iSOFT Group Limited (ASX:ISF) has agreed contracts with Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust for an upgrade of an existing patient administration system (PAS) to provide additional patient and clinical functionality.
Under a new five-year deal, iSOFT will upgrade Pennine's PAS and install a number of web-based clinical solutions, including its new e-prescribing and medicines administration (ePMA) solution and HealthViews for order communications and consolidated access to patient data from across the trust. HealthViews and ePMA form part of iSOFT's new Smart Solutions portfolio.
Pennine's Associate Director of IM&T Christine Walters says the investments will reduce reliance on paper, cut duplication and give clinical staff a single, comprehensive view of patient and clinical records. "Ready access to records, test results, investigations, and medicines are fundamental in driving improvements in the quality of care, patient safety and clinical outcomes.
"The move reinforces our strategic partnership with iSOFT and our best-of-breed, incremental approach to improving operational efficiency and delivering tangible benefit to patients," Walters said.
"This exemplifies iSOFT's Smart Solutions strategy in which best-of-breed clinical solutions are seamlessly integrated into an overarching electronic patient record," said Adrian Stevens, iSOFT's UK Managing Director. "Helping Pennine promote equity and excellence in clinical services is also in line with the government’s recent white paper."
The largest non-teaching trust in England, Pennine is iSOFT's first UK early adopter for its new ePMA solution launched in August. Proven at hospitals in Australia and New Zealand and adapted to NHS needs, it offers sophisticated clinical support to improve the accuracy, appropriateness and timeliness of the medicines prescribed and given. This will help to shorten hospital stays and improve performance in key areas such as discharge, re-admission rates and cost control.
iSOFT's HealthViews web-based application presents information from the PAS and trust clinical systems to give a detailed profile of a patient's clinical journey. Staff can also place orders for tests, review test results and create and view other documents such as nursing notes, discharge letters and GP referrals.
The new PAS will enable Pennine to capture changes to patient information in real-time to improve admissions, discharges and transfers, bed management and management of targets, such as 18-week waits. The upgrade includes a move to HP's latest iTanium hardware.
The project will be completed in four phases starting with the PAS upgrade and culminating in ePMA across all specialties, including oncology, paediatrics and theatres.
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- iSOFT Group Limited's Profile
About iSOFT Group
iSOFT Group Limited (ASX: ISF) is the largest health information technology company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, and among the world's biggest providers of advanced application solutions in modern healthcare economies.
iSOFT works with healthcare professionals to design and build software applications that answer all of the difficult questions posed by today's healthcare delivery challenges. Our solutions act as a catalyst for change, supporting free exchange of critical information across diverse care settings and participating organizations.
Today, more than 13,000 provider organizations in over 40 countries use iSOFT's solutions to manage patient information and drive improvements in their core processes. The group's sustainable development is delivered through careful planning, in-depth analysis of the market, and anticipation of our clients' evolving requirements. Our business is driven by the collective talent, experience and commitment of more than 3,500 specialists in 19 countries worldwide.
A global network of iSOFT subsidiaries, supported by an extensive partner network, provides substantial experience of national healthcare markets. As a result, we offer our clients comprehensive knowledge of local market requirements in terms of culture, language, working practices, regulation and organizational structure.