It is crucial for healthcare industries to operate effectively at par with modern requirements and for that, we need intelligent solutions. Today, many organizations are competing against each other towards the common goal of developing the healthcare sector so that humankind never has to wait to get proper care and basic amenities irrespective of their social and economic status. Leading one of such groups is Kenneth Kee, the CEO of Origin Integrated Studios, an organization that works closely with healthcare providers to understand their vital requisites and offers customized solutions to their problems. Their mission is to make an impact by becoming a household brand in the healthcare industry and focusing on the long-term and trusting relationship with our customers- the main ingredient of successful project implementations and longevity.
Having started his career as a business executive, Kenneth was well aware of all the processes that go behind building a successful business along with the paperwork that goes with it and the tools that are essential to developing as an enterprise. Sharing how it helped him build Origin Integrated Studios, he says, “My previous company was like a distributor representing many overseas products and solutions. I have been through tough times and challenges, understanding the business of enterprise software solutions, etc. About 15 years ago, I was selling document management and scanning solutions. Then somehow in between, there was a hospital that bought our solution to scan in medical records. Somehow the idea came about when they were looking for EMR. But the idea of EMR then was just scan, search and retrieve while medical folders still have to float around between doctors, nurses, and medical record departments. Basically, there was no digital form with workflow. I saw the gap and we were then toying the idea of EMR by prototyping how doctors can write notes and do prescription orders using a tablet notebook. We started our integration with our client existing hospital information system until our client gave us the opportunity to build to replace its End of Life HIS. There were only 8 of us when Origin was incorporated to take on this project. We started with little funds among the founding members growing organically from one 1st hospital project to 21 hospitals, from 8 to 28 staff.”
“ I see the current uncertainty as an opportunity to strive harder in the area where I didn’t see them as important in the past.”
The formula of standing out in the market
In the initial years of any business, obviously, the first challenge is to stabilize the product according to the market, and the second part is to advance it. Kenneth’s idea was to digitalize as many aspects of the workflow as possible such as the nursing forms to achieve maximum efficiency and much less time consumption and errors. Above that, to be able to compete with both foreign and the local HIS players were one of the most difficult tasks. As they were already offering a new technology on the latest platform with EMR features and functionalities that the current HIS players did not have yet, their clients gave them the opportunity to do the hard work and overcome all the obstacles and doubts along the way to prove their capability. When asked whether the uncertainty in the initial phase of setting up his business ever affected his spirit, Kenneth chuckles and says, “Actually no, because I see the current uncertainty as an opportunity to strive harder in the area where I didn’t see them as important in the past such as using various tools to manage and conduct my business.”
Taking it from Kenneth, in some ways he was inspired by his ex-boss in his ways of doing business but his major inspiration has been watching how a Malaysian-based company called Silverlake Axis, run by Dr. Goh Peng Ooi became a global player in the banking industry. And what would be the most contributing factors to his own success and growth? Kenneth believes it would be his most valuable resource- his people who work as a team to solve any problems that come their way. Apart from this, it is their customer obsession for providing them with cost-effective solutions fitting to their needs along with ongoing technical and consultancy support. Also, being a peoples’ company, Origin Integrated Studios focuses on building long-term relationships based on trust and support be it with the partners or the customers. However, as per Kenneth, if he were to enlist the major features that clearly distinguish Origin Integrated Studios from their competitors, they would be:
Their successful implementation across all modules and subspecialty modules.
Their continuous innovation of technology across every implementation and R&D.
They have relatively good functions compared to their competitors plus Digital form.
Fast implementation of 3 to 6 months for small to a mid-size project while 6 to 9 months for a larger project of 250 beds and beyond.
Their system adopts well into existing cultures by incorporating a robust technology framework into existing clinical workflow while enhancing said workflow.
Persistency in solving problems and finishing the job.
They gain traction through word of mouth.
“Our winning is not just winning over our competitors but delivering our solutions up our customer satisfaction.”
Growth strategies and risk management amidst Covid-19
Origin Integrated Studios is currently operating locally in Malaysia with its marketing partner in Indonesia. Their upcoming goal is to expand across the Philippines, Vietnam, and possibly Cambodia when the borders open with the help of their existing customer expansion plan designed according to these markets. As for their market position, Origin Integrated Studios is the leading EMR solution provider with the biggest share of the market under their grasp which offers the only locally developed application software completely owned by a Malaysian. Their target market is currently private hospitals and clinics; however, the company is looking forward to exploring the public sector in the coming future as well.
Moving on some of the major issues that remain are the lack of eligible human resources and time constraints. Moreover, due to the pandemic and existing social distancing norms, like any other business Origin Integrated Studios is working hard to keep up their project implementation and sales activities while working remotely over calls and video conferences. Kenneth shares, “We are currently implementing a project remotely for a hospital in Jakarta. Due to the recent COVID-19 development, a lot of technology focus has been towards mobile adoption and telemedicine in the Healthcare industry. Origin has helped facilitate this demand from hospitals by providing endpoint integration with mobile and teleconferencing services which act as a bridge between hospitals and patients. In this context, the company integrated its solutions to an external mobile appointment system to facilitate the patients in direct online banking payment. Utilizing this exclusive offering from their end, patients can now make payment after teleconsultation for consultation services and medication to be delivered at their doorsteps.”
What’s “winning”
In upcoming years, Origin Integrated Studios is expecting to have exciting features and functionalities to cater for integration with mobile apps such as telehealth, m-Health, and telemedicine. They will be working towards the adoption of complex clinical solutions and reaching out to consumers based by launching patient-centric apps containing their demographic and clinical history. Besides, they are looking into the evolution of clinical data with a focus on AI for clinical research. Kenneth asserts, “As we grow, we are becoming more structured in the future where we have division to handle HR, Finance, Admin, while technical division is now divided into technical support team, R&D team, implementation team, integration team, and finance support team. The team members are in great harmony with each other even while working with the new norm of ‘Working from Home’, owing to the COVID-19 outbreak. I acknowledge and appreciate the diverse talent that has been assembled in the workforce; making strenuous efforts to retain them in the organization.”
Ultimately his vision for Origin Integrated Studios is simple. He says, “Our winning is not just winning over our competitors but delivering our solutions up our customer satisfaction. It means keeping our talent resources with us so that we can continue to grow our team and together with the increasing number of hospitals continue using our application software for the long term.”
