22 PART I Healthcare Content Management: The Holistic View on Medical Data
this, the data must be available in formats that are widely accepted and will most
likely be readable in a few decades’ time. In healthcare, this can be DICOM,
PDF/A, HL7, or CDA. Furthermore, data must not be »trapped« within a single
IT system, but rather flexibly available.
HCM and HCM systems
You have already read it a few times, but it cannot be stressed often enough: HCM is
a concept. No product, no system, no company. Solutions that serve to put this concept
into practice are commonly referred to as Healthcare Content Management
Systems (HCM systems). This distinction will be important if you decide to read on.
No HCM system is »off the shelf«
There is no single HCM system – especially not »off the shelf«. Every healthcare
facility is different and has individual requirements for digital data storage. HCM
systems are therefore always custom-made. The important thing is: first there is
HCM, then an HCM system – first the concept, then the system. In many cases,
one system alone will not be able to meet all the requirements of each individual
strategy. However, your goal should be to deploy as few systems as possible and
to combine as many functions as possible within one system. This is the only way
to ensure that the goal of data consolidation is achieved.
HCM benefits everyone
All employees of a health facility who are entrusted with patient care benefit from
HCM. Data consolidation helps to increase information density and reduce administrative
work. HCM improves the quality of patient care, while reducing financial
and personnel strain at the same time.
The Five Advantages of HCM at a Glance
1. consolidation of medical information
2. high availability of medical information within a facility as well as beyond
facility boundaries
3. uniform, binding data management
4. increased quality of care due to high data availability
5. increased profitability of a healthcare facility