LIMS
News - Market Update (Page last updated October, 2012)
Features:
 |
TalkingPoint for
Pathology (January, 2012)
|
|
|
|
iSOFT sale to CSC
approved (July, 2011)
|
|
|
|
iSOFT up for sale after
poor sales performance (April, 2011)
|
|
|
|
Intersystems wins All
Wales LIMS project worth £12.1m (July, 2010)
|
|
|
|
CliniSys
Winpath solution for Barnsley and Rotherham (January, 2009)
|
|
|
|
Roche
Diagnostics purchases Swisslab (November, 2008)
|
|
|
|
Sunquest
Information Systems acquires Anglia Healthcare (November,
2008)
|
|
|
|
vision4health
acquires MOLIS from Sysmex (May, 2008)
|
|
|
|
IBA Health acquires
iSOFT (November, 2007)
|
|
|
|
Misys sells
Sunquest LIMS software to Vista Equity Partners (October, 2007)
|
|
|
|
iSOFT set to
recommend IBA's new offer to shareholders (September, 2007)
|
|
|
|
Intersystems acquires
TrakHealth (and LabTrak) (May 2007)
|
|
|
|
Integrated Software
Solutions (OMNI-Lab) incorporated
(2007)
|
|
|
|
iSOFT announces UK
contract agreements (August, 2006)
|
|
|
|
Clinisys clinical
software business on market for £60 to £70 million (August,
2006)
|
|
|
|
Technidata win
Hammersmith multi-site Blood Bank contract (January 2006)
|
|
|
|
Clinisys acquires diabetic
software business (December 2005)
|
|
|
|
Clinisys acquires MIPS
laboratory systems (July 2005)
|
|
|
|
Feltham Associates
carries out major LIMS survey across UK NHS
(June 2005)
|
|
|
|
Technidata launch
TD-Synergy®
(April 2005)
|
|
|
|
Clinisys finally
acquire Torex LIMS (March 2005)
|
|
|
|
OFT clears CliniSys to
acquire Torex LIMS business (Feb. 2005)
|
|
|
|
UK contracts
awarded for laboratory information systems
(February 2005) |
|
|
|
UCLH selects CoPathPlus
from Misys to enhance pathology operations (Jan. 2005)
|
|
|
|
Health Protection Agency
Central Reference Labs go live on Sysmex MOLIS (Dec. 2004)
|
|
|
|
TietoEnator has acquired
laboratory systems from InformationsLogik (Dec. 2004)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CliniSys
- the new name for Sysmed (September 2004) |
|
|
|
iSOFT
agree with OFT to divest Torex LIMS as merger goes ahead (July 2004) |
|
|
|
Sysmed
acquisitions and new orders (March 2004) |
|
|
|
QuadraMed
acquires Détente Systems (February 2004) |
 |
|
|
Triple
G to be acquired by GE Medical in $CDN 74m deal (June 2003) |
|
|
|
TECHNIDATA
in the UK (May 2003) |
|
|
|
Triple
G selected for
Avon
Virtual Pathology Service
(May 2003) |
|
|
|
iSOFT
re-brand APEX to be i.Laboratory (April 2003) |
|
|
|
Sysmed
launched as re-badged UK LIMS supplier (April 2003) |
|
|
|
Triple G delay
beta testing of new ORACLE LIMS (February 2003) |
|
|
|
Department
of Health's vision for UK pathology services (June 2002) |
|
|
|
iSOFT
acquires Northgate healthcare business (June 2002) |
|
|
|
Torex acquires
Berkeley Computer Services (May 2002) |
|
|
|
Two
multi-site UK LIMS contracts announced (March 2002) |
|
|
|
Sonic
Healthcare Ltd acquires The Doctors Laboratory (March 2002) |
|
|
|
MISYS announces
formation of new healthcare division (January
2002) |
|
|
|
Torex
Health launches PROSIGHT laboratory management system (Sept. 2001) |
|
|
|
Sysmex
announces joint venture with Delphic (September 2001) |
|
|
|
Connect
Programme - Pathology Messsaging Implementation Project |
|
|
|
Overview of European
and North American laboratory information systems |
|
|
|
Future laboratory
computing trends |
|
|
TALKINGPOINT
FOR PATHOLOGY (January,
2012)
GHG Software
(Milton Keynes) and VoicePower (Harrogate), long-established suppliers of
speech recognition to NHS Acute Trusts, have joined forces to accelerate
implementation of TalkingPoint for Pathology nationally. The
outstanding recognition accuracy of the Dragon Medical speech engine, combined
with the intuitive TalkingPoint workflow, enables Histopathology reporting
directly by voice, removing the transcription process, saving money and
providing near instantaneous turnaround.
TalkingPoint for
Pathology has been integrated with iSOFT (i.Laboratory i.e. Apex,
i.Lab TP etc), CliniSys (WinPath, LabCentre), Technidata, TrakCare Lab,
Meditech and other LIMS systems incl. CoPath, and is operating at 20 NHS
Trusts.
Speech Reporting can be
difficult to set up properly but has a clear ROI.
iSOFT sale
to CSC approved (July, 2011)
The
European Commission (EC) has approved CSC’s acquisition of healthcare
software maker iSOFT.
The
acquisition was announced earlier this year after iSoft suspended shares and
put itself up for sale. Many believed the deal was necessary for CSC to
preserve its contracts with the NHS, which have recently been slammed by the
National Audit Office (NAO) as bad value for money.
The
proposed transaction mainly gives rise to a vertical and conglomerate
link between CSC and iSOFT since they operate at different levels in the IT
industry. As a prime contractor for healthcare IT management services, CSC may
source healthcare software such as that offered by iSOFT. Alternatively, CSC
and iSOFT IT products and services are used complementarily by healthcare
providers.
The
Commission therefore examined the proposed transaction impact on access to
healthcare software for competitors of CSC and on access to a sufficient
customer base for competitors of iSOFT. The main effects of the proposed
transaction are in the UK.
The
investigation demonstrated that there are sufficient alternative
healthcare softwares developed by competitors of iSOFT with which CSC
competitors can partner.
In
the UK market, the proposed transaction will not restrict competing healthcare
software providers’ access to a sufficient customer base, due to the
sophistication and buyer power of customers of CSC healthcare IT services
which maintain a high degree of discretion as to their healthcare software
provider. CSC further faces strong competitive constraints from alternative IT
service providers such as British Telecom which may partner with alternative
healthcare software providers.
The
Commission therefore concluded that the proposed concentration would not
significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) 1or
any substantial part of it.
The
transaction was notified to the Commission for regulatory clearance in the EEA
on 12 May 2011.
Final
approval was ratified by the Australian Stock Exchange on 29 July 2011.
iSOFT
up for sale after poor shares performance
(April, 2011)
iSOFT
announced on 24 March 2011 that trading in its shares would be suspended
pending a corporate announcement. Subsequently on 4 April, the company
announced that it was recommending a cash offer from Computer
Sciences Corporation (CSC). This follows a
lengthy period when the share price of iSOFT shares hovered in single digits
of Australian cents.
The
acquisition will complement and strengthen CSC’s market-leading software
products and healthcare integration and services portfolio, while enhancing its
healthcare research and development capabilities. It will also accelerate
CSC’s strategic growth plan in the Life Sciences market and reinforce the
company as a very strong player in healthcare information technology.
The
offer to iSOFT shareholders is at A$0.17 per share in cash.
iSOFT
currently supports three Laboratory Information Management Systems in the UK (i.Laboratory,
i.Laboratory-TP, and i.Laboratory- TP2000), and another in Germany (the former
Lauffenberg ProSight product)..
About
CSC
CSC
is a global leader in providing technology-enabled solutions and services
through three primary lines of business. These include Business Solutions and
Services, the Managed Services Sector and the North American Public Sector.
CSC’s advanced capabilities include system design and integration,
information technology and business process outsourcing, applications software
development, Web and application hosting, mission support and management
consulting. The company has been recognized as a leader in the industry,
including being named by FORTUNE Magazine as one of the World’s Most Admired
Companies for Information Technology Services (2011). Headquartered in Falls
Church, Va., CSC has approximately 93,000 employees and reported revenue of
$16.2 billion for the 12 months ended December 31, 2010. For more information,
visit the company’s website at www.csc.com.
Intersystems
wins All Wales LIMS project worth £12.1m
(July, 2010)
Intersystems have
announced that NHS Wales
Informatics Service (NWIS) has selected them to supply TrakCare LabTM
as a national
Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS).
Welsh Assembly Government funding of £12.1m will be used to implement the InterSystems
LIMS which will cater for over 21 million tests a year across 18 separate
laboratories across the seven Welsh regional boards and a population of
approximately 3 million. The laboratory data will be stored in the
InterSystems Caché database to provide users with contribute to an
Individual Care Record for patients in the NHS in Wales.
TrakCare Lab will facilitate the standardisation of increase the capacity and
flexibility to meet future demand and new developments, and will be replacing
LIMS from iSOFT (i.Laboratory and TelePath) and CliniSys (LabCentre).
Compared with these existing laboratory systems, the centrally managed TrakCare
Lab solution
will reduce costs for support and maintenance. These projected savings include
a 50% reduction in data maintenance and extraction costs, and 30% reduction in
analyser interface costs.
The main objectives
for this programme are:
-
to have a fully supported networked LIMS available for implementation from
January 2011;
-
to improve clinical data and management information flows to meet the needs
of NHS Wales; and
-
to improve the functionality and flexibility of the pathology
IT system to meet current and future service needs
InterSystems
Corporation is a worldwide leader in software for connected healthcare. With
headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and offices in 24 countries,
InterSystems provides advanced software technologies for breakthrough
applications. InterSystems TrakCare™ is
a connected healthcare information system that is Web-based and rapidly
delivers the benefits of an Electronic Patient Record.
TrakCare Lab is designed to streamline the diverse activities across all
disciplines for the smallest to largest laboratories. Integral to TrakCare Lab
is InterSystems Ensemble, a platform for integration and the development of
connectable applications, which will provide interoperability between the pathology
service and other local and national systems.
"We are delighted to be part of this innovative programme, using TrakCare
Lab to deliver breakthroughs in patient outcomes, laboratory performance and
clinician communications," said Kerry Stratton, Managing Director,
Healthcare, InterSystems.
CliniSys
Winpath solution for Barnsley and Rotherham (January,
2009)
The Rotherham and Barnsley NHS
Foundation Trusts have contracted jointly to buy a new LIMS. This
replaces the Sunquest LIMS at Barnsley and the Trent Phoenix/iSOFT CILMS
system at Rotherham.
The two trusts established a
joint pathology laboratory across the two Trust in 2007, and a new combined
LIMS was essential to maximise efficiency and financial savings.
A shared Winpath laboratory
information management system from CliniSys will now be installed and will be
interfaced to existing IT systems for the two Trusts. The two trusts
chose to purchase the CliniSys LIMS utilising the Additional Supply Capability
and Capacity framework contract, instead of waiting for local service provider
Computer Sciences Corporation to deliver an iSOFT LIMS.
Roche Diagnostics continues
to pursue an end-to-end integration solution with its announced purchase
of Swisslab GmbH, the leading German LIMS vendor of Swisslab™.
With the growing trend
towards consolidation of hospitals and laboratories, distributed, high
performance laboratory information systems are becoming increasingly
important, making a highly significant contribution to efficient and
cost-effective laboratory diagnostics. With the acquisition of Swisslab,
Roche will become an international leader in the supply of software
solutions for in-vitro diagnostics, gaining a leading position in the
European market for laboratory information systems. Roche will now be
better able to meet its customers needs by offering – in addition to the
leading Roche laboratory diagnostics systems – highly efficient
integrated IT solutions and services for university laboratories, large
laboratories, medical diagnostic service companies and laboratory
networks. The Swisslab laboratory information management system (LIMS) for
large laboratories will complement Roche’s existing Cobas IT 5000
solution for small and medium-sized laboratories.
Below is an excerpt from
the press release:
Roche and
Swisslab GmbH, Berlin, announced today that Roche is to acquire all the
shares in Swisslab GmbH. The transaction is expected to be
completed in the first half of 2009. Through this acquisition, Roche is
seeking to expand its portfolio of fully integrated solutions for
laboratory diagnostics, including the increasingly important information
technology systems. The laboratory information system Swisslab, together
with the LAURIS module, permits highly efficient management of
laboratory processes and diagnostic data in large core laboratories and
in specialty laboratories concerned with areas such as microbiology,
blood banks, newborn screening, pathology, histology, transfusion
management, genetics and HLA typing, as well as point-of-care
integration and quality management....With the acquisition of
Swisslab, Roche will become an international leader in the supply of
software solutions for in-vitro diagnostics, gaining a leading position
in the European market for laboratory information systems.
Swisslab GmbH is the
leading provider of Laboratory Information Systems in Germany. Since 1979
the company has been dedicated to developing technology solutions for the
medical laboratory. Swisslab™ is the most comprehensive solution
available on the German market, with installations in over 200
installations in university clinics, hospitals, diagnostic centres and
independent physicians, and it is responsible for generating over 150,000
laboratory diagnostic reports per day.
Does this indicate that
Roche will be offering a Swisslab LIMS solution to UK customers as well as
consolidating laboratory automation across the rest of Europe?
Sunquest Information completes acquisition of UK-based Anglia Healthcare
(November, 2008)
Sunquest Information
Systems has informed that the company has completed acquisition of
UK-based Anglia Healthcare Systems
(AHSL), a leading provider of laboratory connectivity, orders, reporting and
messaging solutions.
From 10 November 2008 onwards,
Anglia
will be a subsidiary of Sunquest Information Systems,
Inc.
Sunquest signed a definitive agreement on 27 October, 2008 to acquire AHSL
as part of its stated strategy to increase its global presence and strengthen
its outreach and physician affinity strategy for the international
market.
With the latest move, Sunquest will be able to better create new business
opportunities and facilitate better communications between hospitals,
laboratories, physicians, communities, and patients.
Sunquest Information Systems, Inc., is a global market leader in
clinical data management solutions
with nearly 1300 hospitals and commercial laboratories using its products
worldwide.
Sunquest
Information Systems, the US specialist in laboratory and diagnostic
information systems, has completed the acquisition of Anglia Healthcare
Systems.
Anglia,
which had been privately-held, is a UK company providing laboratory
connectivity, orders, reporting and messaging products. As of Monday the firm
became a subsidiary of Sunquest Information Systems, Inc.
The
completion of the deal follows the signing of a definitive agreement on 27
October, for Sunquest to acquire Anglia.
Sunquest
says that by combining its best-of-suite LIS solutions with a complementary
and comprehensive set of solutions, it will be able to enable better
communications between hospitals, laboratories, physicians, communities, and
patients.
In
the UK Anglia has been best known for its ICE products, which had been offered
as a relatively low cost order requesting and communications tool that can
interact with a wide range of third party laboratory information system,
patient administration systems and radiology information systems. ICE systems
are installed at 175 sites in the UK, Ireland and Denmark.
ICE
Desktop is now the most widely installed order communication and reporting
system in the UK, said to be installed in over 60 acute NHS trusts.
Following
the acquisition Anglia ICE, now Sunquest ICE, may provide Sunquest with a
strategic bridgehead from which to upsell existing customers into its core LIS
and diagnostics information sytems product family, and an affordable entry
point for new customers.
“We
are pleased to welcome the Anglia customers and employees to the Sunquest
family,” Richard Atkin, president and CEO of Sunquest Information Systems,
Inc., said in a statement. “This is the beginning of a very exciting future
together as we fulfill our mutual commitment to solutions innovation, market
leadership, and industry-leading customer service.”
“As
a customer of both companies, I am extremely excited about the acquisition,”
commented Shelley McIndoe, Head of ICT at Dorset County Hospital Foundation
Trust. “By combining Anglia’s innovative culture with Sunquest’s
strengths in implementation, support and their commitment to UK and
international market growth, the winners will be customers and patients.”
“Our
first priority going forward is to meet with our customers in the UK and
Western Europe to reiterate our unwavering commitment to provide them with the
industry’s leading solutions and customer service,” said David Allcock,
vice president of Sunquest’s London-based international operations.
Jon
Hoeksma
©
2008 E-HEALTH-MEDIA LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
vision4health
acquires MOLIS LIMS software from Sysmex
(May, 2008)
Technology
leader in lab diagnostics software achieves Europe-wide market penetration
with acquired division
April 28, 2008. Effective immediately, vision4health has acquired the MOLIS
laboratory information system division from the Japanese SYSMEX Group. The
Company, set up in 2007 and specialising in software solutions for diagnostic
applications, will take over approximately 150 customer installations right
across
Europe
with the tried, tested and proven software solution. The addition of 80
employees in
Germany
,
France
, the Benelux countries, the
UK
,
Switzerland
and
Austria
will quickly turn vision4health, which to date has been predominantly active
in the German-speaking countries, into a global player in the international
lab software market.
“vision4health will
guarantee MOLIS users the best possible long-term support for
their everyday work,” explains vision4health Managing Director,
Andreas Kumbroch. “In our care4IT product suite they will
also find attractive add-on modules, which can be easily integrated into the MOLIS environment
at any time.” As a diagnostics software of the latest generation, care4IT is
designed to meet the constantly increasing requirements for software solutions
in lab management and other diagnostics areas. In combination with MOLIS,
it supports complex processes and bodies of rules and regulations in order to
optimise the processes in all diagnostic disciplines and forms of organisation.
“Equally
important as the software, however, are the target-oriented organisational
consulting and the practical implementation of the solution,” emphasises
Stefan Steiner, who, together with Kumbroch, is a managing director of the
group of companies now based in Wilen (Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland). “With the highly qualified and experienced industry experts of our
enlarged team, we can now offer both without restriction and close to the
customer across the whole of
Europe
.”
About
vision4health
vision4health was set up in June 2007 with the objective of
developing and internationally marketing next generation software solutions
for lab-related diagnostic applications. The company’s corporate culture is
based on the close cooperation of highly experienced, best-in-class software
specialists with national and international users. The care4IT product
suite developed according to this principle and the MOLIS laboratory
information system added in 2008, are therefore “Software by Experts for
Experts” in the most literal sense. Together they cover the entire
diagnostics field with all of its specialists requirements. In addition to
software solutions, vision4health also offers its customers
comprehensive services from one single source - from first appraisal to daily
support.
Contact
in UK:
vision4health
Laufenberg & Co. (Schweiz), The Barn House, Salthill Road, Chichester,
West Sussex PO19 3PY
Sunquest
software sold by Misys to Vista Equity Partners (October,
2007)
Sunquest
Information Systems, Inc. (“Sunquest”) is a leading provider of clinical and
financial software solutions for the healthcare industry. The company designs,
develops, and supports a comprehensive suite of information products for
hospitals and commercial laboratories that include best-of-breed laboratory,
radiology, and pharmacy software systems.
For over twenty-five years, the company has been dedicated to providing software
solutions that enable quality patient care, clinical safety, and operational
efficiencies. The Sunquest Laboratory™ system was recognized as "Best in
KLAS" by the industry for the past three years. Sunquest’s solutions are
deployed in over 1,200 U.S. hospitals and commercial laboratories and at over 60
customers in Canada, the UK, Western Europe, and the Middle-East.
The company is headquartered in Raleigh, NC with operations in Tucson, AZ and
Bangalore, India.
Vista Equity Partners Fund III completed a buyout of Sunquest in October of
2007.
IBA
completes acquisition of iSOFT (31 October 2007)
IBA Health’s acquisition of iSOFT
became effective yesterday after the final sanction by the High Court of Justice
for England and Wales. The unification of these two health-focused organisations
will create one of the world’s largest healthcare IT providers.
Mr Cohen, Executive Chairman of IBA Health,
said, “Our vision is to lead IBA Health and iSOFT to prominence on the
global stage under the brand of the IBA Health Group.Our immediate priorities
are to integrate and invest in the businesses and focus on growth
opportunities. The merger removes the financial uncertainty surrounding iSOFT
but additionally provides a strong balance sheet for sustained investments in
the enlarged business.
“There is significant potential for the group
to move into untapped markets and to offer a wider range of products and
services to a greater number of customers. Immediately, we have the
opportunity to cross-sell IBA and iSOFT applications to a customer base of
13,000 customers in over 35 countries. We also have greater geographic reach
and a greater capacity to service our customers and to deliver systems more
economically through regional centres.
“IBA and iSOFT’s products are currently
being implemented by leading healthcare providers in over 35 countries.Through
our centres of excellence based in India, together with over 3,500 health and
IT professionals, we will continue to develop these products to provide
advanced, adaptable and highly cost-effective platforms that will assist
healthcare providers to deliver efficient and safe care.”
IBA and iSOFT will continue to play a key role
in the ground-breaking UK National Programme for IT by working with Computer
Sciences Corporation to deliver the LORENZO platform to three-fifths of the
NHS in England.
Mr Cohen added, “With a rich product
portfolio and the emerging LORENZO platform we have the foundations for
generating significant growth.”
A recommendation to change IBA
Health’s name to the IBA Health Group Ltd will be made at IBA’s Annual
General Meeting scheduled for November 30.
iSOFT set to recommend IBA's
offer (September, 2007)
Sydney – Thursday, 30 August 2007–
IBA Health Limited (ASX: IBA) –Australia's largest listed eHealth
company, today announced that iSOFT Group plc (LSE: IOT) (“iSOFT”) intends
to recommend the IBA cash offer to iSOFT shareholders and will proceed with
the steps necessary to implement the IBA offer by way of scheme of
arrangement.
The announcement by iSOFT advises that a competitive situation no longer
exists and the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers will not be proceeding to
implement an auction procedure as described in iSOFT’s announcement of 23
August 2007.
“The Court and shareholder meetings to implement the CompuGROUP offer are
currently scheduled for 31 August 2007. As previously announced, iSOFT intends
to adjourn these meetings indefinitely.”
Commenting on the announcement by iSOFT, IBA’s Executive Chairman Gary Cohen
said, “Our advisory teams are already implementing the necessary
procedural steps to bring this acquisition to a close.The merits of this
transaction have been strongly endorsed by our shareholders over the last week
during a difficult period. I look forward to providing the market with further
details and an outline of the timetable shortly.”
A copy of the iSOFT Group plc
announcement on 29 August 2007 follows:
Response to CompuGROUP's 'no increase'
statement
iSOFT notes today’s announcement by CompuGROUP Holding AG that it
will not increase its cash offer of 66 pence per iSOFT share announced on 20
July 2007.
The revised offer announced by IBA Health Limited on 21 August 2007 was 69
pence per iSOFT share, with a stock alternative of 1.65 new IBA shares per
iSOFT share.
IBA’s cash offer represents superior value for iSOFT shareholders compared
with that of CompuGROUP. iSOFT has therefore withdrawn its recommendation of
the CompuGROUP offer and intends to recommend the IBA cash offer and proceed
with the steps necessary to implement the revised IBA offer by way of scheme
of arrangement. Documentation, including details of the opinion of the board
of iSOFT on the revised IBA offer, will be sent to shareholders in due course.
A competitive situation no longer exists between IBA and CompuGROUP.
Therefore, the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers will not be proceeding to
implement an auction procedure as described in iSOFT’s announcement of 23
August 2007.
The Court and shareholder meetings to implement the CompuGROUP offer are
currently scheduled for 31 August 2007. As previously announced, iSOFT intends
to adjourn these meetings indefinitely.
CompuGROUP offer to acquire iSOFT to go to shareholders (2
August, 2007)
CompuGROUP Offer: Scheme of Arrangement published - 2 August 2007
iSOFT has
published the Scheme of Arrangement, under which CompuGROUP UK Limited, a
wholly-owned subsidiary of CompuGROUP Holding AG, will acquire the entire
issued and to be issued ordinary share capital of iSOFT. The scheme has been
posted to shareholders ahead of an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on
Friday 31 August.
Statement from
John Weston (01/08/2007), Chairman and acting Chief Executive Officer of iSOFT,
while commenting on the Preliminary results for the year ended 30 April 2007,
“On 20 July 2007 the Board recommended an offer of 66 pence per iSOFT
share, in cash, from CompuGROUP Holdings, a German company listed on the
Frankfurt stock exchange. Documentation detailing the offer to shareholders
will be posted on 1 August 2007 prior to an extraordinary general meeting that
is to be held on Friday 31 August 2007. If shareholders approve the offer on
that date, the transaction is expected to complete during September. After a
complex and painstaking sale process, iSOFT is on the way to becoming part of
a well-funded group with growth prospects.”
From CompuGROUP
website (Management presentation iSOFT offer)
As part of the
acquisition, CompuGROUP has negotiated the sale of iSOFT’s UK NHS NPfIT
business to CSC
-
Includes all
contracts relating to NPfIT and applications of LORENZO and the NHS
versions of i.PM and i.IE
-
iSOFT retains
some obligations in respect of the NHS legacy products
-
No historic or
future liabilities taken on by CompuGROUP in respect of NHS LORENZO or NHS
versions of i.PM and i.IE
Comment:
This statement would appear to leave support for existing iSOFT laboratory
sites with the new combined CompuGROUP/iSOFT business, but if there are to be
any changes to support arrangements, users are unlikely to be officially
notified until after the deal is closed, expected to be sometime in September
2007.
Intersystems Corporation acquires
TrakHealth (May, 2007)
Intersystems Corporation
has acquired Australian company, TrakHealth. TrakHealth
develops and markets TrakCare, a web-based healthcare information system.
TrakCare LAB meets all of the operational needs of the modern pathology
laboratory. TrakCare has been installed into 25 countries including
Australia, China, Japan and the United Kingdom.
Integrated
Software Solutions Incorporated
(2007)
Détente was a clinical software company founded in 1982, and recognised for
OMNI-Lab laboratory systems, a comprehensive information technology solution
for hospital based and freestanding laboratories, and OMNI-Image radiology
systems, a comprehensive information technology solution for medical imaging
departments. Détente's customer base includes hospitals in Australia, New
Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Détente were acquired by
Quadramed in 2004 (see details). However, for
whatever reason, this association did not work out and in 2007, Integrated
Software Solutions were incorporated as a new private Australian company
supporting and selling the ISS-OMNI-Lab LIMS. ISS are based in Sydney
but have a UK office in Winchester.
| Description |
A
complete Laboratory Information Management system incorporating all
Laboratory disciplines including Anatomical and Surgical Pathology and
Cytology. |
| Front
end |
- Internet
- Intranet
- Visual Basic
|
|
| Functionality |
Laboratory
disciplines included in the package are Chemistry, Haematology,
Microbiology, Immunology, Endocrinology, Anatomical/Surgical
Pathology, Cytology, Blood Bank and others.
The system is parameter driven and defined by users to meet their
requirements.
A full integrated Accounts Receivable module is included.
Results Reporting via web is available including Critical Care
Results Reporting portal |
| Languages |
English,
others available |
| Latest
Version of Application |
v9.6 |
| Supported
OS |
- Linux
- OpenVMS
- Unix
- Windows 2000/Vista
|
|
| InterSystems
Products |
|
iSOFT announces UK contract agreements (August, 2006)
(iSOFT Press Release, 25th August 2006)
iSOFT
Group plc today issued an announcement on an agreement with Computer
Sciences Corporation (CSC) for delivery into the
North West
and West Midlands regional cluster of the National Programme for IT (NPfIT)
and on the installation of iSOFT software in London
and Southern regions.
iSOFT has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with CSC confirming the
schedule under which it will deliver product and services to CSC in the
North West
and
West Midlands
regional cluster.
The agreement is valued at up to £153 million, subject to the
satisfactory achievement of delivery milestones, with the opportunity to
win additional NPfIT business in future through CSC in certain
circumstances. Under this agreement, iSOFT has made a number of
commitments in respect to the future development of its products for the
NPfIT and the costs that it will bear for that work. CSC will have the
right to take over the management of the development team in the event
that iSOFT is unable to fulfill its obligations. However the rights to the
IPR remain with iSOFT under all circumstances. This agreement offers
greater certainty of cash flow to iSOFT as payments are tied to specific
milestones, tied for the most part to software incremental releases.
iSOFT also announces that it will continue to supply an enhanced service
to seven NHS iSOFT Trusts in the
London
and Southern Clusters. The announcement follows an agreement between
Connecting for Health (CfH) and CSC to deliver the next phase of patient
administration and clinical software to these hospitals.
The seven hospitals, all in the Southern or
London
clusters, have been using iSOFT products to deliver healthcare information
for a number of years. The contract will last until 2008 with options to
extend until 2011 and covers:
Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust,
Great
Ormond
Street
Hospital
for Children NHS Trust, Guy's and
St Thomas
' NHS Foundation Trust, King's College Hospital NHS Trust, Lewisham
Hospital NHS Trust, Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust and Salisbury NHS
Foundation Trust.
John Weston, Chairman and acting Chief Executive Officer, said: "We
are pleased that CSC and these Trusts, whom we have been working alongside
for a number of years, have demonstrated their continuing confidence in
the iSOFT solution."
Regarding the seven Trusts, CSC's
UK
CEO, Keith Wilman, commented: "We are delighted to build on our
experience of deploying and supporting iSOFT systems through this new
agreement. We now look forward to working with the seven Trusts to deliver
benefits, improvements and enhancements to their IT systems as part of the
National Programme."
|
iSOFT results for
the financial year ended 30 April 2006 (published
25th August 2006)
|
|
iSOFT
Group plc (IOT.L), a leading international supplier of software
application solutions to the healthcare sector, announces its audited
results for the year ended 30 April 2006. The Group's full year results
are reported under IFRS
regulations for the first time. The Group has also changed its
accounting policy for revenue recognition, as announced on 8 June 2006.
For
full details please visit our Regulatory News Service section on the
iSOFT website at: http://www.isoftplc.com/corporate/investor_centre/1487.asp
|
Summary of results for 2005
financial year:
Commenting, John Weston, Chairman
and acting Chief Executive Officer of iSOFT said: "The second half of the
financial year ended 30 April 2006 was a turbulent period for iSOFT and
long-term shareholders will be feeling deeply disappointed by the events of
recent months. I joined the Group as Chairman in October last year and share
that disappointment, but I am determined to see through a series of actions
and change that I believe are necessary to put this company back on a solid
footing and enable it to capitalise on its underlying product strengths and
experience.
The Board believes that the new
arrangements with our banks will now provide us with the short-term platform
from which to address the long-term future of the company and are encouraged
by the new agreement with CSC and by the 'iSOFT 7' win, announced separately
today. Thus, though this has been a very difficult period, we are encouraged
by the progress represented by today's announcement and are optimistic that we
will be able to capitalise on the Group's technological and market
positioning, for the benefit of customers, shareholders and employees."
CLINISYS
CLINICAL SOFTWARE BUSINESS ON MARKET FOR £60 TO £70 MILLION
(Business News, 12th August 2006)
CliniSys, the clinical software
company that supports three hospital laboratory computer systems (WinPath,
LabCentre from CliniSys Scotland and GLIMS from MIPS), is on the market with a
sale price expected to be in the region of £60 to £70 million.
CliniSys is the pathology
laboratory computer system supplier selected by BT for the London Cluster, and
has implemented systems in other National Programme for IT Clusters in
England. In July 2005, CliniSys acquired the successful European LIMS business
of MIPS (see below), following the acquisition of
Torex Laboratory Systems Limited from iSOFT plc in March 2005 after the Office
of Fair Trading has considered whether to refer the merger to the Competition
Commission (see below).
HAMMERSMITH
HOSPITALS NHS TRUST CHOOSES TECHNIDATA’S TD-SYNERGY-BLOODBANK®
FOR MULTI-SITE BLOOD TRANSFUSION SYSTEM
(Press Release 10 January 2006)
The Trust has selected TD-BloodBank for its
modern technology and superior functionality
Warrington, UK. 10th January
2006
TD-BloodBank®, a market-leading component of Technidata’s TD-Synergy®
integrated LIMS. TD-BloodBank, which includes comprehensive EU
safety-compliant vein-to-vein features for automated blood testing, tracking,
transport, transfusion and sample/patient matching, was chosen over five other
blood management systems. The selection, which also included several LSP-recommended
solutions, followed an extensive OJEU evaluation and short-listing process.
The project is due to go live on 31st March 2006.
Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust is
an integrated, multi-site facility that comprises Hammersmith, Charing Cross,
Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea, and Ravenscourt Park Hospitals. The
Pathology Department works for Hammersmith NHS Trust as well as Chelsea and
Westminster Hospital. The three sites combined process some 32 million general
laboratory tests and 150,000 blood transfusion requests, and handle over
65,000 blood and blood products each year – a number that is projected to
grow by 5-15% annually over the next five years. As a matter of urgency, the
Trust needed a more robust and flexible blood management system that could
integrate with its disparate systems, handle a rapidly increasing workload and
support the ever-growing complexity of new hemovigilence and transfusion
safety regulations.
Asked why the Trust chose Technidata
over LSP recommended solutions, Laurent Debenedetti, ICT Director, Hammersmith
Hospitals NHS Trust, explains: "Various competing products were put forward
to us, but in the end we selected Technidata because it was a more modern
solution and offered a superior platform at a similar price. From an ICT
perspective I prefer Technidata’s technology, but even more importantly, our
pathology users found TD-BloodBank’s advanced functionality extremely close to
their needs." In addition, Technidata’s ability to utilise Unix and/or
Intel platforms, SQL and Oracle databases together with its single log-in
environment not only meets Hammersmith Trust’s demanding technology roadmap
but also dovetails with the aims of the NHS Connecting for Health programme.
Tony MacDonald, Pathology Systems
Manager at Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust, went on to add: "Technidata
came closest to matching our needs. Above all, we wanted a modern system with a
relational database and Web-enabled capabilities. With one of our old blood
transfusion systems, the hardware had reached the end of its lifespan, and the
other system had become too expensive to maintain. In replacing them, we chose
TD-BloodBank because it was the only solution that ticked all the boxes and met
our extensive list of requirements - including over 300 different points. Many
of these involved patient safety compliance issues, both at a national and EU
level, some of the points related to our overall IT modernisation strategy and
others involved our integration requirements - a vital aspect considering our
multi-site/multi-system IT environment."
As far as patient safety is
concerned, Hammersmith recognised that TD-BloodBank’s advanced vein-to-vein
storage and tracking system, TD-SafeTrak®, would be able to bring major
benefits to the whole transfusion supply chain from the donor to recipient. In
addition, Hammersmith has also signed on to pilot Pocket TD-BloodBank®, a
portable version of function-rich TD-BloodBank that provides access to the
system from networked and handheld devices, whether onsite or remotely.
"TD-BloodBank’s relational
database and ODBC connectivity were two other features that were critical to our
choice," says Mr. MacDonald. "Technidata’s ability to integrate with
our LIMS and our multiple hospital information systems will now enable us to
gather all relevant test information together into patient-centric files for the
convenience of caregivers. It will also give us the ease and flexibility we need
to develop more complex management reports."
Not the least of its benefits, TD-BloodBank
also promises a highly competitive return on investment. As Mr. MacDonald
explains: "Getting the funding for our new blood system turned out to be
very straightforward when we pointed out that the cost of TD-BloodBank over a
five-year period would be less than the cost of maintaining our legacy
technology that offers less functionality and doesn’t support new safety
guidelines."
Dave Simm, General Manager for
Technidata UK commented: "Technidata are delighted to welcome Hammersmith
Hospitals NHS Trust and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital as new users of our
TD-Synergy BloodBank solution. We are particularly pleased to have been chosen
in the face of such an exhaustive OJEU evaluation process and congratulate the
Trust on its vision in choosing Technidata as a long-term technology partner.
Not only are we able to supply a superior solution that
integrates with disparate information systems across the Trust’s three sites,
we are also best placed to handle critical issues such as patient safety in
Blood Transfusion and its ramifications for haemovigilance and recent EU
legislation."
CliniSys
acquires Orion Imaging - diabetic software (December,
2005)
Clinical and laboratory systems
specialists, CliniSys, has acquired Orion Imaging, the diabetic retinopathy
screening software business.
Diabetic retinopathy is the
single largest cause of blindness in the UK and is a problem in all countries
where ageing populations and increasing obesity rates are leading to greater
numbers of people living with diabetes.
Digital retinopathy cameras
provide precise digital images of the eye that can be compared over time.
Clinicians are alerted much earlier to deterioration in the patient’s eye
than through other screening methods.
David Newell, CliniSys’ group
business development director said Orion Imaging was “a great business”
and commented: “The combination of the market leading solution for diabetic
retinopathy together with the CliniSys infrastructure both in the UK and
mainland Europe offers a unique and exciting opportunity. The provision of a
market leading solution set for diabetes care is a key component of our
ongoing business strategy within chronic disease management.”
Cwmbran-based Orion Imaging was
one of four companies in the UK selected to supply specialist software
services for the NHS national screening programme for sight threatening
diabetic retinopathy. Its diabetic retinopathy screening software is
distributed with fundus cameras made by Haag-Streit International.
The company claims over 2000
installations in over 52 countries. David Newell said Orion Imaging’s recent
wins included a contract for supplying Cheshire and Merseyside.
CliniSys,
UK’s No. 1 pathology software provider, acquires MIPS, a leading European LIMS
supplier (July 2005)
acquires
 |
CliniSys,
the
UK
’s leading provider of pathology software solutions, today announced that it
has acquired MIPS, one of the largest and most successful suppliers of
laboratory information management systems (LIMS) in
Europe
. Head-quartered in
Gent, Belgium
, MIPS has a strong track record of sales success throughout
Europe
and a long history of pathology product and service innovation.
This
acquisition brings together two highly successful pathology software
suppliers; CliniSys (www.clinisys.co.uk)
has won the majority of competitive procurements in the UK over the past few
years, and MIPS (www.mips.be) dominates the
Benelux market and is now making fast inroads into the French, German and
Spanish markets.
The
combined customer base, covering over 400 sites across
Europe
, will now benefit from the dedicated expertise of 200 pathology specialists
focusing on the development, delivery and support of solutions to improve the
efficiency and effectiveness of the clinical laboratory and medical practice.
Healthcare
IT across
Europe
is benefiting from a significant increase in investment and higher
prioritisation. Best practice from many nations will inform the
Group’s new product development strategy to serve the wider customer base.
In particular, the enlarged customer base will benefit from CliniSys’ direct
experience of participating in the
UK
’s £6.2bn Connecting for Health IT programme.
Comment
"This acquisition follows on from CliniSys' Spring 2005 acquisition of
the UK Torex LIMS business (see below) and means
the new company can rightly claim the largest number of LIMS customer sites
for a UK LIMS company (over 400 sites). The MIPS main LIMS product,
GLIMS, is true GUI, is extremely flexible and user-definable, is a true
relational database, and has been successfully installed across 8 different
European countries. The strategy of how this new dominance with several
market leading LIMS products can be moved forwards to meet all of the varied
market requirements across Europe will be followed with interest by potential
customers, particularly those in the London and Southern LSP clusters over the
next 18 months." Kevin
Feltham (2005)
UK NHS LIMS
Survey (June 2005)
Feltham
Associates has completed
the largest survey of LIMS in UK NHS Trusts since the NHS National Programme
was announced. This survey was aimed at
key senior laboratory and IT
managers to uncover how Trusts are managing to run their pathology
services with ageing LIMS and what their plans are for replacing them. In England, the National Programme for IT
(NPfIT) - now NHS Connecting for Health (CfH or C4H), has not included pathology as a
core service, and this makes obtaining
the necessary capital funding from hard-pressed Trust budgets very difficult. Only two LIMS suppliers
have so far been included in the LSP
catalogues. What about other LIMS suppliers? Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland are not restricted by a "national programme" but
still there
have been virtually no new LIMS contracts since 2003. Is the UK still a
viable market for LIMS suppliers?
The survey
was sent to Trusts in early February,
and the results have now been analysed and are now ready for publication. Some of the key
summaries from the analysis will be published on the Feltham Associates
website during the year, so
look out for them. An objective assessment of suppliers and their
products is included together with rankings for end-user
functionality, technology and support services. The full report is now available to NHS staff,
NHS decision makers and suppliers. If you wish to find out
more, the price or order a copy, contact us via e-mail
to: Webmaster.
Technidata
UK
announce new laboratory information system TD-Synergy®
(April 2005)
Marking
a leap forward in functionality and system architecture, TD-Synergy®
builds
upon a 20 year reputation for performance and robustness. The system delivers
increased functionality and interoperability with a fully graphical windows
user interface. TD-Synergy® retains the flexibility and
scalability of previous Technidata products, making it the system of choice
for small single workstation laboratories, or complex multi-site,
multi-discipline trust wide solutions.
Designed
to be compliant with NHS Connecting for Health and to be flexible to meet any
future national requirements, TD-Synergy®
delivers a total laboratory solution today. Providing peace of mind for long
term development needs in a rapidly changing IT environment.
New features in this release include familiar windows graphical user interface
and a single login that can be linked to active server directory, giving the
user access to the complete range of modules covering all disciplines. This
means that the end-user has a realistic alternative which delivers the
functionality required in a single package with excellent reliability and is
deliverable today.
Dave
Simm, General Manager for Technidata
UK
, comments "With over 20 years of service to NHS customers Technidata
have always had an excellent reputation for the quality of our products, our
customer support and our ability to deliver on our promises. The NHS
Connecting for Health programme has forced all laboratory information system
suppliers to redress their priorities and listen attentively to their market
needs. The Local Service Providers now have a viable, scalable, modern,
deliverable and profitable alternative to their current laboratory information
system offering".
The
first showing of TD-Synergy®
was
at Euromedlab from 8th to 12th May on stand 141.
UCLH
selects CoPathPlus from Misys to enhance Pathology operations (January
2005)
Burgess Hill, West Sussex,
UK - Jan. 31, 2005 - Misys Healthcare Systems, a market leader in
healthcare information technology, today announced that University College
London Hospitals (UCLH) NHS Foundation Trust has selected CoPathPlus® from
Misys as its anatomic pathology information system to replace their legacy
application. UCLH joins a growing number of other Trusts and healthcare
institutions in the UK, Ireland, Denmark and the Middle East already utilising
CoPathPlus, continuing to reinforce Misys as one of the leading suppliers of
clinical information system software internationally.
Already a user of Misys
LaboratoryTM software throughout their other pathology disciplines,
UCLH operates a world-renowned laboratory that includes specialist services
handling specimens from all over the globe.
UCLH conducted a thorough
appraisal of available pathology system solutions on the market before
electing to invest in Misys.
According to Ann Hannah,
Service Manager of Cellular Pathology Department and head of the procurement
team at University College, "UCLH has used Misys Laboratory for almost a
decade, and we chose Co-Path after a rigorous OJEC selection procedure. We are
pleased to be moving forward with a supplier we are confident will meet our
needs as we open our new hospital and implement an EPR system with pathology
order communications."
Toby Cave, Senior ICT Adviser -
IM&T/Cancer Services at UCLH, said, "After a careful assessment of
leading IT systems, we selected CoPathPlus from Misys as the best overall
solution to meet UCLH's requirements in terms of support, usability, reporting
and integration with existing IT systems."
Designed to meet the unique
workflow requirements of the anatomic pathology department, CoPathPlus
provides comprehensive patient and specimen information viewable in a wide
variety of formats. The system incorporates images and diagrams, and comprises
an integrated report writer, a library of more than 200 report options such as
cytology screening statistical requirements, and Quality Assurance and fast
report turnaround functions.
Other features include
histology protocols, automated billing and sophisticated data management and
InfoMaker® report development tools.
CoPathPlus is HL7 compliant and
offers the scalability to integrate with Misys CPR* as well as any other
computer-based patient record system.
CoPathPlus' flexible
integration technology, combined with Misys' knowledge of the Trust's
pathology operations, will ensure a faster and more cost-efficient
implementation and smoother migration of legacy pathology data with minimal
disruption.
Duane Lawrence, General Manager
of Misys Healthcare Systems, International in Sussex, U.K., said, "We are
delighted to further strengthen our relationship with such a long standing
client and important Trust as UCLH, whose continuing votes of confidence in
our products and support services are testament to our strong client
partnerships. This move is yet another reinforcement that Misys Healthcare
Systems is one of top suppliers of leading clinical software assisting
clinicians worldwide in improving patient care."
LIMS
IMPLEMENTATION AT HPA SETS NEW STANDARDS
(December 2004)
Sysmex
has successfully implemented its MOLIS LIMS system within eight Laboratories
located at The Central Public Health Laboratory (CPHL), including the Sexually
Transmitted and Bacterial Reference Laboratory (STBRL). CPHL in Colindale is
the national reference centre for medical microbiology in the
UK
, and is part of the Specialist and Reference Microbiology Division (SRMD) of
the Health Protection Agency (HPA).
The
main benefits of Sysmex MOLIS already being realised are: improved turn-around
times for many requests; better recording of outbreak data; excellent sample
tracking; improved accuracy; and real-time statistical analysis of data
throughout CPHL. The system is compliant with the Caldicott data protection
initiative and the level of auditing and result storage is a benefit for both
CPA and UKAS accreditation.
There was an urgent need for an integrated laboratory information system
to provide efficient and effective capture and processing of patient and
specimen data. Improved analysis was required for outbreak situations and data
sharing with other parts of the HPA including the Communicable Disease
Surveillance Centre (CDSC). One of the key benefits of the system is that it
allows the capture of greater amounts of data according to the specific
requirements of each laboratory e.g. immunisation dates and details for MMR
surveillance work, travel history, and antimicrobial therapy for
gastroenteritis tests.
The
implementation of MOLIS has resulted in a number of business process changes
to the laboratory workflows. Numerous specimen receptions in the laboratories
have been rationalised to a Central Accession facility, where approximately
800 specimens a day (both reference and surveillance) for all laboratories are
received to a new paperless environment. Request forms can be viewed on screen
at any part of the process as they are scanned following sample registration.
The
HPA and Sysmex envisage that the system will be rolled-out to other HPA
Reference Laboratories/Units across the country in the near future.
TietoEnator
has acquired the laboratory system business from InformationsLogik
(December 2004)
TietoEnator has purchased the
laboratory system business of InformationsLogik Sweden AB (IL) and all
shares in its subsidiary InformationsLogik Netherlands B.V (ILN). The
business and the entire share capital of ILN have been transferred to
TietoEnator from 1st November 2004. By the agreement TietoEnator
complements its product portfolio for laboratories and also broadens the
company's customer base within the area as well as in the European
healthcare market.
InformationsLogik has 21
employees in Sweden and 13 in the Netherlands. The forecasted revenue for
2004 is 3.3 million euros. The company is the leading supplier of pathology
information systems in the Nordic countries and controls 95% of pathology
installations in the Netherlands and some installations in Lithuania. The
main business is product development and related services. A major product
is SymPathy for Pathology/Cytology laboratories. Sympathy is the market
leader in Sweden and Norway (approximately 75% market share).
InformationsLogik also has products for microbiology and transfusion
medicine (blood handling).
"With a complete laboratory
concept and already established international businesses and experiences
outside the Nordic countries, this acquisition will strongly support our
possibilities and willingness to expand laboratory businesses to new
markets", says Willy Liljeheden, Managing Director of Informationslogik
Sweden AB.
The laboratory market is
consolidating into bigger laboratory centres covering all disciplines. Now,
TietoEnator can offer customers a complete integrated laboratory solution
and by that a more efficient and unified way to handle their business with
lower costs. The acquisition will also establish a good base for entering
new markets in Europe outside the Nordic countries" says Ola Gustafsson,
Managing Director of TietoEnator Healthcare AB.
NOTES
1. TietoEnator is one of the
leading architects in building a more efficient information society and
the largest IT services company in the Nordic countries. TietoEnator
specialises in consulting, developing and hosting its customers' business
operations in the digital economy. The Group's services are based on a
combination of deep industry-specific expertise and latest information
technology. TietoEnator has close to 14,000 experts in more than 20
countries. www.tietoenator.com
2. InformationsLogik is a company
specialising in the development and implementation of information systems
for clinical laboratories. The company is well established in Scandinavia
where its system for pathology laboratories, iLab SymPathy, is the market
leader. The concept iLab, Information system for Laboratories, is a
totally new generation of development based on a three-level solution with
client/server-, multi-tier- and web technology. www.informationslogik.se
CliniSys
finally acquires Torex LIMS business (March 2005)
CliniSys,
a leading UK provider of diagnostic and specialist clinical software solutions,
announced that it had acquired Torex Laboratory Systems Ltd, (TLS) the company
that owns and supports LabCentre, the widely used UK laboratory information
management system (LIMS).
TLS will be fully integrated into the CliniSys pathology operation enabling the
combined business to offer a broader and deeper range of service and solution to
its combined customer base in the UK and Ireland .
The combined business will comprise of over 100 specialist pathology domain
experts, based in the UK , supporting the effective operation of clinical
laboratories in both the NHS and private healthcare markets. Future product
development will build on the considerable strengths of both of the CliniSys and
TLS LIMS solutions and will benefit from feedback from an enlarged customer
base.
Fiona Pearson , CEO of CliniSys said “NPfIT is offering us exciting
opportunities to expand the scope and supply of our pathology solutions to meet
the future needs of the NHS pathology market. The resulting expansion in our
capability and capacity supports the business transformation required of
healthcare suppliers to meet the high standards of supply and support required
by the National Programme."
Anticipated
acquisition by CliniSys Solutions Limited of Torex Laboratory Systems
Limited (February, 2005)
The OFT's decision on reference under
section 33 given on 26 January 2005
PARTIES
Clinisys Solutions Limited (Clinisys),
formerly known as Sysmed Solutions Limited (and prior to that as William
Woodard Associates), is a member of the Varleigh group of companies.
Clinisys is active in the market for Laboratory Information Management Systems
(LIMS) and clinical applications for oncology, sexual health and diabetes.
Torex Laboratory Systems Limited
(Torex) was a wholly owned subsidiary of Torex Plc, which acquired
the business in 2002; Torex Plc is currently owned by iSOFT Group Plc (iSOFT).
Torex comprises all employees, IPRs and existing contracts associated with the
LIMS business of Torex Plc. In the year ending 30 April 2003, Torex's
turnover was approximately £3.2 million (see note 1).
TRANSACTION
Clinisys proposes to acquire 100 per
cent of Torex's shares.
Clinisys intends to integrate features
of the Torex LIMS business with its own LIMS business to form Clinisys
Pathology. In particular, Clinisys will incorporate some of the
functionality of the Torex LIMS product in the Clinisys LIMS product.
Clinisys intends to provide support and maintenance for existing users of
Torex's LIMS product and to continue contractual arrangements with these
customers for as long as it is commercially sensible, for both Clinisys and
the customer, given that the expected remaining life of the Torex LIMS product
is approximately 5 years. However, in respect of new customers, Clinisys
intends to offer only one LIMS product.
The transaction was notified to the OFT
on 22 November 2004. The 40 working day administrative deadline is 27
January 2005.
JURISDICTION
As a result of this transaction Clinisys
and Torex will cease to be distinct. The parties overlap in the supply
of LIMS in the UK. The share of supply test in section 23 of the
Enterprise Act 2002 (the Act) is met since the parties have a combined share
of supply of LIMS to private hospitals in the UK in excess of 25 per cent.
The OFT therefore believes that it is or may be the case that arrangements are
in progress or in contemplation which, if carried into effect, will result in
the creation of a relevant merger situation.
ASSESSMENT
Further developments in the NPfIT since
the iSOFT/Torex Decision indicate that there is now no realistic expectation
that LIMS providers such as Torex which have not been selected by an LSP would
be able to compete effectively for new LIMS contracts to NHS hospitals in
England in the short to medium term.
In view of the fact that it is in
practice very difficult for Torex to make sales to NHS hospitals in England
under the NPfIT, and given the relatively low value of contestable LIMS
business in the rest of the UK, Torex's incentives to develop its LIMS product
independently have been significantly reduced. The importance of Torex
as a continuing independent competitive constraint in the LIMS market has been
reduced accordingly.
To the extent that competition remains
outside the NPfIT, a sufficient number of credible bidders for UK LIMS
contracts remain. These include iSOFT, Triple G, TrakHealth, Cerner,
Misys and Technidata. Due to their multinational presence and their
activities in the wider IT healthcare sector most of these companies have a
greater incentive than Torex to maintain the competitive edge of their LIMS
products and to compete for LIMS contracts outside the NPfIT. Moreover,
the merger strengthens the ability of Clinisys to compete for these LIMS
contracts and perhaps also to compete with iSOFT for contracts within the
NPfIT.
While many third parties were concerned,
the majority of these were Torex customers and their concerns were related
more to the effect that any change of ownership might have on maintenance and
support for existing Torex contracts than to any perceived lessening of
competition as a result of the merger. While such concerns are
understandable, existing Torex LIMS contracts are not part of the contestable
market. Moreover, the OFT believes these concerns have been addressed by
Clinisys's commitment (and incentive) to maintain the current support levels
for existing Torex LIMS customers during the expected life of the product.
Consequently, the OFT does not believe
that it is or may be the case that the merger may be expected to result in a
substantial lessening of competition within a market or markets in the United
Kingdom.
DECISION
This merger will therefore not be referred to the Competition Commission under
section 33(1) of the Act.
NOTES
1.Torex PLC was re-registered as Torex Limited on
14 September 2004.
Download the full
text of this decision (pdf 140 kb)
OFT
invites comment on proposed acquisition by CliniSys Solutions of Torex's LIMS
business
(8 November 2004)
Following the
withdrawal of the offer by ASC Computer Software Limited (ASC), announced in
October, a new potential purchaser of the Torex Laboratory Systems
business from iSOFT plc has been announced by the UK's Office of Fair
Trading.
The OFT is now inviting comments on
the proposed acquisition by CliniSys Solutions Limited (CliniSys), formerly
Sysmed Solutions Limited, of Torex's LIMS business from iSOFT plc.
On 29 April 2004 the OFT
accepted undertakings in lieu of reference to the Competition Commission (CC)
from iSOFT to divest Torex's LIMS business to a purchaser to be approved by
the OFT. LIMS are computer systems used to manage laboratory processes in
hospitals or trusts.
The OFT invites comments on the
proposed merger, in particular on the following points:
- whether CliniSys is
independent of and unconnected to iSOFT
- whether CliniSys has the
financial resources, expertise and incentive to maintain and develop
Torex's business as a viable and active business in competition with iSOFT
and other competitors
- whether the transaction
creates a relevant merger situation and, if so, whether it would raise any
competition concerns.
Comments should be made in
writing by 5pm on Friday 19 November 2004 to:Renella Reumerman, Mergers
Branch, Office of Fair Trading, Fleetbank House, 2-6 Salisbury Square London
EC4Y 8JX. Telephone: 020 7211 8000, email renella.reumerman@oft.gsi.gov.uk
NOTES
1. Under the Enterprise Act 2002
(EA02) 'a relevant merger situation' is created where a completed or
anticipated merger creates or enhances a 25 per cent share of supply in the UK
(or a substantial part thereof) or where the UK turnover associated with the
enterprise being acquired is over £70m.
2. The EA02 gives the OFT a duty to
refer to the CC a completed or anticipated relevant merger situation where the
OFT believes that the creation of that situation has resulted, or may be
expected to result, in a substantial lessening of competition (SLC) within any
market or markets in the UK.
3. The OFT may, instead of making a
reference to the CC, accept undertakings from an appropriate party to take
such action as it considers appropriate to remedy, mitigate or prevent the SLC
or any adverse effect which has or may have resulted from the merger (or may
be expected to result from it).
CliniSys
- the new name for Sysmed (September, 2004)
The new name for
Sysmed and Clinisis: Thriving in the
market created by the National Programme for IT (NPfIT), Sysmed are taking a
step change in growth and will be operating as CliniSys from 1st October 2004.
CliniSys
will be the leading UK supplier of IT solutions delivering improved quality
and productivity within the clinical laboratory. A recent independent market
survey showed that WinPath,
their laboratory information management system, is used
more extensively throughout the UK than any other system on the market.
Sysmed
acquisitions and new orders (March 2004)
March 2004
Barts
and The
London
NHS Trust choose Sysmed Solutions for pathology modernisation
Partnership
approach to support clinical practice and improve multi-site communications
One
of the
UK
’s flagship sites for pathology modernisation, Barts and The London NHS Trust,
has selected Sysmed Solutions’ WinPath pathology LIMS to support its
sophisticated modernisation programme. Processing over two million pathology
tests a year and rising, the Trust is also one of the
UK
’s largest teaching hospital trusts. In partnership with the Trust, Sysmed
will support pathology now and in the future to seamlessly link a minimum of
four pathology laboratories, from within the Trust and externally with Newham
and Homerton NHS hospitals.
“As
clinical practice has become more complex and requirements for pathology testing
from internal and external sources have increased, both in terms of numbers and
types of tests, we recognised the need to replace our pathology LIMS,” said
Professor Jo Martin, Clinical Director of Pathology at Barts and The London NHS
Trust. “It is essential that we implement an IT system that has the
functionality and flexibility to deliver our requirements now, as well as
accommodate our changing future needs as we become a Centre of Excellence.”
The
Trust’s ongoing modernisation process will ultimately deliver a state of the
art automated pathology laboratory to increase sample throughput and handle the
increasing levels of testing. WinPath will dovetail into this process of
laboratory change and will also support the Trust in e-referrals and the
seamless movement of samples between laboratories.
WinPath
will also improve communications both internally and externally to other
hospitals and GP practices, enabling anytime/anywhere user access to results
through browser-based results reporting and order communications. The system
will make increasing use of the developing NHSNet infrastructure as available
bandwidths expand.
“We
are extremely pleased to have been chosen as a key partner in Barts and The
London’s pathology modernisation programme. As a
UK
based company we will be on hand to assist in all aspects of the change
management process to enable the continuous improvement of the pathology
service,” said Fiona Pearson, CEO of Sysmed. “IT is a crucial part of the
modernisation process providing a backbone by which all information
can be seamlessly shared and transferred.”
January 2004 acquisition - Clinisis
Sysmed announced on 12 January that it is to acquire Clinisis Ltd, a provider of
electronic clinical solutions for chemotherapy and radiotherapy, in a move that
will continue the expansion of Sysmed’s range of integrated clinical and
diagnostic software tools.
Clinisis represents a strategic extension
of Sysmed’s business, which is currently focused on supplying IT solutions in
pathology, sexual health and diabetes, into providing oncology information
management systems. Clinisis’ key systems are solutions for chemotherapy
and radiology that can be accessed across a cancer network. The
chemotherapy module supports adult, paediatric and haematology prescribing - all
accessible from any location within a given cancer network.
The Clinisis radiotherapy solution delivers
scheduling facilities to coordinate complex inter-departmental treatment plans,
enabling clinical managers to maximise the use of high value resources. Sysmed's
IT solutions fully support integration into the developing NHS Care Records
Service and the delivery of the Government’s National Strategic Programme –
Delivering 21st Century IT Support for the NHS.
November 2003 acquisition -
Appareo
Sysmed Solutions Ltd
announced in November 2003 the acquisition of the Healthcare Division of Appareo Ltd., a business
which focuses on web-based clinical management systems for the Sexual Health and
Diabetes sectors. The integration of the Appareo Healthcare Division
into Sysmed will enable more rapid delivery of regional data warehouses for
sexual health and diabetes to meet Government targets. Other acquisitions
are in the pipeline for Sysmed following their successful period of winning LIMS
contracts this last 6 months.
Sysmed Solutions Ltd have been chosen
as the IT solutions provider for a London automated laboratory - the Whitfield
Street Laboratory Ltd (WSL). This operation will provide the latest
laboratory facilities, including robotic technologies and sophisticated
workflow design, for a partnership between University College London Hospitals
NHS Trust (UCLH) and The Doctors Laboratory Ltd (TDL).
This new contract in the heart of
London follows hard on the heels of one in Cambridgeshire - Hinchingbrooke
Health Care NHS Trust will be implementing a new integrated WinPath system for
centralised pathology data processing to replace an ageing iSOFT
product. The project includes Papworth Hospital NHS Trust.
iSOFT Group plc and
Torex plc merger sent back to OFT after appeal
Following the satisfactory conclusion
of due diligence, the Boards of iSOFT and Torex announced on 25 September 2003
that terms of a recommended Merger Offer have been agreed. The posting of the
documentation is now solely dependent on the Merger, or any matters arising
from the Merger, not being referred by the Office of Fair Trading to the
Competition Commission (see LATEST
NEWS below).
The combined turnover for the last
financial year for both companies was £253.3m - £91.5m (iSOFT Group) and
£161.8m (Torex Group) with a combined profit before tax of £52.1m - £23.5m
(iSOFT Group) and £28.6m (Torex Group).
The new Group will be called iSOFT
with a single management team and a clear focus of the healthcare information
market. Following completion Patrick Cryne (iSOFT)
will be Executive Chairman and Chris Moore (TOREX) will be Chief
Executive. Tim Whiston (iSOFT) will be Finance Director, Mark Woodbridge (Torex)
will be Business Development Director and Steve Graham (iSOFT) will retain his
role as Chief Operating Officer for the new company.
LATEST
NEWS
(March 2004): Ernst & Young have been engaged to oversee the
disposal of the Torex LIMS business. Memoranda of Information regarding
the disposal will be distributed to interested parties early in July 2004. (12
July 2004)
The
completed acquisition by iSOFT Group plc of Torex plc will not be referred to
the Competition Commission if iSOFT gives suitable undertakings to address the
competition concerns arising from the merger, the OFT has decided. iSOFT
has indicated that it is willing to offer an undertaking to divest the Torex
LIMS business, including employees, intellectual property rights, and legacy
contracts. The OFT now invite comments on this new twist to the merger. The OFT will shortly begin a consultation process in
respect of the proposed undertakings. (24
March 2004)
UPDATED NEWS
(December 2003): The Competition Commission Appeal Tribunal upheld a
complaint on 3 December from Australian rival software company, IBA Health,
and the merger go-ahead decision will now be returned to the OFT for further
consideration. Analysts claim the decision is likely to compel the
Competition Commission to review the £700 million merger which could delay
the actual merger for many months.
(November,
2003): The Office of Fair Trading announced on 7th November 2003
that the iSOFT/Torex merger offer was cleared and would not be referred to the
Competitions Commission.
iSOFT have won a bit more business in the
laboratory market after a poor 12 months. News has come in that they are
rolling out the old TelePath product (now re-badged as i.Laboratory TP)
for Biochemistry, Haematology and Microbiology for the Leeds and Bradford
Trusts. There doesn't seem to have been any competitive bidding on this
one.
iSOFT Group plc and
TOREX plc merger discussions (July
2003)
The Boards of iSOFT and TOREX announced
on 22nd July 2003 that they are in advanced discussions in relation to a
proposed merger of the two companies to create the leading UK provider of
healthcare information systems. No end date has been given but the merged
group would create a fully-integrated software provider and healthcare
information systems group able to offer innovative leading-edge technology,
coupled with proven domain expertise across the full spectrum of the healthcare
market, from the GP surgery to the clinicians in hospitals and ancillary
services.
Certain pre-conditions are satisfied or
waived before the merger will occur, but if made, TOREX shareholders will
hold 44% of the new merged group. No details are available on the software
portfolio which will be offered should the merger go ahead but both companies
have, what could be seen as a surfeit of laboratory information systems to
either support and/or sell including the former Telepath software (the former
Wolfson software and the TelePath 2000 package), the former ACT Medisys CILMS
package, the iSOFT iLaboratory (formerly APEX) software and now the LabCentre
(formerly Berkeley MasterLab) and Lauffenberg software. Will some of this
be spun off into a new specialist company, or will it all be retained in the
merged group? Only time will tell !
Quadramed acquires Détente
Systems (February,
2004)
QuadraMed® Corporation (OTCBB:QMDC.OB)
has announced that it has acquired all of the issued and outstanding capital
stock of Détente Systems Pty Limited (Détente) headquartered in Sydney,
Australia for $4 million cash US. Of this amount $2.6 million was paid at the
closing. The balance has been escrowed and is payable upon Détente's
satisfactory adaptation of its product for the US Market, which is expected to
be completed within six months.
Détente is a clinical software company founded in 1982, and is recognized for
OMNI-Lab laboratory systems, a comprehensive information technology solution
for hospital based and freestanding laboratories, and OMNI-Image radiology
systems, a comprehensive information technology solution for medical imaging
departments. Détente's customer base includes hospitals in Australia, New
Zealand and the United Kingdom.
To learn more about QuadraMed healthcare information systems and health
information management products and services, visit the web site at www.quadramed.com.
Further information about Détente Systems and its clinical applications and
services is available at www.detente.com.au.
About QuadraMed Corporation
QuadraMed is dedicated to improving healthcare delivery by providing
innovative healthcare information technology and services. From clinical and
patient information management to revenue cycle and health information
management, QuadraMed delivers real-world solutions that help healthcare
professionals deliver outstanding patient care with optimum efficiency. Behind
our products and services is a staff of more than 850 professionals whose
experience and dedication to service has earned QuadraMed the trust and
loyalty of customers at more than 1,900 healthcare provider facilities. To
find out more about QuadraMed, visit www.quadramed.com.
QuadraMed is a registered trademark of QuadraMed Corporation. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
QUADRAMED RELEASES COMPREHENSIVE LABORATORY SYSTEM
(July, 2005)
Dean Souleles, QuadraMed Chief Technology Officer, noted that Affinity
Laboratory enters the marketplace as a mature product, "QuadraMed
acquired a proven lab system through the acquisition of our international
division (Détente Systems) in 2004. Prior to that time, the product had been
implemented by customers in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom for
20 years.
"This is an important benefit for North American clients because
they can trust that Affinity Laboratory will implement quickly. It will have
none of the problems inherent in deploying an application having only been
beta tested before release." The international version first went live in
1983. Current clients of the fully scalable system include sites with as few
as 25 beds up to multi-site facilities performing some 2.4 million tests per
year.
Affinity Laboratory features enterprise-wide access and functionality to
meet the accreditation and hospital management requirements of clients in the
United States and Canada. It is a multi-disciplinary product for general
laboratory, microbiology and anatomic pathology from specimen collection
through cumulative result reporting. The system's unique specialty offerings
include modules for genetics, newborn screening and mortuary.
QuadraMed's blood bank partner for Affinity Laboratory is industry
leader Wyndgate Technologies®, which offers one of the most sophisticated and
reliable systems for managing and tracking the entire blood transfusion cycle,
from donor collection to patient transfusion.
Triple G to be
acquired by GE Medical in $CDN 74m deal (August
2003)
GE Medical Systems Information
Technologies, the healthcare business of General Electric Company and Triple
G® Systems
Group announced on 26th June that
they have signed a definitive transaction agreement, pursuant to which GE will
acquire Triple G for a consideration of $3.30 (Canadian) valuing Triple G at $CDN
74 million. GE Medical Systems information Technologies' primary focus has
been in radiology and cardiology medical systems, image management, and clinical
information systems. GE Medical Systems is a $9 billion global leader in
healthcare services.
Latest news (March 2004): Triple
G has now been accommodated within the GE Medical Systems IT organisation as GE
Medical Systems IT - Clinical Information Systems and the product is now called
Centricity ULTRA Laboratory.
TECHNIDATA IN THE UK (May,
2003)
Technidata develop, market and support the TDLIMS
product range. Developments are centralised through our World Headquarters based
in Grenoble, France with some 700+ LIMS sites installed worldwide. TDLIMS being
sold in differing countries either directly by a Technidata subsidiary or via an
appointed distributor. Prior to the 1st May 2003 the TDLIMS product range was
distributed in the UK & Ireland by our appointed distributor Bayer plc as
Bayer LMX.
On the 1st May 2003 the UK and Ireland LMX business transferred from Bayer plc
to Technidata UK, our UK subsidiary.
Technidata UK has been formed to ensure that Technidata both accurately address
the needs of our UK customers in a timely and responsive manner and take maximum
advantage of the many opportunities which are present in the UK& Ireland
marketplace. We see the UK and Ireland marketplace as one of paramount
importance to us and one which we can now begin to address in a manner one would
expect from a leading global supplier of LIMS systems and workstation software.
In addition to the resource now available from the Grenoble headquarters our UK
headquarters are based in Warrington, Cheshire. Support staff being
strategically based to support our 24 installations throughout the UK including
NHS, Private and Veterinary laboratories.
Triple G selected for
Avon
Virtual Pathology Service (May
2003)
Multiple
NHS Trust hospitals to deploy ULTRA Laboratory Information System
Triple
G® Systems
Group, Inc., a leading global provider of software that automates the clinical
laboratory, have announced that the Bristol and Bath hospitals have signed a
contract for the ULTRA® Laboratory Information System (LIS). The
contract comprises three major National Health Service (NHS) Trusts in
Bath
and
Bristol: the Royal United Hospital Bath NHS
Trust (RUH), the United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust (UBHT) and the North
Bristol NHS Trust (NBT). This marks a key step in the company’s expansion in
the
United Kingdom
.
Triple
G will be providing the ULTRA General Lab (Haematology and Biochemistry),
Transfusion Medicine, Cellular Pathology and Cytology modules to all three
facilities, with the addition of the Microbiology module at UBHT and NBT. In
total, the system will provide multiple system-to-system interfaces, 87
analyser interfaces and numerous other hospital system interfaces.
In
addition, Triple G will be deploying a web-enabled results look-up service for
the primary and secondary care community, utilizing the ULTRAConnect module.
This will enable approved users to access a Virtual Pathology Laboratory
Service (VPLS).
“Following
a rigorous selection process, we are delighted that ULTRA will be replacing
our existing pathology IT systems”, said Simon Burke, Project Manager.
“Triple G was the supplier best capable of meeting our complex multi-site
needs by offering an advanced, modern and open system. ULTRA will be an
important element of the continued improvement and enhancement of the services
we provide to the
Avon
community”.
“This
marks a significant step forward for Triple G and a watershed in our
UK
market development. We are proud to be
the choice of such prestigious organizations,” said Chris Spence, Triple
G’s Managing Director, Asia Pacific and
Europe
. “This emphatically confirms Triple G
as a leading supplier to the NHS and we look forward to continuing to
introduce the European market to our industry leading solutions.”
iSOFT re-brand APEX to be i.Laboratory
(April
2003)
Tim Whiston, iSOFT's Chief Executive
Designate and Group Finance Director, announced to existing customers on 8th
April that as part of a re-branding initiative, iSOFT's existing applications,
spanning clinical administration, EPR, pathology and pharmacy have been
updated to include new features and re-branded within the i.Series
portfolio. APEX has been re-branded as i.Laboratory.
Sysmed launched as re-badged UK LIMS
supplier (April 2003)
Sysmed
is the leading UK supplier of IT solutions delivering improved quality and
productivity within the clinical laboratory. A recent independent market survey
showed that WinPath,
their laboratory information management system, is used more extensively
throughout the UK than any other system on the market. Originally William
Woodard Associates, the IT supplier re-badged to become wwa-sysmed in 2002 and
now 18 months later on 1 April 2003 as Sysmed Solutions Limited.
Triple G delay beta
testing of new ORACLE LIMS (February
2003)
Analysts in
Canada and the USA do not believe that the delay of the Oracle database
version of ULTRA will have a significant impact on the company.
Triple G has
indicated that it has pushed back the anticipated launch of its Oracle database
version of its leading ULTRA product. Triple G's management expects to
formally launch the product during the summer of 2003, a delay driven by a need
to focus resources on delivering a record number of existing customer
implementations to schedules. The company had previously expected to start beta
testing with an existing customer starting in early 2003.
Triple G have won
significant NHS contracts in the UK since launching ULTRA in the UK during 2000,
including the Wirral Hospitals NHS Trust and the University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust.
Torex acquires Berkeley
Computer Services (May, 2002)
Torex,
a leading supplier of IT based solutions for the healthcare market, announced
the acquisition of Berkeley Computer Services Ltd ("BCS") for a
total consideration of £3.5 million on 9th May 2002. The consideration
comprises £3.0 million in cash, together with £0.5 million in Torex ordinary
shares payable on completion. BCS will be known as Torex Laboratory
Systems ltd, and the Glasgow base will aid Torex to understand more fully the
specific requirements of the Scottish healthcare market. BCS's customers
will continue to be offered the systems and services of the past, plus the
benefits of the Torex ongoing research and development programme. Torex
acquired the Laufenberg PROSIGHT laboratory information system, now
re-named Premiere LabCentre, in December 2000.
BCS, based in Glasgow, is the second
largest provider of laboratory information systems to the NHS Trust market
after iSOFT plc. BCS supplies its integrated software package, MasterLab, to some 40 NHS Trusts, representing an estimated 20% of the NHS
Trust market. This substantial market share and specialist expertise of BCS
will greatly accelerate Torex's entry into the UK laboratory market which
began in the fourth quarter of 2001.
For the year ended 31 December 2001, BCS
achieved a turnover of £2.3 million. BCS had net assets of £325,000 at 31
December 2001 and has 48 employees.
Sonic Healthcare Limited
acquires The Doctor's Laboratory (March, 2002)
Sonic
Healthcare Limited (an Australian pathology and radiology private services
company) has purchased The Doctors
Laboratory (TDL) for A$180 million. TDL is a London-based pathology
business supplying services throughout the U.K. and owns wwa-sysmed
(formerly William Woodard Associates).
Two
multi-site UK LIMS contracts announced (updated
March 2002)
iSOFT and Misys healthcare the
winners for Path Links and WLPC
iSOFT announced on 18
February that they had been awarded the contract for the Path Links
Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) and will implement the APEX
system. The contract will be funded from the Government's Pathology
Modernisation Fund, set up to drive innovation in Pathology. Over the
next 18 months, APEX will be rolled-out as one, completely integrated system
serving the five main hospital sites in Boston, Grantham, Grimsby,
Scunthorpe and Lincoln, which make up the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole
Hospitals NHS Trust and the United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust.
According to John O'Hara, the Project Manager at
Path Links, "Having a single IT system was always seen as imperative
for the success of the Path Links project. iSOFT's proven ability to
implement single APEX systems across multi-site configurations was a key
factor in our choice of supplier. We also recognised their commitment to
develop sample tracking facilities and other essential functionality."
Less than a month
later, the West London Pathology Consortium (WLPC) contract was
awarded to Misys Healthcare Systems (formerly
Sunquest), to deliver Misys
Laboratory™, CoPathPlus, SMART
(sample tracking) and Misys CEM™
(automatic alerting system for clinicians) with specialist multiple-hospital (MULHOS)
software. The integrated product will be implemented across the three Trusts (Hammersmith
Hospitals NHS Trust, St Mary's NHS Trust and Chelsea & Westminster
Healthcare Trust) for all pathology disciplines. This will interface with three hospital Trust
patient administration systems, allowing the WLPC to replace six existing
disparate systems. Including
consulting services to plan new work processes, implementation starts in April
and will take approximately 12 months.
Gerald Haffenden, Acting
Executive Manager of WLPC, said "Representatives from all disciplines and
sites were involved in the extensive evaluation and the Misys product line
best met the complex requirements of our evolving organisation. The ability to book in specimens anywhere in the Consortium and then
accurately keep track of them with true multi-site support was mandatory and
these are standard features of Misys Laboratory™."
Jeremy Beacham
(Pathology Manager, WLPC) commented "The ability
to automatically send vital clinical pathology data, via e-mail or pagers, to
clinicians using Misys Clinical Event Manager™ will bring huge benefits to
patients. Misys' approach to
multi-site laboratory computing and a development strategy that matched our
own vision gave us confidence in the new products. However, as important as the functionality, was the company's
reputation for providing high quality 24 hour support. Now we have the right IT tools to help us to modernise services, we
need to press on with the implementation and use them effectively.”
MISYS
announces formation of new healthcare division (updated
January 2002)
Misys concludes a busy 24 months of buying and selling LIMS companies
On 23rd January 2002 Misys plc, one of the world's
top software providers, announced the creation of Misys
Healthcare Systems – a leading provider of
the systems, software and services demanded by today's healthcare IT
marketplace. The company has been formed from the convergence of three
market-leading companies – Medic Computer Systems, Sunquest Information
Systems and Home Care Information Systems (HCIS).
With revenues of nearly $400 million, Misys Healthcare
Systems is one of the top five largest companies serving the healthcare IT
marketplace in the US. The company's three business units will continue to build on
the previous companies' expertise. The business units are:
-
Physician
Systems provides solutions
for practice management, Electronic Medical Records, e-commerce and
mobile applications. (previously Medic Computer Systems)
-
Hospital
Systems provides solutions
for hospital laboratories, hospital pharmacies, hospital radiology
departments, healthcare networks, independent laboratories and clinics.
(previously Sunquest)
-
Homecare
Systems provides software
solutions for home health, hospice and private duty companies.
(previously HCIS)
On 25th June 2001 MISYS plc announced
their intention to acquire Sunquest Information Systems.
This means that within the space of half a year MISYS have sold the leading LIMS
supplier in the UK (ACT Medisys) to iSOFT plc for £25m and have now bought a leading LIMS
supplier to the US and UK market for over £250m. The sale was confirmed
in August 2001.
The June press release indicated MISYS will structure Sunquest within the
Misys Healthcare Group together with Medic
Computer Systems, the primary care software provider. It
was also announced that there was no intention to change senior management structure or
development pathway towards the major 6.0 release of Sunquest LIMS products towards the
end of the year.
Background: Misys plc sold ACT Medisys Limited to
iSOFT plc in December 2000 for £25m which included debts from the acquisition
of the CDS Group by ACT Medisys Limited in April 2000.
Sysmex
announces joint venture with
Delphic (updated September,
2001)
Sysmex, the major Japanese medical giant
has invested in a 51% shareholding in Delphic Medical Systems so it can use
New Zealand as a top research and development base.
Sysmex manufactures and sells diagnostic
analysers, instruments and information systems for testing blood and urine.
Several years ago Sysmex realised the lines between analysers and lab IT
systems were blurring so they purchased a leading Belgian software company (MOLIS).
In early 2000 Sysmex became a distributor for two products from Delphic
Medical Systems: Eclair (electronic clinical information repository) and
Delphic AP (anatomical pathology software suite).
The agreement is also marked by a major
joint research and development project initiated by Sysmex, but undertaken by
Delphic in New Zealand. The project is expected to involve 10 people and is
worth around half a million dollars..
Torex
Health launches PROSIGHT laboratory management system (updated
September, 2001)
Torex Health is a UK based operation with a
specific focus upon Healthcare Information solutions. Following the
acquisition of SMS in the UK, Southern Ireland and Holland in 2000, Torex
Health has the largest Hospital Information System client base in the UK with
over 60 acute Trusts using Torex Health solutions. Torex Health now have full
perpetual development rights to the CLINiCOM product range.
Following the acquisition of the Laufenberg Group
in December 2000, Torex Health launched the PROSIGHT Laboratory Management
solution at the Birmingham IBMS Congress in September 2001. Martin Wilkinson
and Les Hambly (both former medical scientists) demonstrated the fully
compliant Microsoft Windows system. The system handles all laboratory
departments and looks flexible and functional. When asked about Torex Health's
commitment to UK laboratories, a spokesman said "We will be competing for
pathology laboratory computer system contracts as well as hoping to expand
from our present strong PAS installed base. We know we have to convince UK
laboratory staff that this modern product is right for them, and not just rely
on adding PROSIGHT as an option with Torex Patient Management and Order
Communication Systems".
Over the past two years a number of new or updated
laboratory information systems have been launched in the UK including Cerner's
HNA Millennium, Sunquest's CoPathPlus and FlexiLab version 6.x, Sysmex MOLIS,
Trak Systems' LabTrak and Triple G's ULTRA.
http://laufenberg.gwrb.de/
iSOFT
to acquire Northgate healthcare business (Updated
June, 2002)
iSOFT
plc announced on 18 June a proposed acquisition of the healthcare business of
Northgate Information Solutions plc (formerly McDonnel Douglas Information
Systems) for a total of £33m.
The Northgate Healthcare
Business is a leading vendor, principally in the UK, of electronic patient
record information systems to the Acute Trust segment of the National Health
Service in the United Kingdom. It is the principal IT system vendor to 21 NHS
Trusts and provides solutions to a further 50 NHS Trusts. It has approximately
80 employees, the majority of whom are located at leasehold properties in
Warrington and Stirling, both of which will be transferred to iSOFT as part of
the Northgate Healthcare Business.
The Directors believe that
the acquisition of the Northgate Healthcare Business, in common with the
similar, highly successful, acquisitions of ACT Medisys Limited in February
2001 and the UK and Australian operations of Eclipsys Corporation, Eclipsys
Limited and Eclipsys Pty Limited in May 2001, will be of significant benefit
to iSOFT. In particular, it will enable iSOFT to:
- significantly increase
the number of existing NHS Trust customers of iSOFT to make it the leading
provider of electronic patient record systems to acute hospitals in the
United Kingdom;
- facilitate sales of
existing innovative products within the iSOFT Group to customers of the
Northgate Healthcare Business;
- achieve significant
synergistic benefits through the elimination of duplicated costs
particularly in the areas of research and development, central services,
sales and marketing, customer services and establishment costs; and
- increase its pool of
skilled managers, technicians and implementation staff experienced in the
healthcare IT industry.
Completion of the
acquisition is expected to take place on 31 July 2002.
Pathology
Messaging Implementation Project (Updated October, 2012)
This NHS project is helping the implementation of electronic access to
clinical information between trusts and general practitioner computer systems. There are
two distinct areas under review: the specification for GP systems and the specification
for Trust systems.
First "live" implementation - quotes
from the PMIP website:
The Pathology
Messaging Implementation Project announced on 18 September 2001 that the
new software from iSOFT for their Telepath pathology system and the new Indigo
4 Keystone software have been successfully installed at Stepping Hill
Hospital, Stockport.
"This is the first successful implementation,
and the implementation meets all of the requirements defined in PMEP V1.002.
The laboratory staff at Stepping Hill Hospital have worked with the new
products and have successfully completed message checking and message testing
with the new online National Messaging Assurance Service (NMAS). In addition
to testing the capabilities of the new commercial products the laboratory
staff have alpha tested the online NMAS services.
iSOFT and Indigo 4 will now be offering this software
as a supplier self declared "Solution" for use in other NHS Trusts.
Another achievement for Stockport, the suppliers and
the National Pathology Messaging Project is the implementation and use of
cryptography in the live PKI environment. Stockport are now working with the
project team on acceptance testing of the new national cryptography
service."
Feltham Associates Limited
helped
with the initial definition of the Trust pathology system functions specification. An
article on the subject was published in the Biomedical Scientist in October 2000
(pp. 946-7) entitled "Electronic reporting of pathology
results to GPs"..
Last updated 04 October 2012
![[Top]](pennant.gif){kind=small}
Top of this page