'Digital healthcare won't replace but assist doctors' - Vladimir Fedin, IT Director of Invitro

Digital transformation has become an integral part of success in a multitude of industries. Healthcare, being one of the key areas of activity, has not been left out of this progress. We talked about it with Vladimir Fedin, IT Director of Invitro. He shared his experience and knowledge of how information technology can improve diagnostic accuracy and provide more effective interaction with patients to deliver high-quality care.

Vladimir, you are engaged in automating business processes in the healthcare sector. Could you tell us more about the company you work for and the specifics of your work?

I am the IT Director of Invitro, a large network of laboratories and medical facilities. There are more than 250 people on the staff. All of them are under my direct subordination. My responsibility is in the area of information technology within this company.

Generic software products do not always turn out to be adapted to our specific needs. Therefore, we pay special attention to the development and optimization of our own digital solutions to ensure the effective functioning of the company.

What areas do you emphasize as the most relevant?

The IT Department includes three main blocks: development, information security, and maintenance of information systems. Developers create new solutions that help optimize business processes. Security specialists ensure data protection. This is a critical area, the task of which is to prevent unauthorized access, information theft, viruses, and other threats.

The functionality of the maintenance team includes support of existing information systems and software, correction of emerging errors, and updates. The interaction of these areas supports the effective functioning of the IT structure of the company.

What difficulties did you encounter in your work at the initial stages?

When I started working for the company, I found that information security left a lot to be desired. The whole system was quite vulnerable and subject to constant attacks, so I had to create a cyber defense framework from scratch. I designed and implemented a basic model that was compliant with the legislation.

Tell us about some of the usecases you have implemented.

We developed and released the first version of mobile applications for Invitro. We launched an internal electronic document management program, which significantly saved the company money on internal corporate exchanges. After that, we scaled the system so that it interacted with all our counterparties.

To optimize warehouse operations, we implemented a WMS, which allowed us to accurately track the availability of goods in the warehouse, conduct successful inventories and reduce resource losses.

A separate area of work was the implementation of an innovative biomaterial accounting system, which controls all stages and elements of logistics chains between central hubs and points visited by couriers. This made it possible to optimize and efficiently manage the delivery process and avoid unnecessary costs.

A real breakthrough was the introduction of a CRM system for the field crews. They now work with tablets, which has greatly simplified the process of placing orders with customers. Instead of piles of paper, they can confirm orders on the tablet, accept payments, and receive bios. This has saved the company a significant amount of money, allowed the teams to serve more customers, and improved overall efficiency.

Can you present the results in figures?

The work of the IT Department allowed us to cut video surveillance costs by half by upgrading equipment and implementing a new system. We also improved service availability from 82% to 99.6%. Additionally, we saved almost 60% of the company's printing costs. By launching electronic document management with patients, we ensured a more convenient and faster process of signing documents, which also contributed to cost reduction.

We successfully optimized workstations, reducing their cost by more than 10% while increasing their performance. The information security system reduced the number of fraudulent incidents, which in a large network sometimes reach 5 million per month.

What else? The main product we have optimized is the ordering system. After the changes were made, the time spent on it was reduced by 18%. The number of technical support calls decreased by 45%, and the number of overdue calls dropped from 12% to just 2%. Further down the line, this figure dropped to 1.8%.

In addition, we developed a system of flexible rules and loyalty, which allowed us to offer customers a wide range of different mechanisms, such as coupons and cashback. This project led to additional profits of hundreds of millions of rubles.

What helps you to maximize the effectiveness of your work?

It's simple: I am familiar with the specifics of the company's work. The fact is that I supervised Invitro's project activities for several years and even reached the position of lead manager. I can say that I have studied business processes from the inside, and understanding them allows me to identify weaknesses and develop more effective solutions in the field of automation. It was a useful experience.

Tell us about your future plans.

Now, I can confidently say that I am able to move the company from an average status, where IT was simply a service function, to a company where IT became the engine of progress and development. And I intend to continue my work to improve the quality of medical services. We will actively implement information solutions to optimize clinical processes, improve medical record management, and ensure secure storage and exchange of data.

Do you think technology will replace medical professionals in the near future?

We must understand that digital healthcare solutions won’t replace but assist doctors, and programmers are their friends. Our goal is to ensure effective interaction between patients and doctors, simplify access to medical information, increase diagnostic accuracy, and reduce response time to medical requests.

We also focus our efforts on improving the patient health monitoring system, using modern technologies to assess a person's condition, predict diseases, and prevent complications. Our commitment to implementing information solutions is based on the desire to provide our patients with better and more personalized healthcare, which is our top priority and the basis for our future initiatives.