The activity of the Healthcare Information Systems Center (CSIOZ) is aimed at improving the quality of medical services provided by building an information society and developing e-Health in Poland. “Electronic Platform for Collection, Analysis and Sharing of digital resources on medical events” – P1 is a key project of the Center, the most important element of which is an electronic prescription. e-Prescription has been a priority in computerization of the healthcare sector in Poland for a long time. Similar systems have been functioning for many years in other countries of the European Union.
CHALLENGE
In 2017, a tender was announced and Pentacomp was selected as the contractor for the e-Prescription. The assessment of our offer was influenced by the 8-year activity on the health market and experience in the effective integration of hospitals with the Podkarpackie Medical Information System. We also took part in the adaptation of the HL7 standard recommended by the European Union. It was not without significance, because building an electronic prescription system throughout the country, with the perspective of later cross-border cooperation, requires knowledge of global standards of data exchange between IT systems, adapted to Polish conditions. Integration with e-Prescription will cover the systems of all pharmacies and medical units of service providers, the systems of which are often different. We were aware that many experienced experts have problems with similar challenges.
TEST OF STRENGTH
We felt enormous time pressure. From the very beginning, we undertook intensive work in a completely new form. Goal orientation was the pillar, so we used the Agile approach that is close to us. This was a particular challenge considering the size of the team of 70 people. Moreover, there is a common belief that it is not possible to use SCRUM in public projects. In fact, SCRUM enabled us to smoothly respond to changes in customer requirements and deliver results incrementally. The Center, on the other hand, had full insight into the progress of work at each stage of the project and the ability to make decisions on an ongoing basis as to the future direction of work.
Pentacomp together with CSIOZ made sure that the e-Prescription was compliant with the Polish National Implementation of the HL7 CDA standard and the IHE PRE (prescription) profile. The integration of the system components was successful after less than 7 months. In February 2018, the e-Recept pilot program was launched in Skierniewice and Siedlce . To be able to issue and fulfill e-prescriptions, medical centers and pharmacies only need to update their software.
SHARED SUCCESS
We helped CSIOZ fulfill its statutory obligations and meet the declared deadlines. The health care system obtains strict control over the trade in reimbursed drugs. For medical centers, e-Prescription means reduction of costs related to issuing prescriptions, and for pharmacists it simplifies the process of their implementation. Electronic prescription is more reliable and easier to read.
However, the project entails, above all, a number of benefits for the patient:
- time savings and increased safety,
- no problems with reading prescriptions,
- clear and concise dosage information,
- improving care for chronically ill,
- reducing the risk of undesirable interaction of active substances.
Ultimately, together with CSIOZ, we showed that e-Prescription is a system that can be successfully implemented. Together, we took an important step towards the digitization of the Polish healthcare system. We believe that in 2020 patients, pharmacists and doctors will say: “e-Prescription? It’s simple and convenient. “