Company sees potential for the application among users facing a demand for statutory and trust-wide reporting and analysis of clinical, business and financial performance data in ever-greater detail
iSoft has introduced a new reporting tool giving the 150 NHS trusts using its laboratory information systems the ability to produce detailed management and pathology reports in minutes, after an agreement with business intelligence partner FMI.
The new web-based rapid analytics module from FMI is for users of iSoft iLaboratory and iLaboratory TP.
With Rapid Analytics, data is extracted regularly and reports run off-line, avoiding the need to interrogate the "live" system and potentially slow the system and the processing of laboratory tests.
Employing Olap cubes for ad-hoc enquiries, users can find trends and conduct historical comparisons in seconds.
They can also drill-down through the data for detailed analyses and information.
Its ease-of-use provides the opportunity for managers and other non-specialists to examine laboratory services, in many cases, for the first time.
George Philp, iSoft's pathology products manager, said: "Traditionally, managers and pathologists have avoided running reports because of the potential delays and the risks of slowing the laboratory system.
"Rapid Analytics provides flexible, ad-hoc reporting capabilities and the speed with which results are obtained will encourage staff to analyse services from a clinical and management perspective".
"Reports are available is seconds not hours, without slowing the live system," said Tony Capozzi, business group head at FMI.
"With a familiar and intuitive interface, the application is easy-to-use, giving managers and other non-pathology specialists the opportunity to examine, for example, costing and performance management data, with no need for extensive training in reporting and analysis.
"Rapid Analytics also works with both Cognos and Business Objects reporting solutions," he said.
"Personalised dashboards can be created, to tailor the application to specific job functions so that users can see at a glance their specific key performance indicators.
"It becomes a natural portal for accessing information and users can drill-down for more detail, quickly and easily produce the reports they need and share information across the organisation," Capozzi added.
