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Our innovative “FastTrak to EPR” approach is a unique combination of information architecture, advanced database and integration technologies from InterSystems, and an implementation methodology that dramatically cuts the time, cost, and risk typically involved in delivering an Electronic Patient Record.
Central to the “FastTrak to EPR” concept is that the Electronic Patient Record breakthrough should occur early in a healthcare information implementation cycle, and not be the final potential outcome of a massive “rip and replace” project that may take years to complete and runs the risk of being pared down or eventually abandoned. TrakCare customers enjoy EPR benefits much sooner.
In the traditional approach to an Electronic Patient Record, a new “standard” model is pushed down to each application. This hierarchical model may originate from a software-in-the-institution decision, or from regional or national perspectives. Unfortunately, massive top-down Electronic Patient Record standards are often at the heart of many of the huge delays, cost overruns and abandoned projects.
TrakCare is fully compatible with this top-down standardised approach, and it operates with more than one standard while readily adapting to changing standards. TrakCare is the perfect solution when standards are not yet finalised, or the process or approach is in flux. When using TrakCare, customers benefit from a future-proofed healthcare solution.
“FastTrak to EPR” is enabled by advanced database and integration technology from InterSystems, a leading software provider in the healthcare industry, with products in use in a majority of the healthcare institutions around the world. TrakCare takes advantage of the full capabilities of InterSystems’ object-oriented database Caché and its Ensemble rapid integration platform. The result is an object-based EPR and Master Patient Index that underlies TrakCare modules and is seamlessly linked to other applications and data to deliver on our promise of “FastTrak to EPR.”
When Is “FastTrak to EPR” a Good Fit?
The “FastTrak to EPR” approach offers compelling value to customers across a wide spectrum of healthcare needs and information technology environments.
An immediate need to act – “FastTrak to EPR” is a perfect approach for organizations with an urgent need to act quickly (for example, those with an existing system that is no longer serviceable or sufficient, or with an immediate need to add new functionality). “FastTrak to EPR” allows customers to maintain existing legacy systems and technologies and to easily conform to new and emerging standards, requirements and technologies; functionality and supported applications can be added without replacement of other systems, and TrakCare customers gain future-proofing benefits along with immediate upgrades to EPR capabilities.
Electronic Patient Record projects looming or under way – “FastTrak to EPR” is the ideal approach when organizations need to upgrade capabilities of one or more information systems while at the same time accommodating active Electronic Patient Record initiatives. These initiatives may be in development or well under way, and may be at an institutional, regional or national level. With “FastTrak to EPR”, the customer can quickly upgrade the needed functionality while remaining assured that the new solutions will accommodate the evolving EPR standards and technologies.
Upgrade from mostly manual/paper – “FastTrak to EPR” is the natural choice for organizations that today are mostly manual or paper-based. These organizations usually seek breakthrough technology benefits, and no solution offers a faster path to results than TrakCare. The unmatched TrakCare flexibility is the other key to success for moving beyond paper. Change can be troublesome - it is eased when systems conform to existing processes and procedures but can become catastrophic when healthcare professionals face the added burden of learning a new system and changing all of their daily routines and practices.
Frequently Asked “FastTrak to EPR” Questions
How can you magically create an Electronic Patient Record so fast if none exists today?
There is no magic wand, but the innovative TrakCare capabilities allow TrakCare modules to snap together with other systems to present EPR data at the point of patient care. It’s as if TrakCare applications were Lego™ building blocks that also imbue Lego building block capabilities to non-TrakCare applications and legacy systems. With its object-enabled EPR, Patient Master Index and underlying Ensemble integration platform, TrakCare creates EPR information from the first installed TrakCare module.
But we just need to upgrade selective systems; we are not looking for EPR so urgently today, so why would we choose TrakCare?
TrakCare offers great value, rich capabilities and rapid implementation for all of its application modules, so anyone looking for new healthcare solutions should certainly evaluate TrakCare. But beyond the competitive strength of our solutions, why would anyone invest in a new system today when all the experts tell us that the Web-based Electronic Patient Record is the inevitable future of healthcare – it is not a question of ‘if’ but rather ‘when and how.’
TrakCare solutions have future-proof capabilities that are unheard of in other alternatives. Uniquely, TrakCare positions its customers for quick success today and lasting success well into the future.
Are you saying that every TrakCare application can be implemented with an EPR solution in weeks or months versus the many months or years typical of alternatives?
We work with each customer to craft an optimum implementation plan for their institution. Sometimes, customers prefer to initially implement large amounts of functionality and to highly tailor their implementation.
We believe that customers benefit from more rapid implementations, at the very least because they realize benefits much quicker, but also because this maintains support and momentum for new systems and initiatives. Long implementation cycles typified older technologies, which were so difficult to tailor and integrate that customers felt that they must define and implement a complete “perfect” system because it would be so difficult to make changes later.
The “FastTrak to EPR” approach offers customers an attractive alternative – put early systems up quickly, then add more tailoring to those systems while building additional systems. Deploying older technologies is not unlike the experience of buying a new custom-built house – after you have been in it for a few months you know everything that you would have done differently in the first place, but like the house example, older technologies cost too much, take too long and have risks too high to make many changes. With the “FastTrak to EPR” breakthrough, tailoring solutions becomes vastly more streamlined and effective.
Aren’t there valid concerns for privacy and security with EPRs?
In any aggregated records solution there is always a tradeoff between increased efficiency and efficacy of patient care and the increased concerns for individual security and privacy. In the end, policy makers or even legislators must make these tradeoff decisions.
What sets the “FastTrak to EPR” approach apart is an unmatched range of alternatives for the EPR implementation so that policy makers have increased flexibility to craft effective alternative records models. Specifically, the location and management of EPR data can be configured in many ways, from local data that can be selectively accessed remotely as needed, to regionalized or even centralised data storage and management. “FastTrak to EPR” can be incorporated into institutional healthcare applications or it can operate on a regional or national basis to provide secure EPR access and management.
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