Digitisation in the healthcare sector

Digitisation in the health care system will improve patient care while reducing costs and error rates. In the future, the interdisciplinary and topic-spanning communication between service providers such as doctors, hospitals, but also e.g. diagnostic laboratories, as well as cost bearers such as private and statutory health insurance companies will be largely digital, based on the Electronic Patient Record (EPA). Large parts of the digital infrastructure, i.e. both medical and laboratory information systems, medical devices, software-based medical products, as well as communication systems, e.g. for billing, must ensure secure and cross-system networking. The key to this interoperability is the use of established communication standards, such as HL7 and IHE profiles and interfaces. In order to develop and implement this complex system, a broad professional expertise about the interaction in the health care system and detailed IT know-how is required. We have both, and can support you in your projects.

Our competencies in the healthcare sector

Digitisation in healthcare: ePA and IHE

Digitisation offers the chance to simplify processes in the health care system in such a way that they become more transparent and secure for everyone involved. Patients are moving from being perceived as “objects” to becoming the focus of decisions and self-determined participants in the medical decision-making process. Communication with doctors is more direct and the exchange of data easier. Dependencies are reduced through simple and uncomplicated access by patients to their data, which is managed in an electronic patient file (ePA). This enables the patient to release his data for all those involved in the treatment process in a targeted and simple manner.
For cost units such as health insurance companies, the process costs per patient will decrease if large parts of the previously paper-based processes become digital, treatments become more specific and multiple treatments – due to ignorance or lack of access to already collected patient data – are eliminated.
Service providers such as doctors, clinics, nursing institutions or health care professionals can easily access historical patient data, even if they have not collected it themselves, with considerably less administrative effort and can exchange data with colleagues much more easily. This makes treatment more targeted and effective.
Ultimately, such a digital infrastructure is only possible if it is based on a secure and tamper-proof system that meets the needs of users in a targeted manner.
The key to this is the framework established by the IHE (Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise). This defines basic security and access mechanisms for data and provides clear processes for each data exchange. This describes target definitions, procedures, up to exchange formats and communication protocols between systems. Continuous monitoring and globally uniform methods for checking the compliance of all systems involved in the infrastructure (Connectathon) ensure that the exchange of data actually works across system boundaries.
When implementing such an infrastructure, it is essential to describe exactly which activities are digitised with which processes and procedures, based on clear target definitions. On this basis, an experienced partner like PTA will help you to professionally implement the right systems and interfaces and to achieve success in the digitisation process in a short time.

Medical Information Systems

In hospitals, doctors’ practices and other health care providers, medical information systems (e.g. hospital and doctor information systems) form the backbone of the operative processes. Due to the increasing networking of all service providers, the unrestricted interoperability of these systems is essential. Expansion of networking and interoperability requires innovative solutions. Only in this way can they be constantly and flexibly adapted to the changing needs of service providers and cost units.

The combination of business management competence and IT know-how enables PTA to advise you on the networking of your system landscape. Our expertise from the integration of laboratory IT solutions enables you to optimise your workflows and IT processes.

PTA also supports you in the development and implementation of your laboratory information and management systems (LIMS), laboratory information systems and laboratory middleware products throughout the entire product life cycle.

Our expertise ranges from product definition and specification to design, development and verification, validation and roll-out of a software product. We support our customers in achieving their project goals on time. We offer simple consulting services as well as ISO 13485/62304-compliant standardised product developments and complete application lifecycle management (ALM).

Our experts also guarantee mastery of the content of the necessary standards such as LOINC, ICD-10 or ICD-11, of OPS codes and XML- or file-based exchange formats through their broad wealth of experience not only in informatics but also in the various life sciences.

Point-of-Care-Tests

Mobile diagnostic devices are now indispensable. They are used for quick and regular checks of relevant physiological parameters directly at the patient’s bed (Near Patient Testing) or on the ward or in the doctor’s practice (Point-of-Care-Testing (POCT)). Apps on mobile phones in hospital wards, doctor’s surgeries and also at the patient’s home – as “home care” products for patient self-measurement – are spreading at lightning speed and improving monitoring, diagnosis and even compliance. Their integration into the multitude of existing IT infrastructures of medical information systems (hospital, laboratory, doctor and pharmacist information systems) or electronic patient files is complex. The PTA supports its customers in this.

Migration from ICD

Within the next few years, the ICD-10 coding currently prescribed in Germany for the billing of medical services by SGB V will be replaced by the new ICD-11 coding, which will come into force on 1 January 2022. With the help of the ICD classification, diseases can be clearly identified during data transmission and processing. While in everyday life we speak of seasonal flu, viral flu or influenza, what is meant can be precisely determined with the code J11.8 or, in the new version of the ICD classification, with the code 1E32.

The ICD-11 standard brings with it changes in content compared to its predecessor. For example, disease patterns such as gambling addiction have been included in the catalogue for the first time. For the many IT systems that process data from the health sector, however, this change in the actual coding results in a large number of necessary adjustments. This begins with checking whether a code entered is correct and actually exists, continues with the so-called mapping from one coding to the next and ends with the conversion of input interfaces in order to record code extensions available in ICD-11 that do not exist in ICD-10.

Take the step with us into the digital future.

Do you have questions, suggestions or are you interested in our offer? We will be pleased to contact you.