Works in progress for IT health systems
iSoft, the UK-based company that unsuccessfully led a consortium in a bid to provide the Integrated Health Information System (IHIS) and IT solutions for the Mater Dei Hospital, has managed to get through the back door after it was appointed as a...
iSoft, the UK-based company that unsuccessfully led a consortium in a bid to provide the Integrated Health Information System (IHIS) and IT solutions for the Mater Dei Hospital, has managed to get through the back door after it was appointed as a sub-contractor by ACS Healthcare Solutions, recently selected by the Maltese government to carry out the job iSoft that the other bidders could have done.
In a press statement issued last week iSoft announced that through this appointment it will "provide and support laboratory information systems at the new 850-bed Mater Dei Hospital. Malta Information Technology and Training Services (MITTS) has also extended its 12-year relationship with iSoft for an upgrade of the current patient administration system."
The seven-year contract with ACS Healthcare Solutions, worth Lm6.6 million (€15.4 million), includes iSoft's laboratory information system, called i.Laboratory, which will be installed as part of a programme to improve the management of health records and integrate state-of-the-art digital medical equipment.
iSoft quoted Charles Bracken, managing director at ACS Healthcare Solutions, saying i.Laboratory is a proven solution offering minimal risk.
"With i.Laboratory, we will deliver an integrated, multi-disciplinary solution to track orders, samples and results from microbiology, pathology, biochemistry and transfusion services. It is a well-established solution that is proven at 150 UK hospitals."
When contacted Brian Hemming, PR & communications manager at iSoft, explained that his company "will deliver order communications functionality at the Mater Dei Hospital. This will enable laboratory tests and x-rays to be ordered online and the results viewed in real time as part of the medical record. The benefits include reduced turnaround times for test results, reduced waiting times and ultimately reduced costs and length of stay for patients." He also confirmed that a
Maltese specialist would be present for first line support.
ACS Healthcare Solutions is a leading provider of healthcare IT services to clients around the world. It has served more than 4,000 healthcare clients and has over 2,000 dedicated IT healthcare employees. Its mother company, ACS, is a global Fortune 500 organisation.
While announcing the award of the contract last July, the government explained that "ACS is not a software or hardware vendor but a systems integrator, hence supporting multiple applications and a wide range of IT services." Thus there was the need for ACS to subcontract other companies for their technological solutions.
However, the government is expecting ACS to come up with the hardware, software, expertise and maintenance needed for four systems: A laboratory information system, a radiology information system, a picture archiving and communication system, and the integration of these three systems with the upgraded versions of systems used in the management of Mater Dei Hospital.
The laboratory information system, to be provided by iSoft, manages the filing and tracking of orders placed to the laboratory for tests; labels and tracks specimens; conducts automated analyses using specialised laboratory equipment and supports pathological analyses of results; provides physicians with results that are electronically distributed to them or to hospital wards; and manages the distribution and archiving of reports from laboratory tests.
ACS Healthcare Solutions' managing director has made a clear promise to the Maltese people when commenting on the award of the contract: "Our breadth of healthcare knowledge and expertise, gained over more than 20 years, combined with our integrated, healthcare-specific services and tools enable us to build effective solutions for healthcare delivery systems worldwide. We look forward to working with Mater Dei Hospital to provide world-class care to the people of Malta."
This company practically steps into no man's land but could well offer the right epilogue to the saga that sparked a lot of controversy around the original contract-awarding process.
Eleven companies or consortia submitted their interest in providing the IT solutions for the Maltese health system and the new hospital. The six short listed prospective bidders were invited to submit a tender in October 2005. A year later the AME consortium was chosen as the first best-ranked candidate, with the iSoft consortium, which included Microsoft and General Electric, being placed second.
However, the government made it clear that the letter of intent to AME "only amplifies the conditions that the candidate must accept for discussions on a contract to commence. The unsuccessful conclusion within a pre-determined time frame will enable the process to start again with the second best-ranked candidate."
In the meantime iSoft was rocked by financial accounting woes which were widely reported in Malta and may have left a mark on the final decision.
Suddenly on January 16, a statement by the Department of Information announced that the Ministry for IT had asked the adjudication board to suspend all its activities immediately. The note said the chairman of the adjudicating committee was suspecting an unwarranted leak of confidential information to one of the two bidders by a MITTS employee serving as an advisor on the board. Following the
Attorney General's advice, government ordered that the evaluation process be aborted completely.
The MITTS employee, Noel Xuereb, was eventually arraigned in court and charged with passing on confidential information to INSO, part of the AME consortium. The case is still pending
In the meantime the Maltese government sought to get another company to provide the technological solutions as the day of the official opening of Mater Dei was looming.
In March, global consultants Gartner short-listed 12 systems integrators who then received an invitation from the
Maltese government to express interest for the provision of these services. Tenders were invited from the four potential bidders who expressed interest in the process.
Eventually, on July 20, three weeks after the official opening of Mater Dei, the DOI announced that the general contracts committee has recommended to the government to enter into an agreement with ACS Healthcare Solutions "to provide products and services for the first phase of the Integrated Health Information System (IHIS) which will include the provision of the Information Technology needed to support the operations of the Mater Dei Hospital."
In a press statement issued last week iSoft announced that through this appointment it will "provide and support laboratory information systems at the new 850-bed Mater Dei Hospital. Malta Information Technology and Training Services (MITTS) has also extended its 12-year relationship with iSoft for an upgrade of the current patient administration system."
The seven-year contract with ACS Healthcare Solutions, worth Lm6.6 million (€15.4 million), includes iSoft's laboratory information system, called i.Laboratory, which will be installed as part of a programme to improve the management of health records and integrate state-of-the-art digital medical equipment.
iSoft quoted Charles Bracken, managing director at ACS Healthcare Solutions, saying i.Laboratory is a proven solution offering minimal risk.
"With i.Laboratory, we will deliver an integrated, multi-disciplinary solution to track orders, samples and results from microbiology, pathology, biochemistry and transfusion services. It is a well-established solution that is proven at 150 UK hospitals."
When contacted Brian Hemming, PR & communications manager at iSoft, explained that his company "will deliver order communications functionality at the Mater Dei Hospital. This will enable laboratory tests and x-rays to be ordered online and the results viewed in real time as part of the medical record. The benefits include reduced turnaround times for test results, reduced waiting times and ultimately reduced costs and length of stay for patients." He also confirmed that a
Maltese specialist would be present for first line support.
ACS Healthcare Solutions is a leading provider of healthcare IT services to clients around the world. It has served more than 4,000 healthcare clients and has over 2,000 dedicated IT healthcare employees. Its mother company, ACS, is a global Fortune 500 organisation.
While announcing the award of the contract last July, the government explained that "ACS is not a software or hardware vendor but a systems integrator, hence supporting multiple applications and a wide range of IT services." Thus there was the need for ACS to subcontract other companies for their technological solutions.
However, the government is expecting ACS to come up with the hardware, software, expertise and maintenance needed for four systems: A laboratory information system, a radiology information system, a picture archiving and communication system, and the integration of these three systems with the upgraded versions of systems used in the management of Mater Dei Hospital.
The laboratory information system, to be provided by iSoft, manages the filing and tracking of orders placed to the laboratory for tests; labels and tracks specimens; conducts automated analyses using specialised laboratory equipment and supports pathological analyses of results; provides physicians with results that are electronically distributed to them or to hospital wards; and manages the distribution and archiving of reports from laboratory tests.
ACS Healthcare Solutions' managing director has made a clear promise to the Maltese people when commenting on the award of the contract: "Our breadth of healthcare knowledge and expertise, gained over more than 20 years, combined with our integrated, healthcare-specific services and tools enable us to build effective solutions for healthcare delivery systems worldwide. We look forward to working with Mater Dei Hospital to provide world-class care to the people of Malta."
This company practically steps into no man's land but could well offer the right epilogue to the saga that sparked a lot of controversy around the original contract-awarding process.
Eleven companies or consortia submitted their interest in providing the IT solutions for the Maltese health system and the new hospital. The six short listed prospective bidders were invited to submit a tender in October 2005. A year later the AME consortium was chosen as the first best-ranked candidate, with the iSoft consortium, which included Microsoft and General Electric, being placed second.
However, the government made it clear that the letter of intent to AME "only amplifies the conditions that the candidate must accept for discussions on a contract to commence. The unsuccessful conclusion within a pre-determined time frame will enable the process to start again with the second best-ranked candidate."
In the meantime iSoft was rocked by financial accounting woes which were widely reported in Malta and may have left a mark on the final decision.
Suddenly on January 16, a statement by the Department of Information announced that the Ministry for IT had asked the adjudication board to suspend all its activities immediately. The note said the chairman of the adjudicating committee was suspecting an unwarranted leak of confidential information to one of the two bidders by a MITTS employee serving as an advisor on the board. Following the
Attorney General's advice, government ordered that the evaluation process be aborted completely.
The MITTS employee, Noel Xuereb, was eventually arraigned in court and charged with passing on confidential information to INSO, part of the AME consortium. The case is still pending
In the meantime the Maltese government sought to get another company to provide the technological solutions as the day of the official opening of Mater Dei was looming.
In March, global consultants Gartner short-listed 12 systems integrators who then received an invitation from the
Maltese government to express interest for the provision of these services. Tenders were invited from the four potential bidders who expressed interest in the process.
Eventually, on July 20, three weeks after the official opening of Mater Dei, the DOI announced that the general contracts committee has recommended to the government to enter into an agreement with ACS Healthcare Solutions "to provide products and services for the first phase of the Integrated Health Information System (IHIS) which will include the provision of the Information Technology needed to support the operations of the Mater Dei Hospital."