The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) formally turned over the outputs from the Quicker Analytics for Responsive Home Health Care (QARE-HHC) project to Qavalo Incorporated, the private sector partner, on July 31, 2024. The project introduces advanced data architecture and artificial intelligence to enhance the data management of home health care (HHC) services.

The innovation developed by the QARE-HHC can guide organizations in the development of a systematic framework to improve the delivery of home healthcare services. DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. highlighted the project’s potential, stating, “The QARE-HHC project offers a valuable model for healthcare organizations to upgrade their HHC services. This data-driven method will allow providers to offer more efficient, targeted, and high-quality care to patients in their homes.  This is a significant advancement in enhancing HHC services through data-driven solutions, and predictive analytics, ultimately improving accessibility and quality of care across the country.”

The Asian Institute of Management (AIM) developed the QARE-HHC project, funded by DOST Collaborative Research and Development to Leverage Philippine Economy (CRADLE) Program and monitored by the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) to address these challenges by creating a cohesive data architecture that improves HHC service delivery.

The technology is designed to address the needs of vulnerable populations like the elderly and those living in remote areas to have better access to the delivery of home healthcare services.

“In the Philippines, there is some sort of home health care, but it is informal and lacks a unified governance framework,” said Dr. Christopher M. Alis, QARE-HHC Project Leader. Currently, home health care is defined as supportive care provided to the elderly at the comfort of their home by licensed health care professionals, including physicians, nurses, midwives, physical therapists, and Barangay Health Workers (BHWs). QARE-HHC aims to expand this definition by formalizing the delivery and accessibility of HHC services, ensuring that all populations and demographics receive consistent HHC.

The QARE-HHC project features an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Schema and Data Processing Pipeline which aims to reduce data preprocessing time from four months to two hours, enabling faster, more informed clinical decisions. The project also developed four artificial intelligence models for enhanced data analytics that can optimize HHC activities such as house visits and teleconsulting sessions. In addition, QARE-HHC’s advancements support the creation of unified policies for HHC that extend beyond elderly patients and telemedicine, encompassing all populations and methods of HHC.

Qavalo’s adoption of the QARE-HHC project can benefit its operations and service quality in optimizing its home health administrative data management to guide healthcare providers, thus further strengthening Qavalo’s market position in HHC. Ms. Laurice Chiongban, CEO of Qavalo Inc., recognized the project’s potential to improve the quality of the HHC services it provides. She said, “QARE-HHC aligns with our mission to enhance lives through superior healthcare. With these advanced data systems, we can offer more personalized and efficient HHC, supporting a better quality of life for Filipinos.”

QARE-HHC offers a data-driven approach that provides numerous benefits and is well-suited to the expanding data science industry. The project’s inventive solutions in HHC position Qavalo as a valuable partner for other healthcare providers seeking to enhance their data management processes. The project’s significance in data-driven decision-making and predictive analytics aligns with trends in healthcare management, positioning the Philippines to make informed strides in HHC.

DOST PCHRD Executive Director, Dr. Jaime C. Montoya, also emphasized the QARE-HHC’s alignment with achieving universal health care access. “It is very important that all Filipinos should have access to quality healthcare, regardless of their location or economic status,” he stated. “This project is a steppingstone that will enable us to extend HHC directly into people’s homes, ensuring that even those in remote areas or with limited mobility can receive the care they need,” he concluded.