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Hospital gets applications to market faster with an IBM Integration foundation solution
Technology Category
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - API Integration & Management
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration
Applicable Industries
- Healthcare & Hospitals
Applicable Functions
- Maintenance
- Logistics & Transportation
Use Cases
- Process Control & Optimization
- Predictive Maintenance
Services
- System Integration
- Training
The Challenge
The University Medical Center (UMC) Freiburg, one of the largest hospitals in Europe, relies on an IT environment consisting of more than 80 clinical, operational, and patient care applications. This application environment demands constant change, with ongoing application modifications and deployments. The integration architecture team at UMC Freiburg needed to connect the hospital’s business and patient care applications with its clinical and patient data storage systems to provide a full view of patient care in one location, resulting in better overall care. The team had to ensure that all new and modified applications interface effectively with the medical center’s two backbone systems, one for patient data storage and the other for clinical report archiving while maintaining consistent service for users. These systems must also comply with Health Level Seven International (HL7), which provides messaging standards for exchanging patient care and clinical information in electronic health records (EHRs).
About The Customer
Based in Freiburg, Germany, University Medical Center (UMC) Freiburg is one of the largest hospitals in Europe, with over 10,000 employees. Its medical professionals and administrators rely on an IT environment consisting of more than 80 clinical, operational, and patient care applications. This application environment demands constant change, with ongoing application modifications and deployments. The integration architecture team at UMC Freiburg, led by Markus Gogolin, must ensure that all new and modified applications interface effectively with the medical center’s two backbone systems, one for patient data storage and the other for clinical report archiving while maintaining consistent service for users. These systems must also comply with Health Level Seven International (HL7), which provides messaging standards for exchanging patient care and clinical information in electronic health records (EHRs).
The Solution
UMC Freiburg implemented two components from the IBM Integration foundation portfolio: IBM Integration Bus and IBM Integration Bus Healthcare Pack software. The solution connects the medical center’s applications across its IT environment and provides monitoring, auditing, and analytics capabilities. Integration Bus software provides the team with capabilities to build solutions needed to support HL7 integration requirements. IBM MQ software supports the Integration Bus software by helping UMC Freiburg’s 80-plus applications securely communicate with one another. Gogolin also engaged IBM Training for in-house education on the IBM software and subscribed to the IBM On Demand Consulting service to receive assistance from the IBM Software Services for WebSphere team.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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