As a clinical physicist, Vincent Althof went back and forth across the interface of technology and medical care. For this reason, he was part of the technical working groups, as well as the ICT architecture group and the workflow group. "This way I could be the linking pin who connected the dots between the wishes of the clinical units and the underlying ICT structure."
​Something really beautiful
"To start using EMR HiX felt like we won the lottery. From the beginning I was convinced that something really beautiful could come from this implementation track. Our organization really needed this EMR, not only in terms of functionalities, but also to harmonisee processes within our merged organisation."
Difficult switch
"When the coronavirus broke out, I thought we would never be able to finish the implementation. After all, we suddenly no longer had physical meetings. That does not have a positive effect on the work of course and makes connecting with each other much more difficult. To be really able to understand each other, it is better to have face to face contact. That is why I think it is an enormous achievement that we were able to get this done together.
Overcoming challenges
"There were some glitches on go live day, for example with the batch files of patients who were already being treated. Resolving this demanded some creativity in finding an alternative method as well as flexibility on the part of the colleagues operating the radiology equipment. We also had to correctly include patients who were in the preliminary track of a treatment in our new workflow. This turned out to be quite an intensive job, but it was managed as well."
Newly developed
"As a clinical physicist, my highest priority was that HiX would understand the workflow of radiation therapy. The EMR must understand which steps are being taken and what data is required. In HiX, we work with a radiation prescription for example which has to be sent to a radiation therapy system. This system develops a treatment plan and subsequently sends the data back with a unique identifier which HiX must be able to link back to the radiation prescription, something that is very important. ChipSoft has newly developed this part of the software specifically for us, which I am very happy with. Through the identifier, we have proof, in the right locations in HiX, that radiation has been delivered.
Major advantages
"HiX will give us major advantages, I am convinced of that. Partly due to the requirements set out by the Dutch government, we needed an EMR which provides us with a link to other healthcare institutions, a patient portal and the assurance of handling financial transactions . HiX helps us do this and we make a major leap forward."
Human development
"When I look back at the implementation, I do so with a good feeling. For example, you can see how some colleagues have grown into their roles... I am very pleased. Individuals who were doubtful at the start of this track have developed into complete subject matter experts radiating with confidence. So in terms of human development it has also been a nice project. Over the coming weeks, we will place a lot of energy into crossing our t's and dotting our i's."