"Our existing solution is being discontinued by the vendor, and the subsequent version is not attractive, in our view. The cost-benefit ratio just isn't right," describes Klaus-Werner Szesik, Managing Director of the St. Vincenz Hospital. "Our goal is to optimise our internal processes and to establish, across the campus, IT-supported workflows using a comprehensive solution. In the mid-term, we plan to stop using paper records and become fully digital. Furthermore, we expect the new HIS to help us optimise billing in the outpatient and inpatient departments.

"The new HIS supports these goals through its integrated financial accounting and effortless implementation of cost unit accounting. Thanks to its multiple functions, the hospital needs to create fewer interfaces with specialised systems, while at the same benefiting from a high degree of design flexibility to custom-tailor the system to its needs. In addition, the system has already achieved a high degree of acceptance on the part of the medical staff. "Last but not least, the fact that [the company] is a well-established and strong partner, with high visibility in the market, safeguards the security of our investment," highlights Klaus-Werner Szesik.

The St. Vincenz Hospital is rolling out the HIS in all departments (except materials management). The transition will take place on 1 July 2011. In a second phase, the radiology information system (RIS) will be implemented in the department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology.

"For our hospital, [the new HIS] is the optimal solution because it represents the real patient workflows seamlessly. Furthermore, the system's appeal is enhanced by its user-friendly user interface and its openness towards external users. For example, we can easily increase the loyalty of general practitioners who act as referrers by using a portal solution. Last but not least, we plan to introduce digital rounds in the wards; [the new HIS] provides the best platform for that," summarises Klaus-Werner Szesik.

The St. Vincenz Hospital is a tertiary care hospital with 477 beds serving approximately 19 000 inpatients and 25 000 outpatients annually.

Further information:

• Original news article - eHealthNews.eu
• St. Vincenz-Hospital Limburg