Fujitsu Upgrades Kure Medical Center's Information System with Virtualization Technology

Tokyo and Kure, Japan, November 24, 2011

Fujitsu Limited and the National Hospital Organization Kure Medical Center today announced that they have collaborated to completely upgrade Kure Medical Center's medical information system to a highly-secure, user-friendly thin client system using virtualization technology.

Previously, the medical information system used to manage patients' clinical data could not be used to access electronic medical records (EMR) to prevent the risk of accidentally leaking patient information. Now, through the use of a thin client system and a smart card-based single sign-on⁽¹⁾, Fujitsu and Kure Medical Center have built a secure, user-friendly medical information system. The new system enables the hospital's doctors and staff to securely use the Internet to conduct medical literature searches while simultaneously using the EMR system, or for example, even during patient examinations. As the new system has a built-in roaming function, hospital personnel can call up their own files from any terminal in the hospital, thereby improving workflow efficiency. Moreover, server consolidation through virtualization technology enables CO2 emissions to be reduced by 60% and, with the use of thin clients, CO2 emissions from terminals to be cut by 70%.

Issues with the Previous System

With Kure Medical Center's previous medical information system, the hospital's EMR system and information system used to access the Internet (for a web browser, e-mail, and databases used in diagnosis and treatment) were each separately managed using independent networks for security reasons. The two systems could only be accessed using separate terminals. As a result, to conduct medical searches using the Internet or to prepare documents, doctors would be required to use multiple terminals. Moreover, in managing information for any of the medical departments, including the surgery department, data entered into the EMR system would need to be re-entered into the surgery department's administrative system, making administration duplicative and cumbersome.

Features of the New System

To resolve these issues, the hospital upgraded to a new, high-security medical information system in which the EMR system and all of the applications of the information systems were implemented through client virtualization, enabling the simultaneous use of both systems through a single terminal.

1. Enables EMRs and the Internet to be viewed from the same terminal, delivering convenience and security

Using as its core the HOPE/EGMAIN-GX EMR system, which brings together the expertise Fujitsu has accumulated as the vendor with the highest EMR market share in Japan(2), the new system was built by linking together approximately 35 departmental systems within the hospital. To maintain security, the EMR system and the information system linked to the Internet are managed in two completely separate client virtualization environments. The two systems can be accessed through two virtual servers using a smart card-based single sign-on authorization. With this structure, the same terminal used to access EMRs can be safely used to access the Internet for e-mail or web browser functions. Moreover, the countermeasures against leaks of EMR or other patient data have been enhanced through unified server management.

Thin Client Terminal (showing EMR and web browser) Larger View (104 KB)

2. Can be accessed anywhere in the hospital, meeting the needs of personnel who frequently move throughout the hospital

The new medical information system is a thin client system with a roaming user function authorized with a contact-type smart card. As doctors are frequently on the move within the hospital, roaming access helps to improve workflow efficiency. Furthermore, personnel can access their own files using the virtual server of the information system from almost anywhere in the hospital. For example, by using applications on the virtual server, hospital personnel can begin composing text while viewing an EMR in an examination room, and then easily finish the text on a separate terminal at the nursing station in the in-patient ward.

3. Reduces operational costs, improves hospital management efficiency

With the new system, the servers that needed to be configured and installed for each department in the old system have now been consolidated using virtualization technology. Operational administration for backups and other issues has now been unified. In addition to raising efficiency and reducing costs, server consolidation has reduced the space needed for server equipment by approximately 60%.

With the deployment of thin clients which have relatively low CPU load demands, system operations for terminals are expected to become more efficient, thus reducing operational costs. As EMRs and the information system can be accessed using the same terminal, the number of terminals can be reduced, thereby improving space efficiency.

4. Contributes to environmentally-friendly management

Server consolidation in departmental systems enable server CO2 emissions to be reduced by approximately 60%, and the deployment of thin clients enables CO2 emissions from terminals to be cut by approximately 70%.

Kure Medical Center will use this upgrade to its latest medical information system to deliver an even higher level of medical care, and Fujitsu will support Kure Medical Center's systems with the latest technology it has to offer.