Last film-based site in Ireland goes live with McKesson

McKesson and the Health Service Executive (HSE) have announced the go-live of the 40th site and the 57th hospital in Ireland on the National Integrated Medical Imaging System (NIMIS).

Clontarf Hospital was the last traditional film-based processing site in Ireland, meaning that all hospitals in the country now have a digital imaging solution.

Part of the HSE’s Transformation Programme, NIMIS is a national project that has transformed the delivery of radiology services across Ireland by implementing advanced medical technology within hospitals to help ensure patients receive the best diagnostic solutions available in their area of treatment.

Clontarf Hospital forms an integral part of the Hospital Care Programme of the Health Services. The hospital provides rehabilitation services to the acute centres in the Dublin area, namely Beaumont Hospital, the Mater Hospital, Connolly Hospital, St Vincent’s, Cappagh and St James’ Hospital in orthopaedic and older people’s rehabilitation. The hospital also provides an inpatient and out-patient X-ray service.

The successful go-live of NIMIS in Clontarf Hospital — which was executed in a compressed timeline of just 12 weeks — means a more-integrated radiology imaging service across the region.

The hospital now has access to all prior examinations for patients transferred from the referring acute hospitals, thus improving patient safety and the standard of care provided.

In 2010, McKesson was selected by HSE to provide the nationally-integrated Picture Achieve Communication System (PACS) and Radiology Information System (RIS), which will span the majority of public hospitals in the country, with the objective of making Ireland’s hospitals paperlite and filmless in radiology. A fully-integrated speech recognition system for the production of radiology reports is also being implemented.

Keith Morrissey, acting NIMIS programme lead for the HSE, said: “NIMIS is proving transformational in the delivery of radiology services across Ireland.

“By connecting hospitals and hospital groups we are seeing improved workflows, greater staff satisfaction, and, crucially, enhanced patient care.

The way in which NIMIS is being rolled out is an exemplar of large-scale project delivery, as the single-largest implementation of its kind in the world, and, moreover, being welcomed by all stakeholders involved for the benefits it is bringing to Irish healthcare.

“Other national systems being rolled out by the HSE, such as the National Maternity and Laboratory systems are seeking to utilise and build on the successful implementation methodologies set by NIMIS.”

Michelle Fanning, chief executive of Clontarf Hospital, added: “We are delighted with the successful and rapid installation of NIMIS into the X-ray department. Our staff working closely, diligently and collaboratively with the National NIMIS team and McKesson successfully completed the full installation of NIMIS in 12 weeks, possibly a record.

“The hospital’s access, through NIMIS, to X-rays from referring hospitals has a significant impact on reducing risk and improving patient safety and the quality of clinical care.”

And Ray Cahill, territory vice president for the UK and Ireland at McKesson, said: “The choice of the HSE to connect all of the hospitals together on one single database in NIMIS creates the perfect environment to remove inaccessibility to past images and medical information for patients, a problem that has impeded eHealth progress in the past and, more importantly, allows the movement of the patient through the acute health system more promptly.”