In the early 2000s, WHO published a study concluding that improving the quality of life of patients and reducing health costs should be prioritized by improving patient compliance that by the time, was on average less than 50%.

With this in mind, a public health doctor and an information systems engineer joined forces to create Medical Link Services SA (MLS) whose mission was to help improve patient well-being while reducing costs of public health.

MLS then developed compliance programs with hospitals to help patients coming out of the hospital to better manage their compliance. After two years of work, it has to be noted that the main cause of this non-compliance did not come from the patient but from the lack of coordination of activities between all the actors involved in the care.

MLS then conceived in 2007, the MedLink information system specially dedicated to the organization and coordination of the care between all the actors concerned. This system based on 100% WEB technology enables efficient access and sharing of information while interconnecting with other health information systems.

MLS naturally proposed MedLink to home care organizations, which at the time were the only structures that exercised the coordinating role through a referent. This person had the function of defining with the patient the objectives of the care and to structure it in detail. She is the central point of contact for all stakeholders in care.

The contribution of the MedLink information system specially designed to handle coordination  has led to efficiency gains often greater than 20%, while improving comfort of the patient. MedLink later naturally positioned itself in the , HAH and in the primary care networks such as diabetology, structures where coordination was already a key element.

MLS, whose MedLink system manages annually in 15 cantons, 7 million interventions with patients living at home, helps coordinate nearly 30 care profiles.

The specialization of stakeholders, particularly in the medico-social field, involves a growing number of care providers, a trend that further increases the importance of the coordinating role. Primary networks decide what needs to be done and it is essential for the patient to contribute to these decisions, especially if they are elderly.

It has proved essential that the public health authorities consider, in order to stop the systematic increase of insurance premiums, to generalize this role of coordinator and to find relevant funding for it.

MLS, thanks to its expertise and unique technology in Switzerland, is a credible partner to help set up an effective coordination solution in the medico-social field.

Thus, as a provider of institutional and specialized primary information systems positioning the patient at the center of the paradigm, MedLink integrates into the healthcare network and participates in the interoperability between the different public health actors.

E-Health