ETP Pilots Evaluation Challenged
One of the three consortia set up to test electronic transmission of prescriptions (ETP) says an official evaluation does not take account of its later work on the project when the volume of prescriptions processed picked up. The evaluation commissioned by the government was published on 17 September as part of package of announcements from […]
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Schlumberger to Sell SchlumbergerSema to Atos Origin
The announcement this week that Schlumberger Limited will sell the majority of its SchlumbergerSema business to Atos Origin, will see two of the bidders for contracts under the NHS National Programme for IT (NPfIT) come together in a further consolidation of the European IT services industry. Paris-based IT services firm Atos Origin will acquire the […]
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Yahoo Targets Online Diabetes Monitoring
Two major US Internet portals have begun to provide remote monitoring services to have their condition monitored online for a monthly fee. Monitoring of chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, is emerging a practical application of the Internet to directly support patient care. Online monitoring can contribute to the effective management of chronic […]
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National Programme Appoints Regional Directors
The National Programme for IT (NPfIT) in the NHS has announced it has completed the appointment of four remaining regional implementation directors, bringing the total to five – one for each of the five geographic ‘clusters’ into which the programme has divided the English NHS. According to the national programme the new regional directors will […]
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EDS ‘De-selected’ from E-Booking Contract
The National Programme for IT (NPfIT) has confirmed that EDS has been deselected from procurement competition for a national electronic appointment booking service. Last Friday E-Health Insider exclusively revealed that EDS was no longer in the bidding for the prestigious e-booking contract, which will be one of the most high-profile elements of the NPfIT and […]
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Reader Comments: Consultants Bite Back
Last week we published comments from NHS IT managers giving their perspective on the National Programme for IT in the NHS (NPfIT) and its effect at local level. This week, management consultants have their say. A reader writes… Dear E-Health Insider, I am an independent management consultant who has been involved in a number of […]
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NPfIT Contract Negotiations Get Tough
The long-term future of a key pillar of the Government’s modernisation strategy for the NHS depends on what increasingly resembles a game of chicken, now being played out between the National Programme for IT (NPfIT) and the suppliers left in the contract negotiations for the procurement competitions. Participants in this high-stakes game of poker describe […]
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Reader Comment: Planning… What Planning?
Last week E-Health Insider ran a report on leaked guidance from the National Programme for IT (NPfIT) to chief information officers that there would be no allocations from the national programme to local NHS organisations beyond the current financial year. We asked readers how they are planning for implementation of the NPfIT locally, and what […]
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Electronic Prescription Transfers Added to Data Spine
Digital imaging and electronic transfer of prescriptions are the two major new applications added to the new expanded Output Based Specification (OBS2) for Integrated Care Records Services (ICRS) and the national data spine. The weighty new documents describe a considerably thicker national ‘data spine’, with additional features and clinical functionality delivered at an early stage. […]
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University College London Hospitals Announces PACS Deal
University College London Hospitals NHS Trust has signed a deal with Agfa Healthcare to provide a Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) for online X-ray images. The first phase of implementation will see the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery become the first fully filmless hospital in the Trust. It will also see PACS introduced […]
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