JiveX HCM in the Heidekreis Clinic

The strategy of the Heidekreis Clinic is absolutely clear: by the end of 2027, all processes are to be as paperless and networked as possible at the two sites in Walsrode and Soltau, so that by the end of 2027, the move to the new clinic building in Bad Fallingbostel (photo) will be virtually paperless. An important tool for achieving this goal is the introduction of the JiveX Healthcare Content Management, which increased the level of digitization and shortened data trails.

As early as the beginning of 2023, when the final expansion stage had not even been completed, it would have been unthinkable to do without the HCM: at that time, the HCM served as a digital patient record. All paper-based documents from the two clinic sites in Soltau and Walsrode, including those from the outpatient clinic in Walsrode, were imported into the HCM via a scanning process, and the linking of the image- and paper-generating medical devices - ECG, cardiac catheterization and endoscopy - was in full progress. This also included linking of the ultrasound devices, which were integrated via the JiveX Enterprise PACS to be able to provide them with a DICOM worklist. 

"With the introduction of HCM, we were able to implement a decisive step in the hospital's digitization strategy - namely, the "true" digitization of the patient records. Previously, digitization was handled via a document management system, where the previously scanned files were entered as PDFs," explains Ulf Scheifhacken, IT manager at the Heidekreis Clinic. "All perfectly 'above board' in legal terms," says Scheifhacken, "but not really that practical for the physicians, as they had to scroll through the entire file to compare an old ECG with a current one, to give just one example." The reason being: categorization of the individual documents was not yet possible at that time; as only a PDF existed. "Thus, our first and most important task was to migrate some 13 terabytes of data into the HCM, to ultimately be able to close down the digital PDF archive."

Better organized and informed

Since the introduction of HCM, the options for working with digital data have changed entirely. First, because medical data can be categorized by the type of document and then easily selected using a filter function. And secondly, because the HCM is connected to the PACS and thus also enables access to image data from the system. For the physicians, this is an enormous benefit in terms of convenience and time savings. Particularly against the background that the specialist medical expertise is still divided between the two sites in Soltau and Walsrode in the Heidekreis Clinic. To give an example: in the past, if an ECG was created in Walsrode, it had to be scanned and transmitted to the experts in Soltau via a SharePoint. These days, ECGs are fed directly into the HCM and are available more or less instantly and directly in the patient context at all sites. Ulf Scheifhacken: "As soon as the data has been fed into the HCM, the findings can be created and retrieved from any workstation." 

Today, "only" the letters, findings, etc. which patients bring with them have to be scanned and uploaded to the HCM at the Heidekreis Clinic. Here, too, the objective is clearly defined: patients receive their paperwork back immediately following admission, as everything is digitized immediately.

JiveX Link Share: a small solution with a massive impact

The introduction of JiveX Link Share at the beginning of 2023 is regarded as yet another "gamechanger" at the Heidekreis Clinic. The reason for this lies in the cooperation between specialists from other clinics, for example with neurosurgeons. For example, prior to the introduction of Link Share, image data were burned onto CDs to obtain second opinions; if the patient had to be transferred, a CD was then sent by courier to the clinic which was to continue the treatment. With JiveX Link Share, this is now a thing of the past: "All we need today is an e-mail address, and then we can make the images - which are stored on the in-house server - available using a password and download link. These images can then be viewed via the included viewer or, for example, uploaded to a PACS for diagnostic purposes. In summary, we can say that the quality of care for our patients has increased enormously as a result, simply because we have become much faster, in other words, our treatment times have been shortened," says Ulf Scheifhacken.