Foundation Trust says new content management system will sit alongside electronic patient records system.
The Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (LHCH), a leading provider in cardiothoracic services, has augmented its Allscripts electronic patient record (EPR) with OnBase, Hyland Software's enterprise content management (ECM) system.
Clinicians and staff needed access to patient information outside of the EPR and required a secure, integrated solution, LHCH said.
When LHCH began looking for an EPR system in 2011, it identified electronic document management and workflow as required elements but understood that some content would exist outside of the system.
"We knew when we went to tender that regardless of who won the EPR contract, at least 25 percent of a patient's information would still reside outside of the EPR. We needed an ECM solution that would integrate almost seamlessly with Allscripts Sunrise," says LHCH EPR programme director, John Coleman. "Allscripts was able to offer OnBase as part of its bid with great confidence as they work closely with Hyland in the U.S., Canada, Singapore and Australia. The Trust was very encouraged by the fact that the two vendors had such a successful track record of collaboration."
OnBase will help the Trust capture and manage information that would otherwise live outside of the EPR - on paper, in email, on clinical devices and in other fileshares. OnBase e-Forms will allow paperwork to be completed electronically, reducing the amount of new paper being created. Workflow will be used to automatically route documents and streamline processes such as referrals management and subject access requests. OnBase's integration with Allscripts gives clinicians instant access to all the information relating to a patient, without leaving the Sunrise EPR interface.
The combination of OnBase and Sunrise will provide a platform for LHCH to deliver against the NHS mandate for paper-free referrals by 2015 - the 'Kelsey Challenge.' The Trust was already committed to achieving the internationally recognised HIMSS Stage 7 award for delivering a fully electronic patient record.
Dr. Johan Waktare, consultant cardiologist and clinical lead for EPR, said, "The EPR programme is an exciting project for LHCH, allowing us to bring together our existing electronic systems to build a cohesive EPR solution with our partners. OnBase is a key component of that, giving us a way to manage incoming paper correspondence and that generated by legacy internal systems. However, it offers far more than just that, allowing us a way to flexibly manage a range of disparate clinical information in a manner that is tightly integrated with our EPR. This functionality underpins the efforts of the Trust to move towards fully electronic workflows and eventually achieving HIMSS Stage 7."
Hyland Software's healthcare industry manager, Steve Rudland, added, "It's great to bring our successful partnership with Allscripts to the UK. Our ability to deliver a seamless integration will make for a very positive experience for clinicians and in turn, help the Trust to meet the 'Kelsey Challenge,' while continuing to deliver the excellent patient care for which it is rightly renowned."
