Health+Cast Wins Microsoft Healthcare Awards; New Internet Solution Updates Hospital Info Systems
HUNTINGDON VALLEY, Pa. — September 18, 1997 — The new HInet System caught the eye of Microsoft Users Group with its ability to quickly update existing mainframe/mini-based hospital information systems, and link hospitals to physicians via the Internet with complete security.
Health+Cast today won the 1997 Microsoft Industry Solution Awards for Healthcare. "We are very pleased with this important recognition," said William A. O'Donnell, CEO of Health+Cast. Health+Cast demonstrated the HInet System at the 1997 Microsoft Healthcare Users Group Conference and Exhibition, "Windows on Healthcare III," this week in Las Vegas.
About HInet
The HInet System can update any existing HIS system, and link hospitals to physician offices and outpatient clinics via the Internet. "You can quickly update and enhance any legacy hospital information system," said Mark Hays, Senior VP of Product Development for Health+Cast. "There's no need to rip out your existing applications or databases." HInet uses artificial intelligence to automatically "recast" terminal sessions, and add new functions. Old "green screen" terminals can be gradually replaced by more advanced Windows PCs and Internet browsers. This creates an easy and inexpensive growth path.
New Windows/Web functions can be simply "plugged in" to solve problems and improve existing systems. Document scanning for paper charts, for example, can be quickly added to a mainframe application running on IBM 3090. A new Windows-based patient scheduling system can be plugged in to an AS/400. Libraries of new HInet functions can be added-in wherever they are needed. No changes are required to legacy systems, source code or databases.
HInet also adds the ability to connect patient databases from mainframe and mini systems to Windows NT servers. "You can build a central data repository for all your patient data, images and documents," said Hays, "linked to financial information on your mainframe and data from other departmental systems." This allows hospitals to create an advanced online Electronic Medical Record and share patient records with remote physician offices via the Internet. "The user sees one friendly menu, even though the data and functionality may be coming from four different back-end systems," according to Hays.
Secure Links to the Internet/Intranet for Sensitive Patient Data HInet also connects different legacy systems and links hospitals to physicians and outpatient clinics via the Web. "We've solved the security problem with patient data on the Internet," said Hays. The Health+Cast Point to "Point Encryption Protocol" (PPEP) creates secure connections between different sites, using ordinary Internet-compatible lines. Biometric signature and fingerprint verification identifies authorized users, and patient data is transferred to constantly changing encrypted packets that "tunnel" through standard Internet/Intranet traffic.
This means that hospitals can create a simple Web browser-based link to patient records, giving physicians quick access to the information they need to provide better care to patients. Referring and consulting physicians can share information quickly and easily eliminating the time-consuming shuffle of paper records.
New Technology Health+Cast systems are based on ActiveX, COM-compatible software "objects" that can run on Windows NT, Windows 95, Web browers like Microsoft Explorer, and new Windows CE handheld computers. HInet objects support functions written in C++, Visual Basic and Java. New artificial intelligence technology is woven into many key functions including voice recognition. Microsoft SQL Server, BackOffice, MTS and IIS are fully supported with Microsoft's latest ActiveX and ASP technology for high-performance Web connections without the overhead of CGI.
About Health+Cast Health+Cast is dedicated to offering intelligent Internet/Intranet-based healthcare solutions that are also cost effective. Health+Cast is based in Huntingdon Valley, PA with offices in San Francisco, Boise, Idaho; Ottsville, Pa.; and Los Angeles. For more [email protected] .
CONTACT:
The Ford Odell Group
Janice Odell or Jesse Odell, 707/538-9592