Hospital management system

A hospital management system is an information management system. The better a hospital can manage data and information, the less restricted clinicians and other staff are in their duties.  

There are a few different terms for it; hospital management system, hospital information management system, hospital management information system… but they all refer to the same thing: a network or highway for information to be shared between different teams and solutions to ensure accurate information, as quickly as possible, to enable the best care possible. 

HMS oversees tasks such as: 

• Scheduling surgery 
• Laboratory usage for testing 
• Patient management (linking to EPR, bed management, patient flow through the hospital) 
• Supplies (medical or otherwise) 
• Building/Facilities maintenance 
• Appointments 
• Staff/Rostering/Recruitment 
• Report management 

Thankfully the above points are digital now, but going back to the 1960s, 1970s, and the 1980s this was not the case. Computer capabilities have evolved at breakneck pace in the past two decades, with machines at terabytes of data now rather than kilobytes, and fibre optic broadband seen as the standard rather than the holy grail of speeds. Technology is growing as quickly as we can imagine changes, and this can only benefit healthcare as the cost of care rises and the cost of tech comes down.

The main benefits of operating a hospital management system are: 

• Cost savings
• A reduced need for staff
• Less data entry duplication
• Fewer mistakes in data entry
• Quicker access to information – clinical or administrative
• Flexible approach: systems are customisable per hospital

Increased speed at a reduced cost is always a popular outcome, but for organisations like the NHS who provide public services free at the point of use, every penny counts for proper attribution to ensure the biggest range of care and the highest quality of provision. 

Forbes reported back in 2016 how research found doctors were wasting over two thirds of their time doing paperwork – even when using electronic patient records (EPR). In the years since this research there is a good chance that digital solutions have continued to reduce the time spent by clinicians on administrative tasks, but it highlights an important point about how cross-communication between solutions and systems can reduce duplication, reduce errors, and even in some cases automatically attribute details or findings to pre-empt paperwork. 

A hospital information management system is an efficiency solution. It oversees the existing software solutions working within the hospital environment and compiles reported information from them for analysis and evaluation. Management staff can then ensure harmonic cooperation and collaboration between teams and solutions, as well as using the data to help with things such as forecasting and care strategies.  

There is sometimes conflation with electronic patient records (EPR) or electronic health records (EHR) due to the nature of both solutions and crossover with HMS. While it is true they do both utilise patient information for the purpose of improved accuracy and quicker access, an HMS has a bigger picture role to safeguard patient privacy and data security, as well as to facilitate regular auditing and compliance with NHS policies and regulations.

Thankfully there aren’t too many challenges hindering the implementation or usage of hospital information systems, but there are a few you should consider. 

Interoperability in healthcare is of enormous importance. It refers to the capacity of two digital/electronic solutions to cooperate, communicate and collaborate. Typically this is achieved through APIs, which are in turn created by software developers and engineers. These APIs are links that allow for the flow of data and information between multiple systems, enabling those systems to be synchronised, all sharing the same, up to date information. This prevents issues such as differing or contradictory information held in different systems or the additional admin that would be required to manually update that information in different systems. 

 While interoperability is undoubtedly a good thing, not every program IS interoperable. Not every provider of healthcare software wants their solution to be universally compatible, interoperable with solutions offered by other companies, or the cost and effort to make it work with more than the biggest three solutions isn’t worth it for them. Whatever the reason, there can be some technological obstructions to building up a hospital management system to be the best care ecosystem possible. Lack of interoperability between critical systems is one such obstruction.  

Therefore, when selecting a hospital management system interoperability with existing or planned systems is a critical factor to consider. What is the supplier’s position on interoperability? What systems can they evidence that they are interoperable with already? 

There’s also the issue of onboarding solutions within a hospital. This isn’t a direct impact on the HMS, but it can hinder it. Staff need to be taught how to use programs, and not all staff are quick learners or computer literate to the level required as newer and newer programs are released and sold. 

In a similar vein, the buy-in of staff across the hospital or wider group can reduce challenges that may arise during the implementation of a hospital management system and can ensure any challenges are identified and addressed sooner. A clear and robust change management process is key to any HMS implementation. 

Staff, from nurses, to admin, to doctors and managers should all understand why the hospital management system is being adopted, the benefits for patients, the organisation and their specific role. They should have a clear understanding of timescales, milestones and so on. Communication is key and should be two-way. Change should be something everyone participates in at the appropriate level, rather than something that simply happens to your members of staff.  

Ensuring staff receive the necessary training and time to master the hospital management system is crucial to a successful implementation. Not only will a well-trained team be able to get the most out of the system, but they will also feel much more confident and positive about its deployment, which helps overcome resistance to new ways of working.  

This is challenging in healthcare provision, where time and resources are often severely limited. However, carving out sufficient time for training is a necessary outlay that will pay dividends in the long run.

The software solutions needed for hospital management primarily focus on scheduling. Surgery, lab testing, appointments, staff rostering… it’s all an advanced form of calendar usage to properly track and display availability of people or resources. Organisation is another big point too, ensuring that supplies are available or on order, the building and facilities are safe and functional, there are enough staff to work in the hospital on any given day… you get the point. 

This is where solution providers come in. Hospital management system solution providers include: 

• Siemens 
• SAGE
• Paragon 
• HealthQuest 
• athenaONE 
• Caspio 
• Waystar 

These organisations have created and sell software that will perform the above duties. These programs will then connect with solutions from other providers, such as ourselves here at The Access Group. Our Rio EPR solution handles patient records and would feed into the hospital management software so that patient data could be quickly shared with the appropriate department or team.

What’s the difference between a HMS and hospital patient management software? 

It should again be clarified though that hospital management system software and hospital patient management software are not the same thing. Patient management software comes in the form of solutions such as electronic patient records, bed management, patient flow (activity within a hospital setting) and other personalised programs to support individual care. A hospital management system is an overarching management system to connect many different management systems and solutions and to form one integrated network for communication purposes. 

That being said, knowing which hospital management software you need will depend on which solutions you already have in place. The processes deal with scheduling, billing, and data reporting, but you might already have some smaller, bespoke solutions handling these already and not wish to move away from them. The best software is only as good as its capacity for interoperability. If it can’t or won’t cooperate with other solutions, to the detriment of the hospital, then it’s likely not something you want to pursue and onboard, but this is a conversation that can be had with providers to see what they can bring to your project.

At The Access Group we have a variety of software solutions to assist with hospital management systems, including: 

• Rio EPR – electronic patient records 
• Access Bed Management 
• Access Patient Flow Manager  
• Access Patient Administration System 

At Access, we know that care is expensive and budgets are tight. That’s why these digital tools are designed with interoperability in mind, so that healthcare providers can rest assured that new solutions won’t have a negative impact on existing software being used and won’t mean an organisation needs an entire new suite of healthcare programs to be able to function properly. 

For more information, please visit our Health and Social Care software page or contact our sales team directly.