HP to improve healthcare

HP and Partners HealthCare are extending their five-year, multi-million dollar agreement to develop software, hardware and services to support clinical medicine, says The Earth Times.

“To turn the vision of personalised medicine into reality requires the convergence of IT, research and healthcare,” says John Glaser, chief information officer of Partners HealthCare.

HP and Partners' collaboration builds upon a five-year relationship that has led to the development of a large multi-cluster computer facility to support genetics researchers at Partners HealthCare.

The Providence St Vincent Medical Centre in Portland, US, has implemented Patient Care Technology Systems' Amelior ORTracker patient and asset tracking system, says CNNMoney.

The Web-based Amelior tracking software works by automatically identifying the location of people and monitoring the care progression of patients using real-time location system, infrared, radio-frequency, ultrasonic, and hybrid technologies.

Each year at the institute, more than 13 000 patients benefit from the latest advances in diagnosis, treatment and cardiac surgery.

US-based Wheeling Hospital is investing $20 million (R209 million) to revolutionise its electronic medical records and clinical information system, a significant benefit to patients, staff and physicians, reports WTRF.

Planning for the project took two years and sets in motion a goal developed by hospital CEO Ronald Violi to upgrade and advance Wheeling Hospital's use of computer technology.

Hospital officials have signed a seven-year contract with Eclipsys, a healthcare technology corporation based in Atlanta, to provide and implement its Sunrise Enterprise suite of applications to deliver the most advanced medical technology to doctors.