By Rajani Baburajan
TMCnet Contributor
InterSystems Corporation , a provider of software for connected healthcare, has announced that Hunterdon Healthcare System is using the InterSystems Ensemble rapid integration and development platform as the foundation for a visionary strategy to provide improved communication and continuity of care.
“We’re focused on optimizing communication and health information exchange or “HIE” with all of the clinicians in our network as well as with other healthcare providers,” Glenn Mamary, Hunterdon vice president and CIO, said. “Ensemble is fueling the transformation of our vision into reality and that means more effective healthcare delivery and administration than ever.”
To ensure continuity of care and patient safety, Hunterdon Healthcare plans to integrate the electronic medical records or “EMR” system at each of their 15 affiliated physician groups with the EMR and other systems at the Hunterdon Healthcare Medical Center.
Hunterdon initially used Ensemble as an interface engine, but they found it’s also a powerful development platform that enables the rapid development and deployment of connectable applications so critical for providers in the fast-changing healthcare sector.
The healthcare organization now relies on Ensemble to connect the medical center’s QuadraMed Affinity hospital information system or “HIS” and a major laboratory information system with the physician groups’ Electronic Health Record and Enterprise Practice Management systems from NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, InterSystems officials said.
This project has enabled Hunterdon to provide a number of communications enhancements. For example, a patient’s primary care provider is automatically notified when that patient is admitted to the hospital.
The system also integrates information from the Affinity, NextGen and Cerner (News – Alert) systems to offer physicians within the Hunterdon network the option of having lab tests done by the hospital, rather than by a separate laboratory testing service provider.
Ensemble also transmits data between the QuadraMed Affinity payroll system and the Kronos (News – Alert) payroll system for information such as time worked per employee, overtime hours and other employee utilization data. Reports are then sent to Hunterdon managers and executives who use the information to improve management of employee overtime, leading to significant savings in terms of overtime hours.
Ensemble transactions are sent from the QuadraMed Affinity Registration System into the Dr. First Medical Reconciliation external reference database. Ensemble then matches the patients and produces medication profiles from external sources which are subsequently routed to nursing units, pharmacy or other healthcare providers.
Hunterdon also plans to form an HIE in northern central New Jersey, according to Mamary.
“With the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the expansion of meaningful use of EMR systems, many healthcare organizations are implementing EMR systems at their physician offices,” Paul Grabscheid, InterSystems vice president of Strategic Planning, said. “Innovative organizations like Hunterdon are realizing that integrating those systems using Ensemble leads to significant improvements in patient care and patient safety, and sizable operational efficiencies.”
Earlier in March InterSystems announced that Holland Hospital is implementing the InterSystems Ensemble platform as its enterprise integration engine, TMCnet reported .
Rajani Baburajan is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Rajani’s articles, please visit her columnist page .
Edited by Patrick Barnard
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