RNOH selects McKesson imaging and workflow solutions

The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) NHS Trust has chosen McKesson Imaging and Workflow Solutions to deliver a fully-integrated radiology solution, including McKesson’s web-based radiology PACS system and Healthcare Software Systems CRIS.

The PACS/RIS solution will also be implemented with McKesson StudyShare and McKesson QICS workflow solutions. Together, it will provide a comprehensive radiology solution to help meet the individual clinical and departmental administrative needs of the trust, help deliver enhanced patient care, and improve knowledge sharing and professional development.

The NHS has both unique and very specific requirements and we are proud of the investment we have made in developing a futureproof imaging and workflow solutions portfolio

As the largest orthopaedic hospital in the UK, the RNOH is regarded as a leader in orthopaedic practice both in the UK and worldwide and plays a major role in teaching and research. The trust has 220 inpatient beds and sees approximately 112,000 outpatients a year from the UK and overseas. It employs around 1,400 staff, who provide a comprehensive range of neuro-musculoskeletal healthcare, ranging from acute spinal injury and complex bone tumour to orthopaedic medicine and specialist rehabilitation for chronic back pain sufferers. With the RNOH undertaking over 100,000 examinations per year, this broad range of neuro-musculoskeletal services is unique within the NHS.

The RNOH sought a new radiology solution to replace its incumbent system, before its existing contract terminates in the spring of 2015.

Peter Easton, PACS and RIS project manager at the trust, said: “There were a number of drivers for us in this process, including the need to put a new system in place before our existing contract came to an end. It also presented us with an opportunity to put a system in place that could support the wider objectives of the trust to stay at the international forefront of providing the best clinical services to patients.

“The solution offered to us by McKesson met our requirements perfectly and was the unanimous choice of the clinical team. From an IT perspective, McKesson has a proven track record in cardiology in the UK and has successfully delivered large-scale IT implementations for its radiology solution in Ireland, which gave us a lot of confidence in its ability to meet our relatively-tight timescales.”

The McKesson radiology solution will be used at both the RNOH’s Stanmore and central London (Bolsover Street) sites and will provide radiologists with an end-to-end system to help facilitate effective decision-making and diagnosis, as well as workflows to increase operational efficiency.

McKesson’s StudyShare will also provide a central repository and image library to increase knowledge sharing and support clinical research. In addition, McKesson QICS will provide enhanced workflow management and business intelligence in a number of areas, including improved management of the trust’s complex multi-disciplinary team meetings, support for clinical quality assurance review and enhanced operational management reporting.

At the RNOH, we’re not just implementing a new system to replace an existing one; we will continue to work closely with McKesson to develop our system over the next decade, and it will become a permanent feature of the hospital’s operations

Dr Sajid Butt, clinical director for imaging at the RNOH, said: “As over 20% of all UK orthopaedic surgeons receive training at RNOH, the web-based teaching solution will help greatly with the professional development across the trust. This is an aspect that we place a lot of value on and one which will definitely help promote clinical excellence. As a complete solution, it is a unique proposition.

“For us, the key take away from this is that we haven’t just chosen a new system, we have entered into a long-term partnership with McKesson. At the RNOH, we’re not just implementing a new system to replace an existing one; we will continue to work closely with McKesson to develop our system over the next decade, and it will become a permanent feature of the hospital’s operations. The integration of the systems will bring huge benefits for us in terms of workflow and patient diagnosis and treatment, which is ultimately our aim.”

Yossi Shahak, executive director of international sales and marketing at McKesson, added: “The NHS has both unique and very specific requirements and we are proud of the investment we have made in developing a futureproof imaging and workflow solutions portfolio. We are equally delighted to have been chosen as the RNOH’s vendor of choice. This, in combination with having provided HCA Hospitals and CircleHealth with their radiology solutions for some years, firmly establishes McKesson as one of the leading specialist technology providers for the UK healthcare market.”