Case Study: How to build a Hospital Information System for the USA medical company

Investing in IT systems allows hospitals to link departments that will reduce the workload and improve the accuracy of health information. Currently, a lot of hospitals opt for hospital information systems that revolutionize the way how they operate and provide treatment. According to a recent report, the global market for Hospital Information Systems (HIS) is expected to reach 39.2 billion U.S. dollars by 2027. Sounds impressive, right? With that in mind, it’s imperative to use a fully comprehensive hospital information system that brings together all aspects of the hospital. Not only does it help your hospital drive efficiency and eliminate entry errors, but it allows a healthcare organization to deliver exceptional care to their patients.

What exactly is a Hospital Information System?

Generally, this system is used to capture, store and transmit health data or activities within the healthcare or medical organization. Not only can you collect, process and report health information with ease, but you can also make data-driven decisions that ultimately improve health outcomes. There are also various types of hospital information systems. Let’s take a closer look below:

• Practice management software: designed specifically to help healthcare providers manage daily operations such as scheduling and billing. Moreover, it allows them to automate many of the administrative tasks.
• Master Patient Index (MPI) systems: used to ensure medical staff have the correct and up to date health record for the right patient and reduce duplication by assigning a unique identifier to each patient registered at a healthcare organization and creating an index on all the records for this patient.
• Financial and clinical health information systems: used to provide easy access to patient financial information, such as costs and payors, invoices and they also aid in monitoring patient usage of different departments or services. Financial systems typically include invoicing capabilities as well as tools for following up on non-payments.
• Patient Portals: used to give patients access to all the essential health information such as appointment information, medications, and lab results via the Internet. Moreover, some of them provide patients with the ability to schedule an appointment or communicate with a doctor.
• Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM): designed to provide a much clearer picture of the patients’ health by allowing medical sensors to send patient data to healthcare professionals.
• Clinical Decision Support (CDS): used to analyze data from clinical and administrative systems and present it in an actionable form to healthcare professionals that allows them to make data-driven clinical decisions.
• Electronic Medical Record system: typically contains general information such as treatment and medical history about a patient as it is collected by the individual medical practice.
• Electronic Health Record system: used to store medical history, medications, lab data, treatment plans, diagnoses, immunization dates, allergies and imaging reports and makes health information accessible to authorized providers across practices and health organizations.

What’s the idea of a hospital information system?

We have vast experience in delivering a plethora of software solutions in different business verticals such as logistics and eCommerce, recruiting and eLearning, CRM, fintech and healthcare. Moreover, we ensure that our solutions are future-proof and accessible with the latest technologies. Currently, many hospitals face challenges with health information exchange. Only by creating software solutions to provide access and the ability to share essential health-related information can healthcare providers reduce readmissions, avoid medication errors, and even decrease duplicate testing. With that in mind, our client requested us to create and deliver a hospital information system that will help achieve total hospital efficiency and productivity by looking beyond specific departments and instead of taking a system-wide approach. Let’s take a look at how we created a hospital information system below.

The development process of the hospital information system

Below we have provided a quick overview of the development process:

Team

To develop and implement the hospital information system, we needed a team that consisted of the following specialists:

• 1 Business analyst (BA)
• 1 Project manager (PM)
• 2 UI/UX designers
• 4 Backend engineers
• 3 Front-end engineers
• 2 Quality assurance engineers (QA)
• 1 System Architect

Methodology

When developing the hospital information system, we applied Agile methodology in terms of the following factors:

• Our team could adapt to any change in the client’s requirements.
• We focused on the client’s needs over the requirements in the development plans.
• Results were more important for both the team and the client than established processes.

Taking into account key components of agile-driven development, we implemented 24 sprints during which the development team created and implemented a hospital information system for the US-based medical company.

Development Process

At the very start of the development process, the Business Analyst interviewed the client and stakeholders to clarify the problem they were trying to solve with the hospital information system. Only by gathering all the information about the business processes, potential users and location could the Business Analyst suggest a list of essential features for the potential project. Based on that information we suggested the following features:

• accounting integration
• appointment scheduling
• bed management
• patient management
• inventory management
• pharmacy and lab management
• medical billing
• patient records management

As a result, there were 24 sprints and the development lasted 12 months. Before each sprint, the whole team of designers, front-end and back-end engineers, QA engineers reviewed which features from the backlog they would work on during the next sprint. Thanks to the demo sessions, the team got feedback and discussed with the client any possible change to the backlog which would help to maximize project value. Once all the bugs have been fixed in the hospital information system, we brought it to life.

User Roles

There are four user roles: Doctor, Receptionist, Nurse and Administrator.

• Doctor: a user who can view/edit his/her schedule, admissions, view patient’s information, medical records, appointments, etc.
• Receptionist: a user who asks for calls, book appointments, makes notes, etc.
• Nurse: a user who organizes workloads, reiterates information during or after a ward round, monitors waiting room patients, etc.
• Administrator: a user who can manage every aspect of the hospital information system and has visibility to all features, functionality and system configuration.

Project structure

Here we are going to describe what technologies have been applied when developing a hospital information system for your medical company:

Doctor Dashboard

Once you sign in as a Doctor, you can see the main hub of navigation around the hospital information system. In the main menu, you will see the following:

• Dashboard
• Patients
• Schedule
• Appointments
• Admissions
• Messages

In addition to that, action icons such as notifications, settings, email will be presented on the top of the page and allow you to check different items in the hospital information system quickly and easily. The Dashboard provides at-a-glance views of key areas within the hospital information. Not only does it combine multiple reports in a single page for a quick overview, but you can also deeply explore all the important data directly within the dashboard and make any adjustments.

Patients

With this feature, you can obtain all the crucial information about your patients. Not only can you see a patient's list and their status, but you can also navigate to their individual patient profiles. In addition to that, you can add a new patient to your list by clicking Add Patient at the top-right of the page.

Schedule

Thanks to this option in your main menu, you can see the schedule that allows you to effectively manage appointments for patient consultations. shows non-working hours and days as grayed out for easy identification. The scheduling calendar has three views - day, week and month. Not only can you update your schedule, but you can also block the slots yourself and the online calendars are automatically updated.

Appointments

The Appointments feature allows you to manage your appointments and tasks from a single screen. By clicking the time of the appointment on your calendar can you make a new appointment with a patient. Once the appointment information form appears, you can type the patient's name in the Name field and select your patient from the list or click to add the patient as a new patient if you want to schedule a new patient.

Admissions

With this feature, you are in the know how many patients were admitted to a hospital for a scheduled treatment. Once all the information gathered, a patient is automatically added to the admissions list. On this page, you will see a table that includes the following information:

• Patient ID#
• Patient Name
• Contact number
• Room
• Bed
• Status
• Procedure
• Actions

Messages

The Messages feature allows you to chat within the hospital information system quickly and easily. Not only does it speed up the process of communication and collaboration among colleagues, but it allows you to share some essential or urgent information that requires immediate action. In addition to that, you can send a message to everyone in the hospital information system.

Nurse Dashboard

You can register in the hospital information system (HIS) as a Nurse. Once you fill in all the required fields, you will be redirected to the Dashboard that is a home page. Here you will see such information as patients admissions worklist, bed status, discharge list, etc.

Schedule

With the Schedule feature, you can self-schedule and make requests for time-off or shift swaps. Moreover, as your request is approved, you will be notified immediately. Not only does it help to reduce the scheduling burden, but you are empowered to create the ideal schedule based on your needs.

Ward and Bed

With the Ward and Bed feature, you can easily manage and get a quick overview of each bed status in a particular ward for better hospital operations. Not only can you view any notes on the patient’s specific needs or any planned movements to other wards, but you can also allocate beds according to patients’ care types to facilitate the right care.

ER Waiting

Thanks to the Emergency (ER) Waiting, you can provide better care by streamlining processes and workflow. While patients arrive under unpredictable circumstances, they need immediate and urgent medical care. All the information about the patients will be presented here. There are three statuses:

• waiting (patients who didn’t have an initial assessment by a physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner.); treating (patients who had an initial assessment.)
• wait time (the time in hours between being registered in the emergency department and seeing a physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner.)

Admissions

With the Admissions feature, you can discover how many patients were admitted to the hospital. As a Nurse, you gather all the vital information about the patient to drive collaborative medical and nursing care efforts. Not only does it help doctors identify treatment plans, but it also provides the foundation for discharge planning. Here you will a table that consists of the following columns: Patient ID#, Patient Name, Contact number, Room, Bed, Status, Procedure, Doctor, Notes, Actions.

Receptionist Dashboard

Only by logging in to the hospital information system as a Receptionist, you will find the following hub of navigation such as Schedule, Appointments, ER Waiting and Messages. On the Dashboard page, you will see such information as recent messages, admissions list, number of patients in the emergency department, etc.

Schedule

The Schedule feature allows you to view, add, edit, move and re-allocate events within the hospital information system with a simple click. Not only can you update the schedules of the doctors and nurses and give all the essential information, but it will also save you a lot of time and prevent overbooking. Here you will see two tabs - doctors and nurses and can switch between them if there is a need to take any action.

Appointments

With the Appointments feature, you can provide clients with a calendar of healthcare specialists in an organization and book a slot with ease. Also, it enables you to create appointments on the calendar and seamlessly share them with healthcare providers and immediately confirm or deny an appointment once an appointment request is made.

Admin Dashboard

You can sign in to the hospital information system as an Administrator. Once you fill in all the required fields, you will be redirected to the Dashboard page. On the right, you will see the main menu that includes the following options: Users, Admissions, Billing, Medications, Laboratory, Inventory, Reports and System Settings. Below we have provided some essential ones:

Users

You can reach the Users feature from the corresponding option in your main menu. With this feature, you are in the know about users - patients, doctors and nurses. Here you will see three tabs - patients, doctors and nurses. All the important information is presented in a well-structured table that is easy to navigate. By clicking on each user, you will be redirected to the page where you can find the information you need.

Finances

Basically, all the daily services, like room rent, operations, consultations, etc. are taken into account when forming an invoice. Once payment is made or overdue, you and a patient will be notified automatically. In addition to that, patients can directly share the entire billing claim to their insurance provider, thereby reducing time and resources.

Pharmacy

With this feature, you can manage the physical pharmacy online by linking it to the billing. In addition to that, it also helps you oversee drug distribution and stock management. Moreover, you can get insight into stock levels, sales, returns from multiple stores can be viewed in a single software. Overall reports for the entire chain of stores can be generated, giving the user a complete overview of profit, loss, stock levels, etc.

Laboratory

This feature allows you to create, send orders and then automatically receive results from the lab. Not only does it help you detect a condition, determine a diagnosis, plan treatment, but you can also monitor the status along the way and view all the results online. Moreover, you can also download them and print them if there is a necessity.

Inventory

With the Inventory feature, you can track all the hospital-related items and any of their details. Not only can you set quantity or date-based alerts to keep track of your inventory, but you can also maintain an optimal stock level. Moreover, it allows you to make data-driven decisions concerning updating stock level, selecting drugs, managing the timely ordering, etc.

Reports

When clicking on the Reports feature, you will be landed here. With this feature, you can generate various types of fully customizable reports. Generally, reports include summary information and analysis on treatment types, staff (surgeons, nurses, administrators, etc.), medical equipment usage, budget, etc. Only by knowing quantitative and qualitative details can you get a better understanding of how your hospital runs and make strategic decisions.

System Settings

With the System Settings feature, you can change all system settings from this section In addition to that, you can set up rules and restrictions within the hospital information system. However, there is no need to change default settings if they work for your hospital.

Key features of the hospital information system

Let’s take a closer look at the key features of the hospital information system:

• Accounting Integration: thanks to this feature, you can provide the constant and direct sharing of financial information within a healthcare organization and ensure greater transparency and continuous monitoring by your accountant.
• Appointment Scheduling: with this feature, you can automate the process of scheduling appointments and allow clients to book, reschedule and cancel appointments online.
• Bed Management: this feature enables you to successfully manage the flow of patients through a healthcare facility from the point of admission to the point of discharge.
• Claims Management: thanks to this feature, you can efficiently manage the claims throughout the lifecycle, streamline the claims management process and maximize the claims reimbursements.
• Patient Management: helps your staff better manage patient traffic and bed allocation within a healthcare organization from scheduling patient appointments and booking to maintaining patient records with respect to the pharmacy, lab results, etc.
• Inventory Management: with this feature, you can keep track of the inventories within healthcare organizations and precisely estimate the quantity of hospital equipment or medical instruments and ensure a regular supply.
• Medical Billing: not only does it help medical practices automate time-consuming and paper-based medical billing processes, but it also allows you to reduce the administrative burden and focus more on practicing medicine or running a medical practice.
• Patient Records Management: helps healthcare professionals check patient appointments easily, analyze a patient’s medical data such as medical history, medications, lab results to make medical decisions.

Benefits of Hospital Information System

Let’s take a look at what benefits you can derive from implementing a hospital information system:

• You can access the patient’s data quickly and easily. This allows you to better organize and coordinate treatment processes as well as make the process of clinical decision-making fast and data-driven.
• With the hospital information system, you can gain detailed perspectives of the day-to-day processes within your healthcare organization and make any improvements.
• You can assign resources in a planned manner and save significant amounts of expenses, energy, and supplies.
• The system provides increased security of patient’s data. This means that you can link departments without compromising the security of the information involved.
• Using a hospital information system allows you to eliminate manual and time-consuming processes that leads to higher efficiency and less errors and duplications.
• Getting tech-savvy and applying computerized processes contribute to a higher brand reputation and more revenue.

Bottom line: Are you equipped with a hospital information solution?

To fulfill the requirements of the modern healthcare industry, you need to modernize the entire workflow of the medical company. That’s why a hospital information system is here to stay. Not only does it help you better manage patient information, both clinical and non-clinical, but you can also be aware of the round-the-clock functioning of all the departments, improved productivity and extensive reporting capabilities to make wise data-driven decisions. We, at DDI Development, can help you identify healthcare business models and growth plans for your company. Moreover, we can link strategy, innovation and transformation by leveraging the best-possible expertise to bring a project to life. Don’t hesitate to drop us a line if you want to turn any idea into an actionable and successful software solution.