Within two months of implementing BusinessObjects enterprise decision-support tools from Usko Software, the MX Group of healthcare companies is already getting a return on its investment.
Based in Centurion, the group has used technology to establish a national presence via a Microsoft NT-based wide-area network (WAN) and a Redbrick relational data warehouse running on an IBM RS6000 server.
MX Health, a group company that is a market leader in the fast-growing field of managed health care (MHC), routinely handles the downward management of medical expenses on behalf of its clients, which include medical schemes, corporations, government institutions and individuals.
In looking to provide new facilities and improved services -- such as trend-spotting that might indicate possible fraud -- MX Health went looking for tools that would enable non-technical users to perform queries, reporting and online analytical processing (OLAP) on data stored in its in-house developed management information systems.
"Several factors influenced our decision to choose BusinessObjects," said Dennis Strydom, MX Health`s IT director. "First of all, we were very impressed with Usko`s professional approach and their representatives` ability to understand our needs and satisfy them with a best-of-breed solution.
"Key to the decision was the integrated architecture of Business Objects` products and the comprehensive functionality that is built into the software. We did not want to have to buy all this functionality as separate add-ons to, for instance, handle MIS-type queries over the Internet.
"BusinessObjects was also the only application we saw that can provide data into a single model off two different platforms. We need certain information from our operational system, which is on a Microsoft NT platform, and additional information from our data warehouse on the RS6000. The software operates equally well with either, or both simultaneously.
"Overall, we were highly impressed with the product`s ease of use. The interface has a Microsoft application look and feel, so users were comfortable with it from the start."
The company has begun with a phased implementation approach. "However, because it is so easy for users to develop new reports themselves, we see our organisation standardising all our reporting on BusinessObjects, meaning that we will be growing rapidly," said Strydom.
A key advantage that the MX Group offers its clients is the ability to measure experience against a very broad base of providers and to establish whether that experience is in line with the demographics of a customer`s clientele. It is possible, for example, to evaluate a medical scheme`s chronic medication patients against a base of approximately 1,5 million users.
"In essence, this makes it easier to identify where someone is abusing a fund," said Strydom, "so in this sense we provide quality assurance on claims experience. BusinessObjects` reporting and analysis is helping us achieve this."
Confirming that the group is already getting a return on its investment after only two months, Strydom said: "We see this tool`s capabilities being applied in many different ways across the board from simple reporting to highly advanced e-commerce.
"Because of the competitive nature of our industry we are forced to remain at the cutting edge of technology, and in terms of our partnership with Usko, we expect that they will be able to guide us in the direction we need to keep moving."
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