InterSystems announced that Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust is set to connect its clinical IT systems via a new integration hub, based on InterSystems Ensemble®. Trafford Healthcare were using an old version of a proprietary interface engine, without a back-up or test platform. This meant the Trust could not easily test and launch new interfaces. Consequently, existing interfaces were difficult to maintain, and any new ones had to be written with the support of third parties. This had a direct impact on the efficiency of sharing patient and management information, and the cost of delivering care.
Ensemble, a seamless platform for integration and the development of connectable applications, was selected for this key task because of its ability to support a variety of integration interface types, not just HL7. Other important capabilities were the ease with which new interfaces and Business Activity Monitoring (BAM) Dashboards are built and maintained. Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust also appreciated Ensemble's inherent scalability that enables it to process large numbers of messages reliably.
Once developed, the new hub will provide the Trust with a configuration management environment to support their quality management process with three environments: live, back-up and test. InterSystems' management will assist with skills transfer to the Trust's in-house team for the development of interface messages into a wide variety of formats.
Stephen Parsons, Information Management & Technology Project Manager at the Trust, said: "Ensemble is now the cornerstone of the Trust's IT strategy; it's far more resilient than anything we had previously. Its flexibility to work in a number of different environments mean that we can test new links without interfering with working of the hospital in any way making it much easier and cheaper than in the past. InterSystems' training of our in house teams, coupled with Ensemble's simplicity were also major factors in our decision. But what really reassured us, was knowing that Ensemble is already used in over 40 UK Hospital Trusts, and we were able to see it in action at the nearby Bolton Hospital."
Nick Hanson, Healthcare Manager at InterSystems said: "Choosing Ensemble will help the Trust to improve its Admission, Discharge and Transfer (ADT) processes and will seamlessly join information across the hospital's existing systems. Ensemble will enable the Trust to consolidate its electronic patient records to improve patient care through real time clinical decision support."
Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust runs the hospital services in Trafford, a borough in the west of Greater Manchester, as well as providing home community healthcare. Ensemble will link all hospital systems directly with the Trust's composite patient record, making it fundamental to the functionality of the organisation's healthcare IT. Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust plan to go live with Ensemble at the start of August 2010.
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About InterSystems
InterSystems is the worldwide leader in software for connected healthcare. With headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and offices in 23 countries, InterSystems provides advanced software technologies for breakthrough applications. InterSystems TrakCare™ is a connected healthcare information system that is Web-based and rapidly delivers the benefits of an Electronic Patient Record. InterSystems CACHÉ® is a high performance object database that makes applications faster and more scalable. InterSystems Ensemble® is a seamless platform for integration and the development of connected applications. InterSystems HealthShare™ is a platform that enables the fastest creation of an Electronic Health Record for regional or national health information exchange. InterSystems DeepSee™ is software that makes it possible to embed real-time business intelligence capabilities in transactional applications.
InterSystems is the world's #1 vendor of database and integration technologies for healthcare applications. InterSystems products are used by thousands of leading hospitals and labs, including all 21 hospitals on the Honor Roll of America's Best Hospitals as rated by U.S. News and World Report. For more information, visit InterSystems.com.