Providence Health bulks up India services unit to tap more clients

US hospital chain Providence Health opened a new facility in the Indian city of Hyderabad on Monday, aiming to concentrate and bolster its services like cybersecurity and tools that help doctors with their paperwork.

The Renton, Washington-based not-for-profit company, which operates 52 hospitals in the US, was already using its current Hyderabad facility as a hub for operations such as technology, human resources and finance.

The facility, which currently employs around 1,400 people, plans to partner with more hospital operators and, with it, increase its headcount to 3,500 next year, CEO Rod Hochman told Reuters in an interview.

"To do it all by yourself inside of your shop, even if you're a bigger health system, makes no sense at all."

"What we're saying is why wouldn't you outsource and in-source that to a company that's already (in) healthcare instead of an Accenture or somewhere else?" Hochman added.

Providence has already hired around 70 people to provide some of those services to US healthcare firm AdventHealth and is in talks with more healthcare service providers.

Providence did not disclose its investment and revenue contribution from the Hyderabad facility.