Close
Integrating ophthalmology
As the first university hospital in Germany, the ophthalmic clinic in Erlangen, under the direction of Professor F. E. Kruse, MD, has signed a contract for integrated treatment with AOK (health care fund) Bavaria and cooperating resident oculists in 2005. The contract aims to increase the quality and efficiency of opthalmologic care in the area, focusing on cataract treatment, retina and vitreous surgeries, and age-related macula diseases.
Aerial view of University Hospital Erlangen
The challenge
In order to take part in integrated treatment, very high demands on quality have to be fulfilled. Findings and diagnoses are documented electronically and evaluated scientifically. For such a quality-assured communication, cross-institutional electronic patient records are indispensable.
Professor H. U. Prokosch, MD, CIO of University Hospital Erlangen
The solution
In close collaboration with the university’s chair for medical informatics and the medical centre of information and communication techniques, Siemens Healthcare designed a cross-institutional electronic patient record. Soarian® Integrated Care, the Siemens Healthcare health information exchange solution, serves as a universal platform for bidirectional communication and thus provides the framework for the cross-institutional cooperation. The integrated electronic patient record enables direct information and data exchange not only within the hospital but also between hospital and the 110 cooperating resident oculists. The data is saved on an independent server following strict data protection regulations.
The benefits
The electronic patient record turned out to be a practical instrument for cross-institutional and cross-sectoral diagnosis and treatment documentation. The patient data that accumulates in daily routine is being structurally recorded and made available to every user in real-time. Moreover, the database concentrates on essential data, so that data entry is not very time-consuming, which further aids its acceptance. “As a communication platform, Soarian Integrated Care made a major contribution to the cross-sectoral cooperation with our partners. What is crucial is that the platform enables both different clinical ways of communication [teleconsultation] and a long-term installation of electronic patient records with structured documentation,” says Professor H. U. Prokosch, MD, CIO of University Hospital Erlangen.
Because of these benefits the use of the electronic patient record in Erlangen and the cooperation will be further developed in future.
Key Benefits
- Centralized documentation
- Increased workflow efficiency
- Cross-institutional cooperation
