Microsoft, Dell To Deliver SaaS Analytics For Community HospitalsMicrosoft, Dell To Deliver SaaS Analytics For Community Hospitals

Dell and Microsoft announced that they will deliver analytics, informatics, business intelligence and performance improvement technology for community hospitals.

Delivered by Dell as a hosted online service, the technology combines Microsoft Amalga, a health intelligence platform, with Dell's cloud computing infrastructure and informatics, analytics and consulting services, the companies said at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference on Tuesday.

The new service will be developed with New York-based Stellaris Health Network, a community hospital system that includes of Lawrence Hospital Center, Northern Westchester Hospital, Phelps Memorial Hospital Center and White Plains Hospital. The four hospitals will serve as foundation members for the technology's development.

Community hospitals need access to consolidated patient data from numerous IT systems to make better-informed administrative, clinical and financial decisions. This information helps hospitals provide patients with advanced levels of evidence-based care.

The initial application being developed, Quality Indicator System (QIS), will help Stellaris hospitals manage quality indicator reporting requirements as mandated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Joint Commission and the new meaningful use requirements mandated by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The application is unique in that it will exceed CMS-required metrics. When a patient enters the hospital, QIS will capture data and determine which quality measures apply. The hospitals, through QIS, will then be able to track and measure quality compliance throughout a patient's stay.

Dell will pilot the technology at the four hospitals beginning in March. Through the arrangement, Stellaris hospitals will also receive integrated workflow design, documentation integrated within their information systems and reporting of quality measures.

"Amalga is able to deliver data in a variety of different ways. Often, business intelligence is a static snapshot of a period of time, so what we're able to do is deliver data in near, real time, and bring about care improvement and performance management," said Nate McLemore, general manager of business development for Microsoft Health Solutions Group. "We will begin to deliver data and reports at the point of care, and see in near, real time what's occurring at the health network."

As the collaboration expands to new member hospitals, additional applications will be developed to solve other business issues, such as turnaround time delays, care coordination, management of avoidable re-admissions and population-based health management for chronic conditions, McLemore said.

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