Fujitsu Releases Electronic Medical Record System for Outpatient Clinics

Fujitsu today announced the availability of HOPE/EGMAIN-RX, an electronic medical record (EMR) system with integrated medical administration functions, which is designed for use by outpatient clinics in Japan.

The new system integrates EMR functions with all of the medical administration functions that outpatient clinics⁽¹⁾ require, ranging from patient check-ins and medical exams, to accounting and the creation of medical claims forms. By converting clinical information as well as medical claims information to digital form, the system enables rapid information sharing between physicians and their staff members, thereby bringing greater efficiency to the management of clinics. Moreover, by linking the system to Fujitsu's regional medical network system, the deployment of the new system will facilitate the creation of a unified structure for high-quality medicine on a regional basis, from major hospitals to outpatient clinics.

With this system, both EMR and medical administration functions can be deployed with just a single set-up. Outpatient clinics that are already using Fujitsu's medical administration system can easily migrate their records to the new system, thereby dramatically reducing both the cost and the burden of work required to deploy a new system. These convenient features help promote the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in outpatient clinics.

By digitalizing paper-based medical records and claim forms, the new system is also expected to reduce the annual CO2 emissions of an average outpatient clinic by 2.2 tons⁽²⁾.

Background

With the establishment of policies to promote digital medical claims data and online invoicing⁽³⁾, the adoption of medical administration systems that process medical claims is rapidly spreading among Japan's approximately 90,000 outpatient clinics. With respect to EMR systems, however, most outpatient clinics have yet to adopt them due to the high cost of deployment and operation. As a result, paper-based medical records still remain the norm. Most outpatient clinics operate with just a few staff members. Physicians handling medical administration must coordinate with their administrative staff members, who check medical records for claims filings, in order to smoothly share information data amongst each other. With a rising need for regionally-based medical collaboration through the use of ICT, there is a corresponding need for clinics to deploy EMR systems as well.

To meet these needs, Fujitsu is releasing HOPE/EGMAIN-RX, an EMR system with integrated medical administration functions that is economical to deploy and easy to operate.

System Features

1. Combines Medical Administration Functions with EMR Functions to Streamline Clinic Operations

As the new system combines medical administration and EMR functions into one, physicians can check patient exam histories and medical claims forms from their examination rooms. As well, administrative staff can refer to data from medical records while checking information on accounts, thereby bringing greater efficiency to the management operations of clinics. Furthermore, the system comes with linkage functions⁽⁴⁾ that connect it with Fujitsu's HOPE regional medical network system, improving the quality of regional medical care through functions that enable clinical data to be shared with hospitals.

2. Easy Migration from Fujitsu's Medical Administration System

The new system enables the smooth migration of medical records from HOPE/SX-R, Fujitsu's medical administration system (separate service fee required). Outpatient clinics that previously had difficulty deploying EMR systems can now begin to use them at ease.

3. User-Friendly Features Raise Administrative Efficiency

The system is loaded with new functions developed in the pursuit of enhanced user convenience. For example, clinical observations that are frequently input on a daily basis are accumulated as templates. When a user tries to input an observation into the system, these templates automatically display on the screen as candidates to make inputting easier. Other functions allow diagnoses and treatments to be stored and automatically displayed as well. Moreover, by using a wide display option, additional information can be displayed on the screen. Font display sizes can also be expanded or reduced, thus creating a user-friendly environment that can be customized to the individual preference of users.

4. Integrates Fujitsu's Accumulated Expertise in Medical Administration Functions

The medical administration functions in the new system reflect the know-how that Fujitsu has accumulated from its over 37,000 medical administration system deployments. The system includes a rich array of sophisticated functions, such as creating online medical claims data in real time and displaying time-series data on medical claims.

Pricing is for new purchases and reflects the minimum configuration using 2 PCs, with hardware and software (as well as middleware) included. Service fees for deployment and operational training are not included.

Sales Target

Approximately 3,000 systems over the next three years.