4 minutes read
EHR Case StudyTable of Contents
Company Overview
The client is a healthcare IT service provider company based in the USA. They offer full-spectrum Electronic Health Records (EHR) on a subscription basis, along with Practice Management and Billing Services.
Specifically, they offer cloud-based clinical workflow and revenue cycle management technology and services tailored to meet the specific workflow and business needs of imaging and image-guided procedure specialists, to improve their practice and business performance.
Client serves a very specific niche of physician specialists in imaging and image-guided procedures. This includes Hospital-Based Radiologists, Outpatient Endovascular & Interventional Centers, Interventional Vein Centers, and Interventional Pain Centers.
Problem
The client had a problem growing their business due to lack of large-scale, configurable product, which was technically scalable and maintainable. They wanted to recreate their products in order to make it scalable, usable and configurable.
Problem Description
Client serves mid-to-large size healthcare organizations across the USA with their existing product developed in Visual Basic 6.0 with SQL Server.
The client was facing problem in growing their business as they were finding it difficult to manage their existing product due to lack of configurable system, lack of technological expertise and lack of resources. The product was not scalable and used old technology, resulting in an inefficient buggy and unstable application. The product was also not designed to be used by multiple healthcare specialties.
The client was looking for an experienced team who can recreate their product using advanced technology making it scalable, efficient and extremely user-friendly.
Solution
After understanding the business practice of the healthcare organizations, Digicorp defined a strategy to resolve these problems. To solve the problem of managing large-scale data transactions , modules were delivered with a “phased development” approach, at regular intervals. The system was developed in compliance with HIPAA and other federal laws.
Phased Development Approach
In Phase I, we set out to develop a small module of EHR system. We developed a configurable prescription module which helped healthcare organizations to write and send prescriptions electronically.
In Phase II, we developed other common modules like Past Family, Social and Medical History, Allergies, Current Medications, Physical Exam, Vitals, Lab Results, Diagnostic Results, Problem DX, Lab Orders, Radiology Orders, Prescriptions, Procedures, Charge Capture etc.
In Phase III, we developed peripheral modules which helped integrate the system with other systems. As a result, pharmacies and healthcare providers could exchange electronic messages which helped reducing time to generate and send prescriptions. We also developed modules required for Meaningful Use. When EHRs are certified for Meaningful Use, HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) receives financial incentives as per Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive program. US govt. mandated MU certification for all HMOs by 2012 under “Affordable Care Act”. Digicorp helped client certify the product for Meaningful Use Stage I, 2012 by Certification Commission for Health and Information Technology (CCHIT) with 5-star usability rating.
After the initial phases of development, the system generated a huge amount of data. During Phase IV, the data loading time increased significantly affecting system performance. Digicorp successfully reduced the loading time to 3 seconds from 20 seconds, thus making EHR operational in real-time. Secure patient portal was developed to provide patients with access to their medical records.
Digicorp also helped client successfully certify the product for Meaningful Use Stage II, 2014 by ICSA Labs. The product also received Surescripts E-Prescription certification for controlled substances in 2015.
Technology Upgrade & Performance Improvements
Client’s existing system was developed in Visual Basic using SQL Server. For a more efficient, error-free and user-friendly system, Digicorp upgraded the technology to Visual Studio 2008 with .Net framework 3.5. For this purpose, we worked closely with client’s implementation team and provided tech-support to the end users as well.
The performance of the EHR was improved by incorporating the next version of Visual Studio 2010 with .Net framework 4.0. Ultimately, the system was upgraded EHR to Visual Studio 2012, which substantially reduced product development time.
Configurable System
The client’s existing product had limited configuration possibilities and was difficult to manage. It was not designed to be used by multiple healthcare specialties.
With the help of the client’s implementation and support teams, Digicorp designed a fully configurable system which can be used by different healthcare specialties. 140+ facilities with more than 1000 users each are using EHR application across 39 states in the USA.
Results
- Over 140+ facilities with more than 1000 users are using EHR application across the 39 states in the USA.
- Fully scalable and configurable product supporting multiple specialties and being used by healthcare organizations across the USA.
- ONC-ATCB 2014 Meaningful Use Stage I,2012 certified EHR in accordance with the applicable certification criteria adopted by the US Secretary of Health and Human Services.
- Surescripts E-Prescribing certified in 2013.
- ICSA Labs certified EHR for Meaningful Use Stage II, 2014.
- Surescripts certified E-Prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS) in 2015.
- Microservices based architecture will allow plug and play components for scaling.
- Enabled HMOs to qualify for 2011-2012(Stage I) and 2014(Stage II), HITECH Medicare EHR incentive program after achieving Meaningful Use criteria.
Services Provided
- Consulting & Business Analysis
- Product Design and Development
- Regression Testing and Quality Assurance
- Web service and API development
- Product release, installation, and technical support
- UI and UX design
- The Web Application Development
- Maintenance & Support
Nachiket Patel
Co-Founder, VP (DIGICORP)
Nachiket Patel
- Posted on November 10, 2016