Integrated systems require new information technology

The evolution of integrated health-care systems and the complex information systems that facilitate them is a high-tech chicken-and-egg story.

Some hospital officials and physicians would insist that a network of providers and continuity of service first must be in place in order to integrate a health-care system.

But Paul Hobson-Panico, regional director of strategy and management for Western Plains Health Network, would argue that while those features are important, they can’t occur without computer systems and software applications that enable physicians and others to share information effectively and rapidly.

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Hobson-Panico is largely responsible for implementing information systems for one of the most substantial integrated delivery systems in the state. Western Plains is a regional system of hospitals, PHOs and ancillary services owned or leased by Lutheran Health Systems of Fargo, N.D.

The system is in the throes of a major overhaul of its computer network – part of LHS’ plan to standardize their local area network and wide area network systems for its 100-plus rural health-care facilities in 17 states and link 3,500 providers and managers block to block, city to city, and region to region .

“What that means is eventually we will have seamless data, voice and video communication within the system both regionally and nationwide,” Hobson-Panico explained. “A primary-care physician in northeastern Colorado can access clinical data on his patient who’s in the hospital in Loveland, a Greeley radiologist can get a video image of a fractured bone to a colleague in Sterling, doctors along the Front Range can make referrals to specialists completely electronically.

The infrastructure links departments, desktops, physicians’ offices and acute-care facilities — all the components of a health-care system on the hospital campus and beyond.”

At this point, after an infusion of millions of dollars, the infrastructure, is in place. The next step is to choose the system’s software applications and set training sessions so people will use them.

Completion of the project is at least a year away, Hobson-Panico said, and even then it will remain a constantly evolving system.

LHS contracted with 3Com Corp. of Santa Clara, Calif., and DAOU Systems Inc. of San Diego to design their enterprise-wide network, which will use existing software applications. One Fort Collins-based company, however, is designing a software system for health-care practitioners from scratch.

Last year, First Principles of Fort Collins merged with Object Products Inc., a private company out of San Francisco, and the partnership has acquired several other software companies and their products with plans to design the ultimate in health-care software.

“We are the new generation of integrated systems for the health-care industry,´ said David McComb owner of First Principles, now co-owner of Object Products. “We’re moving away from systems centered around financial information that create clinical data as a by-product and developing the reverse, a clinically driven system with financial data as a by-product.”

The challenge now is to simultaneously build out all the expertise they’ve acquired in areas such as resource management, outcomes solutions and case management to create tailored systems for physician group practices, managed-care organizations and integrated delivery systems.

When it’s complete, the system will have the capability to track the patient on his or her entire journey through the health-care system, provide an evaluation of the service and analysis of the outcome and improve the patient’s quality of life by improving the quality and cost-effectiveness of care, the company claims.

McComb’s partner, Bobby Anderson, offers the analogy that managed care is like a Third World country.

“If a company went in to install a phone system, they wouldn’t start with wires and poles, they’d go right to cellular and satellites. That’s what we’re doing with information systems, implementing the most advanced systems right from the start.”

Object Products is recruiting software companies in the area that have innovative health-care-related software products.