The company
MDIntelleSys develops intelligent, web-based EMR solutions for ophthalmology. Its core product, the IntelleChart Suite, is broken into three major components: IntelleChart, IntelleDraw, and IntelleView. From the initial patient review through image integration and on to the generation of referral letters, the IntelleChart Suite helps practices document the patient encounter quickly and thoroughly. The solution is structured as a monthly service fee with no up front costs beyond a web browser and an internet connection.
The challenge
One of the barriers to entry in the EMR market is integrating the EMR with the physician's practice management system. Initially, MDIntelleSys leveraged internal programming resources to create one-off, point-to-point interfaces to meet client integration needs. Those interfaces consumed valuable programming time, often 60 hours or more.
"We would have fallen behind on our goals if we had to develop an interface engine ourselves, and due to our programmer time constraints we would have ended up with something much less robust and it would be something else we would have to maintain and enhance on our side," said Joe Sweeney, Senior Software Architect, MDIntelleSys.
MDIntelleSys needed a more cost effective solution that would let the company go to market quickly and with confidence. Its ability to bring on new clients was predicated on its capacity to create EMR to PMS interfaces. The company also required an enterprise level solution for its data center environment, capable of handling thousands of interfaces.
The solution
In its search for an enterprise level solution, MDIntelleSys concluded that the eTransX Healthcare Enterprise Messaging and Integration (HEMI) engine was top of the class. Not only did eTX HEMI provide the scalability its data center environment demanded, it allowed MDIntelleSys to get to market quickly and works with all versions of HL7. "The speed at which we can create an HL7 stream, if we have previously interfaced with that application, is amazing," said Sweeney.
Alongside eTX HEMI, MDIntelleSys leveraged eTX Stream. An integration agent, eTX Stream enables secure, real-time data exchange without the need for a virtual private network. eTX Stream resides on the provider's network, is fully HIPAA compliant, and securely transports structured and unstructured data over the web. "eTX Stream was a great added benefit when we purchased HEMI," added Sweeney.
The results
As promised, the implementation of eTX HEMI was smooth and efficient. The eTransX implementation team guided Mr. Sweeney through the process, bringing a fully scalable interface engine up and running in a matter of hours. That mattered, because speed to market was a significant factor in the selection.
eTX HEMI also delivered on its promise of efficient interface creation. MDIntelleSys realized a 95 percent reduction in EMR to PMS interface development time. Each new practice management system required as little as two hours to complete the HL7 interface, and once an interface was established with a specific PMS, further interfaces took roughly 30 minutes. "The copy functionality from within the ETX Administrator section is especially helpful. I can copy an interface with an existing application, make a few modifications, and that's it. It's been a great time saver," said Sweeney.
“We would have fallen behind on our goals if we had to develop an interface engine ourselves, and due to our programmer time constraints we would have ended up with something much less robust and it would be something else we would have to maintain and enhance on our side.”
MDIntelleSys