Michael, Is this in tune with the strategy (except different vertical, of course) that Docs needs to cultivate? If so, over the next year, how far do you think that they could stretch? If they reach too high, any kind of ROI may be well beyond the view of this scrawny investors. I think that they are getting close to publicly revealing "Their Road Ahead". Getting our heads around the roadside boulders could be profitable, challenging and lead to sleepful nights. Anyone have any input?
All, Can anyone point me to a good site that explains the differences between SGML, XML and HTML. I am quite familiar with SGML and starting to feel that the other two are becoming nothing more than market differentiating hype. Preferably in 5 screens or less. Thanx.
My apologies for the length of the article. nf
Major Health System Commits To XML-based IT Environment
August 12, 1998
COLUMBIA, Md.--(BW HealthWire) via NewsEdge Corporation --
St. John Medical Center is First End-user
Licensee of Sequoia Interchange98
Officials at Sequoia Software Corporation said today they believe the company's new agreement with St. John Health System marks the first announcement by any major health system in the nation to link all future clinical applications through an XML-based back office technology that allows unprecedented electronic access to medical records and clinical data.
The Tulsa, Okla.-based nonprofit Catholic health system signed the first end-user license agreement to install Sequoia's Interchange 98, healthcare's first XML-based back office system, that to date has been installed only in original equipment manufactured by some of healthcare's leading technology makers.
Healthcare technology professionals and journalists have been weighing the merits of the XML standard for some time while Sequoia proceeded to develop Interchange98.
The agreement marks the beginning of the second phase of St. John's long-term plans to rebuild their communication network infrastructure using broadband ATM. St. John initially will tie radiology images into the centers' electronic medical records as complete clinical documents using Sequoia Interchange98. The agreement takes effect immediately.
Sequoia Interchange98 is a set of back-end technology components including such features as heterogeneous workflow, standard messaging, data distribution, security, and ubiqitous access to information.
Interchange98, healthcare's first XML server, will be integrated with St. John Medical Center's web information delivery environment known as Medweb, to provide access control, document management, user-enabled content management, and enterprise-wide search and retrieval to clinicians and administrators.
Senior vice president at St. John Medical Center, George Kendall, said "I had been working with SGML for two to three years. When we saw the Sequoia Interchange98 demo at the recommendation of our consultants, Harris Corporation, we were very impressed with the richness of Sequoia's XML-based back office product and the ease of integration."
Mr. Kendall added that "we have decided that all future clinical applications at St. John will use Interchange98 as a back office repository. "
Fred Owens, with Harris Corporation, the consultancy that recommended Sequoia Interchange98, said, "I'm excited that St. John Medical Center has taken this important step with Sequoia Software. Now, having ample and flexible bandwidth, they are ready to begin the next phase. That is to construct an 'info-structure' that takes full advantage of their new network by creating an XML repository for clinical and administrative information."
"The real excitement is that this is only the beginning of what I think is possible at St. John using the Sequoia engine," Owens added.
Central to St. John's plan is the use of new generation internet technologies like XML which capture clinical and business data and provide enormous long-term benefits to physicians and patients.
The installation of Sequoia's Interchange98 server enables St. John to finally provide their intranet users with fast, secure, and managed access to the 80-90 percent of healthcare information that never finds its way into traditional relational database systems.
Joe Kessel, vice president of sales for Sequoia Software Corporation said, "We are providing a backoffice set of technologies that this cutting-edge IT organization is using as the foundation to complement and enhance front-end clinical and business process knowledge.
"And although the whole backoffice strategy is primarily focused on attracting the ISV, it also is applicable to large sophisticated end-users like the St. John Health System. This class of end-user has the ability and technical resources to essentially create their own customized front-ends. "
Sequoia Software Corporation
Sequoia's fast-growing team of distribution partners includes both front-end ISVs (Independent Software Vendors) who embed Sequoia's products into their own, as well as health care VARs (Value Added Resellers).
Sequoia Interchange98, "A BackOffice for Healthcare," integrates charts, templates, reports, and other patient data interchangeably from a variety of client applications including the Azron point-of-care system; Datex-Engstrom's anesthesia monitoring system; radiology reports originally dictated into Lernout & Hauspie's Kurzweil Clinical Reporter; The Infosys practice management system; and MedQuist's MTS (a computer-based medical transcriptionpackage which incorporates a graphical user interface or GUI).
In 1997, Sequoia was selected by the U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop a national Master Patient Index using XML technology.
Additional information about Sequoia Software Corporation and Interchange98, health care's first XML server, can be obtained from white papers, fact sheets and backgrounder through Sequoia's website at sequoiasw.com.
St. John Health System
Headquartered in Tulsa, Okla., St. John Health System, a non-profit corporation, is part of the newly formed Marian Health System, the nation's fourth largest Catholic healthcare organization.
The Marian Health System operates in six states and is comprised of 31 hospitals and medical centers, 128 outpatient care facilities, 15 nursing homes, five continuing care retirement communities and other supporting healthcare services.
The facilities in Oklahoma sponsored or partially sponsored by St. John Health System include St. John Medical Center, Tulsa; Community Care Managed Healthcare Plans of Oklahoma, Tulsa; OMNI Medical Group, northeast Oklahoma; Jane Phillips Medical Center, Bartlesville; Bartlett Memorial Medical Center, Sapulpa; Franciscan Villa, Broken Arrow; Frances Streitel Villa, Collinsville; Heartsworth House, Vinita; Rosewood Terrace, Vinita; Providence Healthcare Inc., Muskogee; Physicians Support Services, Inc., and Regional Medical Laboratory, Tulsa.
St. John Medical Center is a 572-operational bed acute care facility owned and operated by St. John Health System. St. John is a regional leader in radiology, cardiology, oncology, urology, wellness and physical rehabilitation, noted for pioneering treatment and care in these areas as well as many others.
Additional information about St. John Medical Center may be accessed on the web at sjmc.org.
Harris Corporation
Harris Corporation, headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, employs more than 29,000 and has worldwide sales of $3.9 billion. Harris is an international communications and electronics company that provides a wide range of products and services such as wireless and personal communications, digital television (HDTV), health care information, multi-media communications, automotive electronics, transportation, business information, defense communications and information, and Lanier office products.
More information about Harris Corporation may be obtained by visiting the company's website at harris.com.
CONTACT: Sequoia Software Corp. | Jeff Mason, 410/715-0206, ext. 226 | jeffm@sequoiasw.com | or | Cornerstone | Wes Shaffer, 410/727-2131, ext. 216 | wshaf@cstoneadv.com
[Copyright 1998, Business Wire]
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