JiveX HCM at the Barmherzige Brüder Regensburg hospital

For a good two years, JiveX Healthcare Content Management (HCM) has been used as the digital archive in the Barmherzige Brüder Hospital in Regensburg. However, a reduction of HCM to an archive function does not do justice to the role of the system. Ultimately, the challenge of digitization lies less in archiving than in how the data are deposited in the archive and a digital patient record and in which form the users are able to use them in everyday activities. And in this respect, its introduction was a real game changer.

"The motivation for introducing HCM was the desire to bundle all patient-related data, regardless of origin and format, in one system. That's how we anticipate ensuring completeness of the digital patient records. On the way there, we are operating from one project to another from the JiveX module and little by little are introducing new functions." explained Dr. Antje Schoppa, Head of the Department of Organization Development in the Barmherzige Brüder Hospital in Regensburg. Things are going well with the conversion of patient CDs to download links with JiveX Link Share für radiological images. Because the institution was already working with JiveX Enterprise PACS before the introduction of HCM, this was a logical beginning. In parallel, work was done on interfacing the existing subsystems to HCM as well as integrating them into the CIS, so that patient-related medical data can be rapidly deposited in HCM and back-linked in the CIS.

Step-by-step toward the goal

"The switch to Link Share alone was a milestone for the users and also for the institution. We were able to reduce the time demands on the radiologists, to appreciably save resources and to significantly accelerate the entire communication workflow with referral services or other health institutions," declared Stefanie Prautzsch, the project officer within Organization Development who is responsible for introducing HCM and who acts as contact for the users. 

From the project viewpoint, a more difficult task in Regensburg Hospital was seen as achieving automatic saving of documents in HCM. This process is still not completely closed out, but the institution is on a very good track, as IT Team Leader Maximilian Osterholzer emphasized: "At present, there are unfortunately still processes in which documents must be printed out and then scanned before they migrate into the digital archive. However, with the introduction of JiveX PDF Printgateway, with which data can be "printed" in HCM via any desired printer program, and of Scanimport Gateway, which rapidly scans and automatically organizes documents that have been brought along, we are reducing the number of printouts continuously. The introduction of a Rendition has accelerated this process even more.“

More security but nevertheless greater efficiency

The effects that this has are illustrated by the example of a doctor's letter. Before introduction of HCM, the letter was printed out by the assistant physician and submitted to the specialist physician for correction. Then the paper printout was passed on to the clerical service, where the handwritten corrections were typed into the document. Thereafter the document was printed out once again, signed by the Chief Physician and then scanned and transported into the digital archive. In the meantime, this process is being digitally imaged up to the signature. 

Stefanie Prautzsch has yet another ready-made practical example that illustrates optimization of the process, simplification of the work and also greater patient safety: "Women who want to bear their child in our facility used to bring their preliminary findings or other documents important for giving birth along with them, which documents arrived in the paper records. When such women then happened to be delivered in labor at night, the paper records were not necessarily with them, and the medical information was not available. Nowadays, all documents that patients bring with them are scanned immediately, automatically correlated with a patient and also categorized. Thus all medical information is immediately available digitally and completely. And this is indeed the case then and there, when and where they are needed."

Happy users due to good support

The scanning of documents that have been brought along is also a good example of how employee satisfaction has been improved by HCM. Since before introduction of Scangateway, the documents had to be copied and every page had to be identified with a patient label. Only then was it possible to scan them page-by-page. Such documents were uploaded into the digital patient record only after discharge of the patient, which is why the information was not even digitally viewable during the hospital stay. "The automatic functions achieved by HCM already represent an enormous unburdening, naturally to the delight of the employees. That's why we intend to continue on this path. At present, we have a pilot project for introducing the photo app, which enables automatic saving and correlation of, for example, wound photos in the digital archive," according to IT Team Leader Maximilian Osterholzer.

Antje Schoppa also emphasizes, however, that the satisfaction of the users depends very much on introduction into the functionalities and on personal support: "The introduction of such software doesn't function unless the process is accompanied continuously by a responsible person. Without troubleshooters, as we call them, nothing works. And with Stefanie Prautzsch we have a person who keeps all balls in the air and perfectly masters communication both with the employees and with VISUS." 

Who in turn is delighted to have VISUS as a partner by her side that reacts rapidly and reliably and is also aware of the urgency of many issues: "In VISUS, we just have the feeling at all levels that we are dealing with people who really know the system and can really do their job," was her final conclusion.