Med-e-Mass, part of the Altron TMT group of companies, has acquired Health-Soft, a leading provider of ground-breaking technology services for the South African healthcare industry.
Health-Soft’s innovative range of electronic solutions designed to specifically and effectively address day to day needs in many areas of healthcare delivery will now be available as part of Med-e-Mass’s extensive practice management solutions.
Health-Soft’s market leading Health-Suite solution enables healthcare professionals to improve the clinical interaction between practitioner and patient by offering various types of information such as e-prescribing, disease information, a comprehensive pharmacopoeia in medical and layman’s language, medical illustration and pill identification.
One of the most innovative modules of the Health-Suite offering is e-Scripting, a world class e-prescribing application developed by leading specialists to cater for the worldwide drive amongst healthcare professionals to move from handwritten to electronic prescriptions.
The benefits of electronic scripts versus the traditional handwritten version are numerous. The use of Health-Soft e-Scripting software means a seamless process is put into place, making the lives of prescribers, dispensers and patients a lot simpler. The application assists the medical practitioner by saving time, lessens the incidence of adverse drug events, and reduces erroneous script interpretations by pharmacists.
Furthermore, the electronic delivery of prescriptions to pharmacies is essential in closing the loop between prescriber and dispenser. Not only does the software include all standard functions and forms such as favourites, mixtures, medical certificates and referrals, but also information and images about medical conditions and drugs.
Participating pharmacies retrieve the prescriptions electronically and the prescriber can also send electronic prescriptions directly to the patient’s pharmacy of choice whilst incorporating an electronic signature. Prescription interpretation errors at pharmacies are reduced significantly and prescribers receive fewer queries from pharmacies.
With the acquisition of Health-Soft, all leading Med-e-Mass Practice Management Applications including ME+, Elixir and Mastermed, will now have fully functional e-Scripting features. This complete solution involves combining the following features with Health-Soft’s e-Scripting application in Practice Management Systems:
* ScriptSignature – an embedded electronic signature functionality which requires a “positive act of acceptance” by the medical practitioner. Using the electronic signature allows the electronic transmission of prescriptions without the need to print and sign.
* ScriptCloud – an electronic gateway platform which allows two-way communication between the user of e-Scripting and any third party, e.g. pharmacies and medical aids. Currently this platform is used to deliver electronic prescriptions to pharmacies.
* ScriptCollect – an in-box application used by pharmacies to receive electronic prescriptions for import into the pharmacy software application. This application also allows viewing and printing of electronic prescriptions in PDF format.
Gideon Brits, MD of Med-e-Mass, says: “The acquisition of a market-leading company such as Health-Soft is a world class move on the part of Med-e-Mass, serving to broaden the scope of services we have to offer. It is a testament to our strong focus on product development and our dedication to offering our clients the best tools to suit their business needs.”