04 March 2016 - The Philippine Consulate General in Chicago, in collaboration with the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in New York, hosted a business forum on the Philippine Healthcare – BPM (Business Process Management) Industry on February 25, as part of a three-city investment roadshow to promote the fast-growing business sector.

The Investment Roadshow to the U.S. was undertaken by a Philippine delegation led by Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Nora K. Terrado and Ms. Cristina Coronel, President of the Healthcare Information Management Association of the Philippines (HIMAP). The delegation, composed mainly of private sector executives who are major players in the Philippine Heathcare-BPM industry, arrived in Chicago from New York, which hosted the first leg of the roadshow, and will continue on to Las Vegas to participate in the HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) Conference and Exhibition from February 29 to March 04.

The forum provided an opportunity for U.S. companies to learn more about the Philippines’ booming BPM industry, as well as a chance for companies from the two countries to network and explore business-matching prospects.

During the forum, Undersecretary Terrado gave a presentation on the Philippine Investment Climate while Ms. Coronel discussed Investment Opportunities in the IT-BPM Industry of the Philippines. Additional guest speakers from the delegation also discussed the Philippine Healthcare-BPM Industry in more detail, as well as an overview of the Philippine Telecoms Infrastructure which is vital to the success of the BPM industry.

After the presentations, the panel of presenters held an open dialogue with the participants on a wide range of questions. A business networking luncheon concluded the morning event. 

Before proceeding to Las Vegas, the delegation also had the opportunity to visit two entrepreneurship and technology innovation centers based in Chicago, BLUE1647 and MATTER Chicago.

The delegation met with representatives of the two centers and was led on a tour of their respective facilities. BLUE1647 is based in the Pilsen district, southwest of downtown Chicago, and serves to provide a co-working space for local tech startups as well as a learning lab for students in low-income neighborhoods. MATTER Chicago, meanwhile, is based in downtown and is Chicago’s first healthcare innovation incubator that seeks to connect and promote collaboration between entrepreneurs, scientists, physicians, investors, and industry partners in the healthcare field to develop next-generation products and services to the market that will improve quality of care. The delegation expressed interest in applying the concept to the Philippines. END