Two companies committed to open standards will work together to offer NHS trusts an integrated electronic patient record and e-prescribing option, to improve patient safety
IMS MAXIMS has formed a partnership with Better by Marand to become a reseller for its e-prescribing system, OPENeP.
The move gives NHS trusts that want to progress their digital maturity the option to buy an e-prescribing system that integrates seamlessly with the MAXIMS software suite.
The model has already been successfully adopted by Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, a global digital exemplar, which uses MAXIMS and is due to go live with OPENeP this summer.
Leesa Ewing, the commercial director at IMS MAXIMS, said: “E-prescribing is recognised as one of the key components of an electronic patient record. In the past, we have been happy to work with any system that our customers have wanted to use to achieve this; and we will maintain the valued relationships that we have with suppliers so we can continue to do this in the future.
“However, the partnership with Better by Marand will enable us to integrate our EPR with OPENeP, and to create a seamless experience for clinicians. That should give trusts additional confidence that they will achieve the well-documented benefits of e-prescribing, which include fewer medication errors and, critically, improved patient safety.”
Both IMS MAXIMS and Better by Marand are committed to using open architecture and open standards so their systems can interoperate with others.
This is in line with the refresh of NHS digital policy instituted with health and social care secretary Matt Hancock, who has repeatedly emphasised the need for systems that can “talk to each other.”
The NHS is also being encouraged to accelerate the roll-out of e-prescribing, for which the government set-aside a pot of £75 million in 2018. Thirteen trusts have received funding to date, and 48 bids are being considered for a second wave of funding, according to a recent Parliamentary answer.
OPENeP by Better by Marand product manager Roko Malkoč said: “It is our common goal with IMS MAXIMS to improve outcomes for patients. We both work closely with the medical staff to make sure that we have identified the problems to be solved and prevent unnecessary errors.
“It is our belief that this synergy will help us build the best possible products to improve patient safety and start a new collaboration engine among the medical staff.”
IMS MAXIMS already has a partnership in place with JAC so they can continue to use its specialist pharmacy stock-control capabilities. Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust will use JAC software to run its pharmacy when it goes live with its new e-prescribing system.
IMS MAXIMS is an award-winning clinical technology specialist, committed to improving the coordination of patient care in healthcare environments. Its expert team works in partnership with healthcare organisations to identify and deliver tailored, sustainable information sharing technology solutions supporting the provision of safer and more efficient care for current and future generations.
The organisation’s 32-year history of collaborating with healthcare professionals has resulted in the development of proven, flexible, user-friendly, safe and interoperable electronic patient record software. The company’s approach to digital transformation also delivers better clinical engagement and empowerment across hospital wards and departments. Deployment times are fast, meaning clinicians and patients can benefit from efficiency and safety improvements in rapid time. And with an ambition to meet today’s healthcare challenges, IMS MAXIMS offers flexible options to support healthcare providers with on-going implementation and maintenance.
Better by Marand is one of Europe’s leading healthcare IT solution and professional service providers. They collaborate with a variety of clients on the same goal – to set them up for the future. The future that moves towards open platforms and away from siloed solutions. The future where clinical teams can work with any digital solution provider without being tied to a particular vendor. In turn, storing data in an open, vendor-neutral format will incite vendors to innovate and create better solutions.
Their core technology solution, the Better Platform, is well-aligned with this vision and is based on openEHR specifications. Their OPENeP by Better product (a closed-loop medication management system) is built on top of the Better Platform and follows the same vision. Their innovations have so far taken them to 3 continents and 15 markets, including the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Malta, Russia, Norway, Finland, Italy and Slovenia.
