AmeriPath, Inc.
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THE SOLUTION An Enterprise-class Web 2.0 Lab Information System For increased flexibility and to keep management costs down, AmeriPath decided to implement a Web-based LIS that would unify the lab information systems at all of its locations. AmeriPath selected Nexaweb's Enterprise Web 2.0 solution to provide its labs the advantages of Web 2.0 technology through a unified platform that combines Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) with existing standards, tools, and infrastructure. Nexaweb's Enterprise Web 2.0 solution is a comprehensive application and deployment framework for building enterprise RIA, composite, and ‘mashup' applications. With Nexaweb, development teams can quickly and easily design, test, deploy, and maintain net-centric (Ajax, Java, HTML) enterprise applications that deliver legacy, service-oriented, and third- party data in real time over the Web. Critical reasons why AmeriPath chose the Nexaweb Enterprise Web 2.0 solution: www.nexaweb.com THE CHALLENGE Disparate Laboratory Information Systems grew costly and unmanageable With more than $752 million in revenue, AmeriPath Inc. is the leading provider of physician-based anatomic pathology, dermato- pathology, and molecular diagnostics services in the United States. Approximately 400 pathologists in more than 70 laboratories, in addition to hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers, help thousands of doctors diagnose diseases within skin and organ tissues. AmeriPath is expanding by acquiring pathology practices located within new geographic markets. While this strategy has proven successful, each new pathology practice came equipped with its own unique network, applications, and business processes. These disparate applications created a number of management obstacles: “We needed a highly scalable composite Web application that complies with stringent HIPAA and SOX regulatory requirements. With the Nexaweb Enterprise Web 2.0 Platform, we've not only been able to ensure more effective access to, and interac- tivity with, accurate patient data, we also are able to leverage our current IT investments, reduce costs, and most importantly, better serve our labs and our referring physicians and their patients .” Amy Wright CIO Ameripath AmeriPath, Inc. Operational efficiency and operating costs varied from lab to lab IT management costs were increased greatly by the ongoing development and maintenance of redundant AmeriPath Lab Information Systems (LIS) The multiple installations also proved to be expensive for the company in its adherence to regulatory compliance measures connected with Health Information Portability and Account- ability Act (HIPAA) and Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Rich User Interface: Laboratory operations are extremely data-entry intensive: each test requires entering accurate information detailing the requesting physician, the patient, test specimen, requested tests, results, billing, and additional attributes. To address each of these challenges, AmeriPath knew it needed to consolidate all of its separate LIS applications into a single, agile application that would provide the centralized management, streamlined data, and business intelligence the company needs for operational and research visibility and continued profitable growth. continued on other side
Transcript of AmeriPath, Inc.
THE SOLUTION
An Enterprise-class Web 2.0 Lab Information System
For increased flexibility and to keep management costs down, AmeriPath decided to implement a Web-based LIS that would unify the lab information systems at all of its locations. AmeriPath selected Nexaweb's Enterprise Web 2.0 solution to provide its labs the advantages of Web 2.0 technology through a unified platform that combines Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) with existing standards, tools, and infrastructure.
Nexaweb's Enterprise Web 2.0 solution is a comprehensive application and deployment framework for building enterprise RIA, composite, and ‘mashup' applications. With Nexaweb, development teams can quickly and easily design, test, deploy, and maintain net-centric (Ajax, Java, HTML) enterprise applications that deliver legacy, service-oriented, and third-party data in real time over the Web.
Critical reasons why AmeriPath chose the Nexaweb Enterprise Web 2.0 solution:
www.nexaweb.com
THE CHALLENGE
Disparate Laboratory Information Systems grew costly and unmanageable
With more than $752 million in revenue, AmeriPath Inc. is the leading provider of physician-based anatomic pathology, dermato-pathology, and molecular diagnostics services in the United States. Approximately 400 pathologists in more than 70 laboratories, in addition to hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers, help thousands of doctors diagnose diseases within skin and organ tissues.
AmeriPath is expanding by acquiring pathology practices located within new geographic markets.
While this strategy has proven successful, each new pathology practice came equipped with its own unique network, applications, and business processes. These disparate applications created a number of management obstacles:
“We needed a highly scalable composite Web application that complies with stringent HIPAA and SOX regulatory requirements. With the Nexaweb Enterprise Web 2.0 Platform, we've not only been able to ensure more effective access to, and interac-tivity with, accurate patient data, we also are able to leverage our current IT investments, reduce costs, and most importantly, better serve our labs and our referring physicians and their patients .”
Amy WrightCIOAmeripath
AmeriPath, Inc.
Operational efficiency and operating costs varied from lab to lab
IT management costs were increased greatly by the ongoing development and maintenance of redundant AmeriPath Lab Information Systems (LIS)
The multiple installations also proved to be expensive for the company in its adherence to regulatory compliance measures connected with Health Information Portability and Account-ability Act (HIPAA) and Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX)
Rich User Interface: Laboratory operations are extremely data-entry intensive: each test requires entering accurate information detailing the requesting physician, the patient, test specimen, requested tests, results, billing, and additional attributes.
To address each of these challenges, AmeriPath knew it needed to consolidate all of its separate LIS applications into a single, agile application that would provide the centralized management, streamlined data, and business intelligence the company needs for operational and research visibility and continued profitable growth.
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“After evaluating various Web 2.0 development strategies, including Ajax, we determined that a Java-based framework was best suited to meet the requirements of AmeriPath's feature-rich, business-critical application,” says Shitlesh Patel, Ameripath's Manager of Application Architecture.
THE RESULTS
Streamlined manageability, lower costs, improved lab operations and service to physicians
In less than a year, AmeriPath was able to build and deploy its new centrally managed LIS, called Pathway. Through Nexaweb, AmeriPath combined the ease and reach of a Web-based deployment with the usability and desktop-class rich-client user interface the company sought for its data-entry demanding laboratories. The new browser-based application significantly improves end-user responsiveness and access to critical patient data.
The new centrally-managed Web-based system has proven to provide several significant benefits to AmeriPath:
Copyright © 2007 Nexaweb Technologies, Inc.
FAST FACTS
Business: Leading provider of physician-based anatomic pathology, dermatopathology, and molecular diagnostics services in the United States
Revenue: $752 million
Employees: 4,000 including more than 400 pathologists
Results Deployed new Laboratory Information System (LIS) in less than one year
New LIS combines the ease and reach of the Web with the usability and desktop- quality, rich UI that meets the needs of data-entry demanding laboratories
Browser-based LIS improves user responsiveness and access to critical patient data
AmeriPath, Inc.
Accuracy and speed are crucial. Nexaweb provided an authentic desktop user experi-ence, from keyboard shortcuts to drag-and-drop capabilities, including integration with AmeriPath's medical imaging libraries. The system is as familiar to users as any other desktop application, and provides for fast and precise data entry.
Zero On-Site Administration: Nexaweb provided the ability for AmeriPath to deploy a centrally managed LIS to its labs, physicians, and others.
Full Development Language Integration: As a result of Nexaweb providing its rich-client functionality utilizing Java APIs and declarative XML, AmeriPath was able to define a fully featured rich client using Nexaweb's Eclipse-based visual layout tools that simpli-fied and accelerated interface development and maintenance. Nexaweb's native Java integration meant AmeriPath developers were not forced to learn yet another client scripting language.
Ensure that lab procedures are consistent and efficient, corporate-wide: Lab workflows and data collection procedures—including those that are regulated by HIPAA and SOX—are now centrally managed. All application updates, upgrades, and other changes made to the LIS are deployed to each lab at the same time.
Provide better service to physicians: Physicians provide inputs and get results faster directly through the LIS. In turn, they can provide faster diagnoses to patients.
Bring new labs and customers online as quickly as they're acquired: The new LIS deploys automatically to new users over the Web, without requiring any user or IT intervention.
Centrally view operational data from all labs: Lab data is stored centrally via the LIS, enabling it to be analyzed for regulatory compliance and BI purposes. This analysis drives ongoing refinement of lab practices, making them simpler, more accurate, and more cost-effective.
Nexaweb Technologies, Inc.One Van de Graaff Drive Burlington, MA 01803
Phone: (781) 345-5500Fax: (781) 345-5501
www.nexaweb.com
