Customer Solution Case Study
/ / Healthcare Solution Improves Efficiency with IT Monitoring Capabilities
Overview
Country: India
Industry: Healthcare
Customer Profile
Based in Aurangabad, CIIGMA Institute of Medical Sciences (CIIGMA Hospital) is 40-bed, multi-specialty hospital and employs 150 people. It is an extension of the Kodlikeri Memorial Hospital.
Business Situation
CIIGMA Hospital, a Greenfield project of Kodlikeri Memorial Hospital, Aurangabad wanted to deploy an end-to-end IT solution to manage all medical and patient data and all hospital processes. This would enable the hospital to optimize hospital processes, lower costs and bring in operational efficiency.
Solution
With the help of Seed Healthcare Solutions, CIIGMA Hospital deployed Microsoft technologies based PALASH™ Hospital Information System. The powerful, robust, comprehensive and integrated solution covers entire hospital administration, all the clinical and management processes.
Benefits
n Improves patient management
n Enhances administrative efficiencies
n Reduces operational costs
n Improves quality of care / “The increase in efficiency helps lower costs by 35 to 45 percent, reduce errors and improve the patient experience.”
Dr. Unmesh Takalkar, Chief Managing Director, CIIGMA Institute of Medical Sciences
CIIGMA Institute of Medical Sciences has a futuristic approach in technology and services. It is equipped with latest technology and machines essential for multi-specialty facility. CIIGMA Hospital decided to deploy a Hospital Management Solution (HIS) to optimize processes, lower costs and bring in operational efficiency. It opted for PALASH™ designed and developed by Seed Healthcare Solutions. The solution developed using Visual Studio 6.0 and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 integrates smart cards with the HIS. This records patient information to facilitate transactions and clinical procedures. More accurate information, increases transparency and operational efficiency. This has helped the organization reduce operating costs by 25 to 35 percent and, also improve the quality of healthcare.
Situation
CIIGMA Institute of Medical Sciences (P) Ltd (CIIGMA Hospital) established in 2009, is a multi-specialty treatment hospital. Its specialties include gastroenterology, gynecology, oncology, respiratory care, hematology, general surgery and endoscopic surgery. Based in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, it is a unit of Kodlikeri Memorial Hospital, which was established in 1989.
This 40-bed hospital employs 150 doctors, nurses, attendants, and administrative staff. It effectively manages high-risk cases with 24-hour consultants on call. It is also associated with Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, Hyderabad and Asian Institute of Oncology, Mumbai.
Over the last 20 years, CIIGMA Hospital Group had invested in several solutions in it’s at its hospitals (including Kodlikeri Memorial Hospital) to manage healthcare and operations. However, as these applications were aging, a technology refresh was necessary. Also, for its newest hospital, it was important for it to deploy the best technology available.
Solution
The IT team at CIIGMA Hospital explored the market for Hospital Management Solutions by multiple vendors. It also observed that other hospitals using medical information system adequately handle data entry and basic reporting, but these solutions lacked analytical capabilities. It wanted to deploy an effective hospital management solution with reporting and business intelligence capabilities.
“We want our HIS to organize and manage patient treatment programs, maintain all medical records, and prepare all documents electronically,” explains Dr. Unmesh Takalkar, Chief Managing Director, CIIGMA Hospital. Additionally, the solution had to be scalable, cost effective and highly efficient.
The management identified must haves for its Greenfield project, CIIGMA Hospital at Aurangabad. These included:
n Integrated clinical, operational and financial operations
n An automated, paperless hospital management system
n Patient tracking with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification)
n Bar coding of inventory such as medicines and other consumables
n Electronic Medical Records (EMR) to include medical history, clinical photography and alerts
In its search of a flexible alternative with sophisticated analytical capabilities, the team opted PALASH™, a Hospital Management and Information System (HIS) by Seed Healthcare Solutions (SHS).
“We found PALASH to be a comprehensive enterprise wide application. It covers all aspects of hospital management and operations,” says Dr. Unmesh Takalkar, Chief Managing Director, CIIGMA Hospital. “Based on standard Microsoft technologies, it would enable us to improve the operational effectiveness, reduce costs and medical errors and hence deliver quality care. At the same time, it offers the basic modules that would help us evolve as paperless hospital. “
PALASH HIS is developed using Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0 suite. Microsoft SQL Server 2008 is the database and the solution extensively uses its business intelligence and reporting capabilities.
PALASH HIS provides an efficient, open architecture built on Microsoft technologies. SHS maintains and updates the solution to ensure minimal outages. PALASH has simple 2-tier architecture and incorporates simple logic and algorithms for data processing and retrieval. To ensure high uptime, alternate clustered server is employed.
The database size is well over 250 GB, growing by about 400 MB per month. Microsoft SQL Server scales to meet the growing business needs of the hospital. With sophisticated query optimizer, triggers and data processing logic, employees are able to use search and use filters to find information quickly.
All modules of PALASH were deployed at CIIGMA in October 2009 for 50 concurrent users. The solution automates and streamlines all aspects of management, medical and operational from reception- registration to admission, discharge and transfer, OPD/IPD management, ward information system, materials management, pathology and radiology lab management, electronic patient medical records, reports as well as back office activities.
The Electronic Patient Medical Records (EMR) electronically captures patient's medical information. For instance, clinical details, medications and prescribed investigations etc. are in a single online repository. This eliminates the need to manually file, retrieve, or transport film jackets. The images and reports are available to physicians online in real time.
A SMS gateway configured locally with the help of GSM modem opens SMS capabilities in the form of key alerts and offline SMS to doctors, patients and employees. PACS or Picture Archival Communication System will be integrated in the near future. This will provide high-speed, graphical, computer networksystemfor the storage, retrieval, and display of radiology images.
Benefits
The new hospital management system ensures a comprehensive, electronically managed and accurate patient health record. Integration of smart card with demographic and summary of clinical data eases working for hospital staff. “PALASH HIS improves efficiency, both on the cost and the clinical care perspective,” concludes Dr. Unmesh. “It is an excellent management tool that helps us to provide cost-effective, complete and accurate patient care.” Moreover, hospital is equipped to store history of patients and their medical records for next 15 years.
Improves Patient Management
Diagnosis, prescriptions, images, reports, medicines are available as a part of the patient’s EMR. The details captured show up at every relevant screen related to the patient. On admission, patient is identified by RFID chip mounted on wristbands. It helps document operation theatre, lab and imaging in-and-out time. It thus improves patient’s location monitoring. Additionally, discharge summaries are generated from the in-patient data. “We have seen an improvement in every aspect of patient management starting from the time a patient is admitted to the time the patient is discharged,” comments Mohit Kumbhar Clinical Research coordinator CIIGMA Hospital.
Enhances Administrative Efficiencies
Dr. Unmesh adds, “Overall, we have not only streamlined patient management but are able to track resource usage as well. Scheduling resources such as operating theatre, duty scheduling of staff, ICU management, ward management, emergency unit management, ensures that the efficiency improves and patient wait time is cut by as much as 60 to 70 percent.”
In addition, instant access to information linked to medical records, delivers increased convenience, customer service, and accuracy. It improves administrative functions such as billing and registration. And, reduces resources dedicated to these functions while continually improving quality care standards.
Reduces Operational Costs
The hospital management solution provides a robust method of merging datasets from multiple hospitals, even where the different centers use different ID systems internally. This significantly helps improve financial management of individual hospitals and across the chain of hospitals. It means the management can evaluate different parameters and drill down from the group level to the department level. This gives greater control and ability to track and fix issues wherever necessary, increasing profitability.
In addition, automated workflows, resource and consumable management reduce wastage and hence influence the bottom-line. “There are significant cost savings right from patient registration right through patient care and treatment,” explains Dr. Unmesh. For instance, the time and resources required to admit a patient are cut by 50 percent. “The increase in efficiency helps lower costs by 45 percent, reduce errors and improve the patient experience,” he adds.
Improves Quality of Care
Besides standardizing and bringing in order records and procedures, CIIGMA has quick access to quality data, faster data retrieval and versatility in data display. "Our doctors and consultants video conference with leading practitioners across the world, share live reports, images of operations and procedures,” states Dr. Unmesh Takalkar, Chief Managing Director, CIIGMA Hospital. “Thus, patients have access to the best doctors and consultants around the world, especially for complex, new procedures.”
Microsoft Server Product Portfolio
For more information about the Microsoft Server Product Portfolio, go to:
www.microsoft.com/servers/default.mspx
About SEED Healthcare Solutions
Established in 2006, SEED Healthcare Solutions (SHS) is a software solutions company that provides highly feasible, easy to use Hospital Information Management System (HIMS) for the healthcare industry. It has renowned presence in serving various specialties in the medical field like orthopedics, ENT, cardiology, gynecology and maternity homes, diabetic clinics, dental clinics as well as general hospitals. SEED works closely with its clients, as their partners, to improve their effectiveness and efficiency through IT enablement in the hospital setup.