Situation

Technology touches few fields as profoundly as it does healthcare. New medical advances, pharmaceuticals, and equipment enable doctors to provide patients with improved treatments. Recent advances also have the potential to address communications challenges to bridge the gap between providers at different clinics and hospitals.

Asklepios, a private hospital chain, manages more than a hundred hospitals across Germany and the United States. To allow healthcare professionals to securely share digital patient information, the company wanted to create a connected communications infrastructure. This universal data-exchange solution would give doctors access to a patient’s medical record.

“Currently, the German healthcare system doesn’t support digital communications. But such a communications structure is an important element for improving the quality and efficiency of treatment, especially for doctors with their own practices,” states Christian Hess, Program Manager at Asklepios.

To create a seamless flow of information, Asklepios needed a solution that would allow systems to exchange and utilize information on a cross-application basis. Explains Hess, “To date, the incompatibility of different IT systems has proven a stumbling block for data transmission.” But while Asklepios wants to enable access to patient data to those who need it, the hospital chain also needed to implement robust security checks to ensure that sensitive patient information remained private.

Solution

Asklepios was impressed by how Microsoft helped link government agencies in many countries, and the company sought help from Microsoft® Services to architect and implement a holistic communications solution for the healthcare industry. Together, Asklepios and Microsoft created and deployed the Electronic Health Interoperability Platform (eHIP).

The eHIP solution takes advantage of a number of Microsoft products and technologies:

• An extranet security infrastructure that utilizes Windows Server® 2003, Active Directory® directory service, and the Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2004.
• Microsoft BizTalk® Server 2006 and Microsoft BizTalk Accelerator for Health Level 7, which facilitate application integration to connect hospital information systems, including SAP,and Agfa GWI Orbis.
• A repository for patient data based on Microsoft SQL Server™ 2005 and Microsoft Office SharePoint® Portal Server 2003.
• eHIP is based on the Microsoft Connected Health Framework Architecture and Design Blueprint. Microsoft employees collaborated closely with the Asklepios IT team during the design and implementation of eHIP. Says Hess of the two teams joining forces, “With Microsoft Services, one can realize complex solutions based on standardized software.”

Microsoft employees collaborated closely with the Asklepios IT team during the design and implementation of eHIP. Says Hess of the two teams joining forces, “With Microsoft Services, one can realize complex solutions based on standardized software.”

Online Access

The deployed eHIP data-exchange platform forms the technological base of a rapid, secure transfer system for patient data. The system allows a healthcare professional to access patient data at a designated authorization level—without uploading client software to a computer. Instead, the doctor or nurse can retrieve the information through a secure Web site. Says Hess, “This solution takes data out of internal systems and brings it, in a very secure way, to a SharePoint Portal Server 2003 extranet portal. Doctors are allowed to see all the records for their associated patients, and we don’t have to supply them with special software."

Security Infrastructure

To view patient information, healthcare practitioner authentication utilizes smart cards with PIN and public key infrastructure encryption, among other solutions.

“The data transmitted via the eHIP portal is highly confidential, making IT security a critical priority. An array of Microsoft security strategies and various encryption solutions ensures maximum data security,” states Hess.

Benefits

“Our solution has the potential to unite seventy-five thousand German doctors,” says Marita Göttsche, IT Project Manager at Asklepios. “They’ll be able to exchange patient data, diagnoses, and lab results in real time through the online portal. Everyone involved in the treatment process is more informed and better able to respond to the needs of a patient.”

Multiple Economic Advantages

Using eHIP, Asklepios sees real cost-savings and revenue opportunities. Says Göttsche, “We expect an increase in case numbers; eHIP is allowing us to effectively treat more patients and gives us a competitive advantage.”

The eHIP solution and portal also streamlines everyday medical processes, and saves healthcare professionals precious time. For example, doctors are able to access up-to-date medical research or instantly consult with a remote specialist.

Improved Customer Relationships

Ready access to real-time information allows doctors to better connect with patients. Explains Göttsche, “The integrated communications channels eHIP creates greatly improves our patients’ assurance and comfort levels.” Asklepios attributes this greater comfort to:

• The ability of external doctors to view current information about patients.
• A reduction of redundant examinations, such as labs and radiology, because existing results are always available electronically.
• A more efficient scheduling process.
• Improved efficiency because patient data is more legible.

Extensible for the Future

“Because of the positive response we’ve received from doctors and nurses, we’re working to extend the solution so partner hospitals can plug their solutions into the security framework,” says Hess. “It’s our goal to connect to all healthcare facilities throughout Germany. In this way, Asklepios can remain an innovative leader in healthcare.”

Microsoft Services helps customers and partners discover and implement high-value Microsoft solutions that generate rapid, meaningful, and measurable results. As the consulting, technical support, and customer service arm of the world’s leading software company, Microsoft Services enables the successful adoption, deployment, and use of Microsoft solutions and technologies for all customers, from the individual to the enterprise. For more information about Microsoft Services, go to: www.microsoft.com/microsoftservices.

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