Bradford Teaching Hospitals Select Kainos's Evolve EMR in Major Clinical Information System Initiative to 'Go Digital'

London November 28th, 2011 In yet another major win for its Healthcare business, technology solutions company Kainos has announced that Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has committed to a transformational clinical information management project based around its next-generation electronic medical record (EMR) solution, Evolve? 3. This latest release of Kainos's already well-established patient records solution is a comprehensive EMR platform, developed in conjunction with NHS clinicians and managers. Building on the existing functionality of previous versions, Evolve 3 provides advanced process management, a suite of care quality workflows, reporting, patient status management and mobile data access, enabling Trusts to accelerate the delivery of critical healthcare processes and deliver step changes in efficiency and patient care. Brent Walker, CIO at Bradford Teaching Hospitals, describes the project as 'significant'. 'We specifically wanted an EMR solution as part of our Going Digital initiative - a clinical information management development strategy that has emerged directly from our corporate strategy,' he explains. 'This defines the need for modern, fit-for-purpose facilities to ensure safer, more efficient and effective care. By eliminating the need to handle paper - doing away with the iconic beige folder and all the handwritten notes contained within them an EMR platform will bring us firmly into the 21st century.' Bradford Teaching Hospitals currently manages around 1 million physical records in its case-note library, which are being added to each year: the Foundation Trust handles 120,000 A&E attendees, 430,000 outpatients and 120,000 in-patients annually. Digitising patient records and related information will not only make significant inroads into the 'millions of pounds a year' spent on handling paper, it will also drive up the accuracy and resilience of records, while making them available to clinicians and administrators at the point of need. Kainos with its Evolve 3 EMR platform was shortlisted from more than 50 initial responses in the prequalification stage of the tender process. Explaining the reasons for choosing Kainos, Brent says, 'The quality of Kainos's response and engagement was exemplary and the results of the site visits and clinical workshops were very impressive.' 'The clinicians are excited about the product and want to use it, because it looks and feels modern,' he adds. 'But, for me, one of the most exciting things is the powerful workflow capability at the core. We'll be able to develop electronic forms to replace the 1,000+ existing ones we have in paper form stacked in cupboards, and transform numerous processes - from the way pathology tests and outpatient appointments are managed to the distribution of discharge summaries.' Secondary uses, meanwhile, will include auditing and research. 'We'll be able to capture management information and analyse what we do for the first time, leading to all sorts of other efficiency improvements,' Brent notes. 'Evolve is a system that can take us into the 21st century in acute hospital care and help do away with paper,' he concludes. 'Kainos is an exciting, innovative company with a great product and a positive, can-do attitude, which makes for a powerful partnership.' Commenting on the contract win, Deirdre O'Neill, head of the Evolve healthcare division at Kainos, said, 'This is a fantastic early endorsement for Evolve 3, which has only just been launched to the market. We look forward to rolling out the technology at Bradford Teaching Hospitals and delivering the real improvements they are looking for.'