BT brings benefits of networked IT services to healthcare in Hungary

BT has successfully completed the first phase of a pilot project to improve exchange of information between hospitals, outpatient clinics and general practitioners in the three least developed regions of Hungary, bringing direct benefits to 15,000 medical practitioners and over 1.5 million people they serve.

The inter-institutional electronic exchange system (IKIR), based on Hungarian healthcare standards, and a key component of the ‘IT Development in Healthcare in the Disadvantaged Regions’ project of HEFOP 4.4.1 initiative, connects 38 health care institutions and the participating general practitioners.

The project is aiming to increase overall patient satisfaction and implement networked information technology solutions to the healthcare sector in Hungary.

One of the key benefits for patients is easy access to the personal records at the point of care and no need for manual transfers of patient data, such as test results and x-ray images, between different health care providers in the regions of Southern Transdanubia, Northern Hungary and Northern Plain.

Services, such as appointment bookings, are now offered through IKIR, saving patients and doctors time and multiple phone calls.

“Clearly this project represents a milestone for doctors and patients by bringing clear benefits in saving time and money. It also establishes BT as a leading supplier of networked IT solutions to the health industry internationally. We look forward to enter the next phase and indeed a nationwide rollout of this initiative", said Olivier Campenon, BT President, E*MEA.

Prof. Dr. Miklós Udvardy, Director of Medical Institute at Debrecen Center for Medical and Health Sciences added: “IKIR represents the biggest single ICT investment into the healthcare in Hungary to date with possibility to distribute data throughout the healthcare system. Know-how and experience obtained during this implementation will provide for a solid foundation in the planned nationwide extension of the system”.

Patients register for IKIR access through the Government’s Electronic Portal using its authentication technology which, together with the National Health Insurance’s identification system, provides for high-level security and protects against unauthorized access.

“We hope that the extensive usage of IKIR system will contribute to high-level patient care and more efficient operation of the institutions”, said Dr. Lajos Kollár, Director-in-Chief of the Pécs University Clinical Center.

The new system, installed over a two year period, opens up new possibilities for healthcare delivery in Hungary, such as Telemedicine and Teleradiology.

“In the project, the principle of ‘data are travelling and not the patient’ will come true, which is a significant and ground-breaking step forward in healthcare”, emphasized Dr. Gábor Csiba, Director-in-Chief, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County Hospital and University Hospital.

The system is also designed to handle the financial settlement and back office operations associated with the provision of health care.



Note to editors
The project was initiated as part of the National Development Plan, within the framework of the Human Resources Development Operational Programme (HEFOP) subsidized by the Regional Development Fund of the EU. The IKIR contract was awarded to BT in February 2006 and the implementation of the system was completed in March 2008. The three sections embracing the entire system united this summer and currently the system is being deployed to its full potential. Nationwide deployment of the system is expected in the future.

E*MEA includes Switzerland, Nordics, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, the Middle East and Africa