singapore.

We have had the privilege of serving OneCare Medical since its establishment in 2013, by brokering Insurance for the group spanning from Business Insurance and Medical Malpractice Insurance to Group Hospital and Surgical Insurance.

With Business Insurance, healthcare facilities are protected and business can continue even in the face of natural disasters or hazards.

Medical Malpractice Insurance covers any claims from patients resulting from any negligent act, error or omission. It also covers the insured against any claim made by any person for written or spoken libel or slander. Where standard professional indemnity covers the risk of financial loss, Medical Malpractice covers situations where an error of judgement could result in either life or death. Various extensions also broaden the coverage of the Insured to cover any medically qualified Employee in respect of any legal liability arising from giving emergency first aid to any person, and more.

We can also arrange cover for valued staff and medical practitioners under the group hospital and surgical insurance so that they are financially protected from costs arising from such medical treatment.

Please contact PromiseLand Independent for financial and risk management needs through our email at enquiries@promiseland.com.sg or call +65 8029 2192.

www.promiseland.com.sg

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UNO Technologies

UNO Tech powering clinical operations and management

UNO Technologies is a med-tech firm based in Singapore. Founded in 2015, it has since offered its med-tech solutions to over 2,000 practitioners in the APAC region, particularly Singapore, Malaysia, and China.

UNO Tech’s core product, the UNO Clinic Management System (CMS), designed to improve healthcare efficiency, quality and patient outcome. The CMS has since served over one-million patients - averaging 350,000 patients yearly.

ONECARE MEDICAL SERVICES

FOR EVERYONE – As well as providing a full range of services, OneCare Medical is also able to offer patients statutory check ups, vaccinations and the convenience of repeat prescription requests.

FOR SCHOOLS – OneCare

Medical is an experienced provider of onsite medical check-ups for students attending the Outward Bound Singapore (OBS) programme, dedicated to giving students, parents and teachers peace of mind.

FOR BUSINESSES – Working with various companies and organisations on the provision of primary care, including subsidised rates for medication, consultation and check-ups.

intention of growing it into a clinic chain of 40 GPs in Singapore, and has since taken a majority stake in the company.

A growing regional private healthcare provider with a presence in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, it shows that HMI Group is focused on growing its existing healthcare businesses.

OneCare Medical has also recently collaborated with healthcare technology solutions provider Ninkatec to offer homecare services and personalised home-based healthcare solutions for elderly patients.

These services are wide-ranging, and include medical and nursing home visits, procedures and other treatments. It is a revolutionary step forward for primary care services, with the rapid acceleration of novel healthcare innovations helping to improve patient wellbeing.

The partnership coincides with efforts to make medical services available to patients in the comfort of their own homes, the benefits of which comprise convenience, peace of mind and safety.

By moving beyond the physical walls of its clinics, OneCare Medical

UNO Tech has been in partnership with OneCare Medical Group for more than five years - providing OneCare with latest solutions in clinic management and Electronic Medical Records (EMR). Giving OneCare centralised control and management over its multiple locations and provide high quality patient care efficiently with ease.

The tech-driven OneCare team had the foresight to be one of the pioneering clinic groups in Singapore to go cloud-based with UNO CMS. This was pivotal in their growth and success as they scaled from 10 clinics in 2016 to 26 clinics in 2021.

UNO Tech remains committed to improving healthcare quality and efficiency for private practitioners. Besides EMR and CMS, telemedicine services were also launched in 2021, amid the COVID-19 endemic in Singapore, enabling patients affected by COVID-19 to seek medical advice remotely and safely.

Research and development in

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is another area UNO Tech is focusing on as it foresees the healthcare industry to be the next industry ripe for AI disruption.

www.essexbio.com

THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN BEFORE COVID-19 SAFE DISTANCING MEASURES WERE APPLICABLE IN SINGAPORE

can extend its reach into the homes of more patients and families with an increasing number of treatments.

SCALING UP THE BUSINESS

The 25th and latest addition to the OneCare Medical family is Beo Crescent Clinic & Surgery, having been acquired by the company in October 2021.

Conveniently located in central Singapore, this independent GP clinic has been providing basic primary healthcare services to the local community for the past 10 years.

With this experience in mind, it means that Beo Crescent Clinic & Surgery has been able to seamlessly embrace the common, shared values of the OneCare Medical network.

“They can leverage our resources to expand their services, as well as potentially extend their operating hours,” states Chew. “As part of the OneCare Medical family, they are now able to enjoy our economy of skills which can

also reduce their running costs.”

In addition to pursuing more acquisitions, the establishment of a new central support office has further helped to scale up the business. Complete with accounting, logistics, central purchasing and operational departments, the capabilities of this central support office continue to grow.

It has also enabled OneCare Medical to set up more clinics, such as the likes of Beo Crescent Clinic & Surgery, and support them in a scalable manner.

“Every time we start up a clinic, the processes are really fine-tuned and that makes things easier,” Chew notes. “Of course, when it comes to the operational needs of the clinic, the central support office brings a huge number of benefits because we have everything in place.”

PANDEMIC RESPONSE

All OneCare Medical clinics are able to administer recommended vaccines

Innoquest Diagnostics

Innoquest Diagnostics is proud to be a laboratory provider for OneCare Medical Group’s doctors and clinics since their inception in 2016.

We are privileged to have been a part of OneCare’s growth from a single clinic to over 25 clinics to date. As a valued partner, we look forward to working closely with OneCare in serving the nation and achieving greater heights of success and prosperity together.

www.innoquest.com.sg

for adults and children, including COVID-19 vaccines in some of the clinics.

OneCare Medical has participated in the national vaccination programme against COVID-19, and as part of the Singapore Ministry of Health’s network of Public Health Preparedness Clinics, the company has helped to diagnose and treat COVID-19 patients.

The proximity of clinics and consultations to affected patients and communities across Singapore has helped to reduce the transmission of this infectious disease as OneCare Medical’s services, which include providing COVID-19 swabs, are widely available across the country, negating the need to travel to multiple locations.

Singapore currently has a case fatality rate of just 0.29 percent, one of the lowest in the world, and OneCare Medical has helped to play its part in this success.

and Quest Laboratories (QUEST) merged to become Innoquest Diagnostics Pte Ltd (Innoquest). IDPL and Quest have been serving our medical community for over 25 years.

The merger allows for more efficient economies of scale, faster turnaround times and an expanded menu of tests to improve diagnostics access to all of Singapore’s doctors and patients. Innoquest also stands as one of a few labs in Southeast Asia to hold dual accreditation to CAP and SAC-SINGLAS ISO 15189.

We continuously strive to advance frontiers in medical science and build Singapore’s laboratory of the future in our mission to transform healthcare delivery and improve patient outcomes in pursuit of science, innovating for life.

HEADQUARTERS OFFICE

STARHUB GREEN

67 Ubi Avenue 1, South Wing

#02-08/09, Singapore 408942

Tel: +65 6430 3461

Fax: +65 6254 8115 / 8266

www.innoquest.com.sg

to fulfil all of our daily tasks as well as handle challenges and fight against unexpected events such as the pandemic. It requires them to be courageous as well as professional.

“We encourage our staff to support each other, and we have career planning in place for most of them, so they are able to grow with us as the company grows,” adds Chew.

“We have mobilised our manpower to help manage key community facilities, used to manage COVID-19 patients who do not require tertiary care, so these are things that we have been doing to help with the pandemic response,” shares Chew.

The support of suppliers has also never been more paramount, to ensure the company is adequately and reliably equipped with pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and consumables.

“We have to trust our suppliers to make sure that quality control procedures are in place and that they

are able to restock our supplies in a timely manner.

“That way, we can ensure that there’s a good balance been the shelf life of products, having stock ready, and making sure our warehouse capacity is optimised. All these things come together to make sure that our operational requirements are met,” Chew continues.

In what has been a truly testing time for healthcare staff during the COVID19 pandemic, the hard work and professionalism of OneCare Medical’s staff cannot be overemphasised.

“Teamwork is especially important,

In doing so, OneCare Medical will continue to provide preventative, accessible and professional healthcare to residents across the heartlands of Singapore, with the hope of becoming a recognisable, trusted brand.

Tel: 63522639

contactus@onecaremedical.com.sg www.onecaremedical.com.sg

“TEAMWORK IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT, TO FULFIL ALL OF OUR DAILY TASKS AS WELL AS HANDLE CHALLENGES AND FIGHT AGAINST UNEXPECTED EVENTS SUCH AS THE PANDEMIC”

– JIMMY CHEW, CEO, ONECARE MEDICAL

On 31st March 2021, Innovative Diagnostics (IDPL)

In pursuit of science, innovating for life

Jurong

Tel: 63522639

contactus@onecaremedical.com.sg

www.onecaremedical.com.sg