The subject of the contract is the introduction of a new Pathology Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) at Fulda Hospital with system service over five years on the basis of an EVB-IT system contract.
Fulda Hospital plans to renew the existing pathology laboratory information system (PLIS) as part of the digital transformation; a separate award procedure has already been started for this purpose.
Following on from the PLIS, the digitization of the institute is to be further advanced; For this purpose, PACS (PPACS for short) is hereby advertised as a further digital component of pathology. The PPACS is intended to meet selected requirements arising from the KHZG or, in particular, from the funding application for FTB3.
The pathology PACS is to be available to the users of the pathology department as part of a departmental information system and to map the defined processes as part of a workflow management system together with the PLIS. In addition, the system should meet the criteria to be defined in Fulda's IT strategy with regard to cloud readiness, scalability and flexibility, which increases availability, reliability and information security.
The entirety of the software applications and medical devices to be introduced in the digitization program as part of a departmental information system is intended to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the processes occurring in the Institute of Pathology and at submitters. Subsequently, the aim is to improve the laboratory work in a quality-oriented manner with traceability of all work processes and to reduce errors in manual work.
Furthermore, with an increasing shortage of specialist staff, especially pathologists, diagnostics are also possible outside the institute and in a network; it also improves efficiency and quality of findings. This is also supported by the increasing degree of automation, which allows routines to be introduced and monitored. This speeds up the creation of findings and thus also has an effect on the time required to create findings. Positive effects are also expected from the expansion of the digital requirement and transmission of findings for the submitters.
The connection of the department's own image management system (pathology PACS) to the PLIS, which is also to be newly procured, and the integration of the PPACS into a new Enterprise PACS enables central image management and manufacturer-independent diagnostics for devices and software. Image data of the pathology is provided by whole slide image scanners, digital microscopes or AI image analysis. The pathology PACS thus establishes a platform for all imaging in pathology.
The introduction of artificial intelligence (AI), which performs algorithm-based image analysis in defined cases, adds some state-of-the-art patient-oriented aspects of digital pathology to the reporting and leads to the relief of the diagnosing pathologists.
This results in the following overarching objectives for histological, cytological, immunohistologic and molecular pathological examinations:
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Fulfillment of system-specific KHZG requirements and funding guidelines through the measures approved in the FTB3 subproject Digital Pathology
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Support for strategic IT goals of cloud readiness, mobility, flexibility and scalability
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Supporting digital transformation at the Institute of Pathology.
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Optimization of core processes and technological modernization of IT platforms in diagnostics at the Institute of Pathology
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Using a central image management system to support and enhance:
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Diagnostic report quality through the embedding of image sections
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Workflow management including interdisciplinary case discussion
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Support for AI image analysis
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Integration of results from AI image analysis tools into image management
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Making AI image analysis tools available within the pathology PACS (kiosk mode)
The supplies and services required for the introduction and achievement of the overall pathology system PACS are put out to tender as a contract for work and services (EVB-IT system contract). In addition to all the services required for the creation of the overall pathology PACS system, the contract for work and services also includes the associated system services after commissioning. The minimum term of the system service should be five years and it should be possible for the client to extend it at least once by two years.