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Kettering Health Network Rolls Out InterSystems Ensemble Integration Platform


InterSystems Corporation has announced that Kettering Health Network has completed an enterprise-wide transition to the InterSystems Ensemble rapid integration and development platform. Kettering is an integrated delivery network (IDN) comprised of more than 60 state-of-the-art facilities where patients throughout the Dayton, Ohio, area are served by more than 1,200 physicians. 

The conversion from Kettering's legacy Java Composite Application Suite (JCAPS) and its eGate integration component, which involved developing more than 150 interfaces, required just four months from start to finish, according to Bill Hudson, Kettering director of technology. The migration to Ensemble was preceded by a project designed to upgrade the legacy JCAPS system, according to Hudson. The upgrade implementation involved Kettering's enterprise Epic hospital information system, which includes the InterSystems CACHÉ high-performance object database.

"We recognized that the time was right to look at the new generation of integration technology and fast-tracked a project to examine alternative solutions," said Hudson. After a successful proof of concept initiative, Kettering selected Ensemble as its enterprise integration solution.  Phase one of the integration project called for moving all of the application interfaces streaming information to and from the Epic system to the Ensemble platform. "We have a strong integration team and Ensemble offers a very intuitive design and easy learning curve," Hudson said. "In addition, InterSystems provided rapid, world-class support. For example, we typically had a response to any questions within an hour. That made a huge difference."

Building on the success of the first integration project, plans are to continue developing Ensemble interfaces for the IDN facilities with the final rollout scheduled for completion in October. Once the migration is complete, plans are to design new interfaces between Kettering's medical staff credentialing software and Epic's provider files in order to keep the information updated and in sync. "We would never have considered this new integration project when we were using the legacy interface engine," said Jon Russell, Kettering vice president and CIO. "Now, we feel comfortable taking on this new challenge-one that will make us much more agile in terms of responsiveness to the providers in our network," he said.

"Kettering's adoption of Ensemble as its enterprise integration platform exemplifies the trend among IDNs nationwide to embrace advanced technologies that enable connected care," said Paul Grabscheid, InterSystems Vice President of Strategic Planning. "We appreciate the opportunity to work with them as they move forward with new and equally innovative technology initiatives."

For additional information about Kettering, visit www.kmcnetwork.org.


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