Digital Data at the Point of Care: Wyse Technology Server-Centric Computing Solutions for the Health Care Industry

A Wyse Technology White Paper, September 2004<

Summary
Health care organizations today are under pressure to streamline operations with information technology while maintaining the highest level of data security and privacy. Insurance providers and employers see the adoption of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) systems as an opportunity to improve efficiencies and decrease costs. While government and patient organizations view EMR and Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) systems as a way to reduce errors and improve the quality of care. CIOs in U.S. hospitals and clinics are seeking the best way to manage resources and comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996. On the front lines are physicians, nurses, and other highly skilled and respected professionals who will adopt information technology if it saves time and improves patient care without compromising confidentiality.

All of these stakeholders share a common interest: the health and well-being of the patient. The Institute of Medicine estimates that medical errors in hospitals kill an estimated 44,000-98,000 people per year—more than motor vehicle accidents or breast cancer. Studies show that CPOE reduces those errors by improving the accuracy of pharmaceutical orders and medical directions generating red flag alerts for allergies or adverse drug interactions. Using CPOE, Kaiser Permanente found that incidents of aller-gic drug reactions and excessive drug dosages declined by 75 percent, and the average time spent in the intensive care unit dropped from 4.9 days to 2.7 days, reducing costs by 25 percent.

While digitization and computerization offer benefits, they also present security risks with confidential data traveling networks and landing on personal computer desktops. Wyse® Winterm™ thin clients combined with Wyse device management software bring secure, mobile access to EMR and CPOE systems to the point of care. Applications and data reside on secure servers maintained by centralized IT staff. Because thin clients have no hard drive and do not store any data locally, health care providers have mobile access to up-to-date information and patient record privacy is protected through log-in. They can issue orders that are legible, accessible, and part of the permanent record.

For most medical treatment facilities, information technology came first to the back office, supporting operations and financial functions. Browser-based applications, data integration, and small, robust computing devices are bringing the benefits of IT to the point of care. As multimedia compression and visual tools improve, more visual informa-tion will be available for diagnosis, training, and collaboration. With server-based, thin-client computing systems, health care CIOs are laying the foundation to make the most of information technology for patient care.