Virtua Enhances Efficiency with Integrated Identity and Access Management Solutions from Caradigm

MARLTON, N.J. and BELLEVUE, Wash., Nov. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Virtua, southern New Jersey's largest healthcare provider, is enhancing efficiency by streamlining the steps physicians and nurses must take to access patient information from multiple systems and applications.

Using integrated Identity and Access Management (IAM) solutions from Caradigm, a Microsoft Corp. and GE Healthcare company, Virtua is reducing the number of keyboard clicks and time required by physicians and nurses to log in to clinical applications, view their patient populations, and access a specific patient record, even when switching among different clinical systems.

"Caradigm has a single sign-on, context management and provisioning solution," said Tom Gordon, vice president and CIO at Virtua. "With the implementation of this solution, we have many fewer calls to our help desk. The solution works."

"IT departments are under tremendous pressure to implement solutions that help improve quality and patient outcomes while driving down costs," said Jim Campbell, vice president of IAM solutions for Caradigm. "Caradigm is aiming to help health systems meet that goal by providing a comprehensive, integrated solution that manages the clinical workflow — from provisioning of accounts to single sign-on, patient context management and auditing. We're very pleased to see the positive results that Virtua has experienced using Caradigm products."

Using proVision, Virtua was able to decrease new user provisioning time. With Vergence, Virtua achieved a significant reduction in the number of keyboard clicks and a reduction in the average time required for a physician to locate and view patient data. Similar improvements were achieved for nurses using Vergence for single sign-on and patient context management. These results were discussed by Virtua at a Web seminar hosted by Caradigm on Oct. 23. The recording is accessible here.

Vergence and proVision were acquired by Microsoft from Sentillion in 2010 and transferred to Caradigm with the formation of the joint venture in June 2012.

Used together, proVision and Vergence from Caradigm provide a comprehensive identity and access management solution for healthcare. proVision is an automated, role-based identity access and management solution that automatically performs the creation, modification or termination of access in clinical applications. proVision works with Vergence, unifying single sign-on, role-based application access, patient context management, multifactor authentication and centralized auditing into an integrated healthcare solution.

About Virtua
Virtua provides a comprehensive continuum of health care to the residents of southern New Jersey. As the largest healthcare system in the region, Virtua's mission is to help people be well, get well and stay well. This is accomplished  through the delivery of care at three Health & Wellness Centers, four hospitals, eight ambulatory surgery centers, two home care agencies, primary and specialty physician practices representing over 200 physicians, urgent care centers, fitness centers, paramedic units and a wide range of outpatient services. Virtua employs over 8,000 people and delivers more than 8,000 babies a year. Virtua is an early adopter of clinical and information technology and is recognized for its innovative partnerships with GE Healthcare, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), the Fox Chase Cancer Center and the Philadelphia Flyers. It has been honored as the #1 Best Place to Work in the Delaware Valley for seven consecutive years and is the recipient of the Consumer Choice Awards from the National Research Corporation. For more information, visit www.virtua.org or www.virtuabroadcastnetwork.org.

About Caradigm
Formed by GE Healthcare and Microsoft Corp. in June 2012, Caradigm is a 50–50 joint venture focused on enabling health systems and payers to drive continuous improvements in care. Caradigm software helps healthcare professionals across care settings to use data to gain critical insights, collaborate with each other and with patients, and to develop and implement innovative care solutions. Amalga, eHealth Information Exchange and Vergence — and applications built by partners to extend these products — give clinicians, administrators and finance teams timely access to key information, helping them to take steps to solve some of healthcare's biggest challenges, including chronic disease management, preventable hospital readmissions and hospital acquired conditions, and to advance integrated, accountable care. Caradigm is headquartered in Bellevue, Wash. For more information about the company, visit http://www.caradigm.com.  

SOURCE Caradigm