IMS Maxims makes electronic care records cheaper to deploy
Remote access to patient notes speeds up care delivery and cuts costs
IMS MAXIMS has unveiled a new version of its Emergency Department (ED) system and announced details of developments that could make the delivery of electronic care records much cheaper for cash-strapped trusts.
The new ED module includes graphical screens, which allow the real-time tracking of all patients in an Emergency Department – locally, regionally and nationally, helping to avoid waiting time breaches.
Through the technology, the status, needs and location of patients can be continually monitored at every stage of their journey. Staff workloads are also allocated in the most effective ways and a full electronic record is kept of each intervention and its outcome. Once treatment is completed, a discharge summary is automatically generated electronically and sent on to the GP.
Announcing the launch at last week’s Health Informatics Congress in London, Shane Tickell, chief executive of IMS MAXIMS, said: “The new version of MAXIMS ED provides hospitals with an extremely powerful and flexible tool for running their Emergency Departments. It allows them to provide the best possible service for patients, making sure they get the treatment they need when it’s needed.”
Also announced at the conference was the company’s new project, provisionally entitled da vinci. This aims to free hospitals from the need to invest large amounts of money in electronic records systems, as records would be held remotely. With the data belonging to the patient, these would be accessed using mobile devices such as smartphones or tablet computers; an approach already demonstrated with the MAXIMS Bedside app.
Tickell said: “Our aim is to remove the complexity and expense of electronic record systems by enabling up-to-date clinical and administrative data to be accessed remotely through mobile devices installed with our apps. This supports the trend towards patients having control of their own data and frees the NHS from the responsibility of data storage and upkeep. Plus costs are reduced as payment is only made for data that is used.”
The use of apps will also encourage patients to become more involved and interested in their own health by enabling them to carry out simple health checks, provide data to clinicians and give consent for healthcare providers and clinicians to access their files.
Tickell said: “This project is a genuine leap forward in healthcare. It will allow clinicians to have advanced and flexible software for accessing and updating patient records. At the same time patients will be able to choose from a range of easy-to-use apps, which will support better health.
