The new system will support the needs of clinical managers in supporting patient care and management, as well as supporting the needs of clinical teachers involved in student clinical training. It will also provide a solid basis for future dental research work, including applying for fund-based research.
Paul Carpenter, Dental Clinical Information System Project Manager, at the Dental Institute commented: "We had some extended requirements for our dental clinical information system (DCIS) and wanted a solution tailored to the needs of our clinicians and teaching staff. As a result we found it necessary to work outside of the Framework agreement used by some Dental Institutes; yet still working within the auspices of Dental National Programme for IT in order to find vendors that clearly matched our requirements. Excelicare has proved to be the best of breed solution we were looking for."
The Dental Institute currently uses the Cerner Millennium Care Record Service (CRS) that records patient demographics and clinical notes. Excelicare will integrate with the trusts CRS and allow the capture of patient dental notes and appointments as well as student activity data. Excelicare will fundamentally change the way the Dental Institute operates by providing a comprehensive solution that will bridge the gap between the dental hospital and the medical school IT infrastructure, so that they can operate as one entity.
The system will be used by more than 700 staff and students. It promises many benefits including: improved patient experience as waiting time will be reduced and through-put increased, improved clinical governance through interface with electronic patient records, and clinic management. Students will be able to use the system interactively with staff and develop and review their log-books/portfolios. This will enable reflective learning and improved assessments of core dental skills and competencies. Using Excelicare's powerful suite of reporting tools, research clinicians will have the ability to build up and analyse clinical data to aid their research. The Dental Institute already has an excellent reputation for research, and the capture of clinical data will greatly support this.
Professor Farida Fortune, Dean for Dentistry, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry commented: "We are delighted to have the opportunity of working with AxSys Technology to develop an IT system for the Dental Hospital and School. The system will be invaluable for monitoring student learning, patient management and research. The information provided will enable us to enhance the student experience both in the Dental Hospital and in our Outreach Centres."
In order to make the most of the functionality of Excelicare, the Dental Institute and Hospital are also undertaking a major IT upgrade including a network upgrade, the introduction of wireless voice and data capability, digitalised dental X-ray capability so that images will be instantly available to clinicians, and the introduction of PACS (picture archiving communication system) which will link into the DCIS.
Dr Pradeep Ramayya, AxSys Technology CEO concluded: "It is very significant that the Dental Institute, after a stringent procurement process, has chosen to go outside of the Framework agreement used by Dental Institutes and implement Excelicare as its DCIS. The interoperability of Excelicare together with its flexibility means that it can easily be tailored to meet the exact needs of clinicians in all disciplines. This supports the Government's drive to give back Trusts the autonomy to choose solutions that meet their requirements."
AxSys Technology Limited specialises in the development and implementation of clinical solutions to improve the delivery of healthcare. All AxSys solutions are patient-centric and are designed with a clinical perspective to directly benefit patients and healthcare providers.
About AxSys Technology Limited
AxSys was set up by experienced doctors who recognised the benefits of the Collaborative Care model in their own clinical practice and realised that a flexible communication oriented clinical information system would be a key element in its successful delivery. The company, registered in Scotland and based in Glasgow, started operations in January 2000.
AxSys' product Excelicare was conceived as a solution for Collaborative Care. It is a powerful toolset-based application that allows the creation of highly tailored clinical systems to reflect the complex working patterns of clinicians across the healthcare spectrum and has the ability to integrate effectively with existing healthcare IT systems. It incorporates advanced telecommunication, multi-media and decision support technologies within a clinician-friendly Electronic Patient Record (EPR) framework.