When Orbis Medical Centre moved in 2009 to the new building on the border between Sittard and Geleen, the hospital had more than one million paper files in the old building. This move was the perfect moment to do something about the privacy-sensitive files. They opted for a digital working environment and started a successful collaboration with Archive-IT. At the beginning of 2015, the merger between Orbis Medisch and Zorgconcern and Atrium Medisch Centrum Parkstad was finalised. This meant, among other things, that a single system was chosen for the management of files. This became the Virtual Archive.
One central system
Zuyderland Medical Centre now works entirely with SAP. For the employees of Orbis Medical Centre, this was already a piece of cake. For the employees of Atrium Medisch Centrum Parkstad this was a big step forward. A single central system offers many advantages and is necessary for a successful merger. In addition, the Orbis Medical Centre worked for many years with JIM, an ‘on premise’ solution for managing files. The merger was an ideal moment to examine this solution as well and to decide whether it offers the right solution for both organisations.
On premise vs. the cloud!
Working in the cloud was fully discussed in this decision. Archive-IT has advised Zuyderland extensively. Archive-IT made a cost-benefit analysis of the differences between JIM and Virtual Archive. The difference between the ‘on-premise’ and the cloud. Jacques van Kerkvoort, Program Manager ICMT Zuyderland, explains: “Because of the sound advice we received, we opted for Virtual Archive. This was the most advantageous option and the most effective solution for the merger. Major advantages of this cloud solution include the fact that the management is no longer in your own hands, that updates can easily be carried out automatically and, of course, that we can access our information at any location and at any time. This is very important to us, because it enables doctors to work in a multidisciplinary way at different locations.”
Flexible
The transition from JIM to the Virtual Archive went well. In the beginning, the employees had to get used to this, especially at the locations of the former Atrium, where the work processes changed and a lot of new systems were introduced. Things are now going smoothly and the users are experiencing the benefits of one central system. A number of system improvement proposals based on the processes at Zuyderland have been announced to Archive-IT and will be solved in the new releases. The convenient thing about the cloud is that an update can be carried out centrally quickly and securely at once!
Single Sign On
“We are now also working with Archive-IT’s Single Sign On solution. This means that from SAP we can make an immediate excursion to the Virtual Archive and we have an integration with our Active Directory. The user no longer has to log in again, no matter where he gets his information from. An important step! With Single Sign On, we are able to log exactly who is working in which file. An enormous improvement for our security policy and tracability”, says Jacques.
Both parties look back on a successful project. Also a great experience for Archive-IT, given the size of this Virtual Archive implementation. A project that offers many advantages before the merger by centrally controlling the file management system. Zuyderland – and as a result also the patient – is reaping the benefits of this!