InterSystems Ensemble® with
Interoperability ToolKit Capabilities


InterSystems is delighted that it was awarded the UK’s first fully compliant Interoperability Toolkit (ITK) accreditation by the National Integration Centre and Assurance (NICA) Technology Office on the 9th June 2011.  Since then, InterSystems with its customers and partners is continuing to apply for additional accreditation as it becomes available. The most recent updates are that our ITK Spine Mini Services and Document Transfer Services capabilities in Ensemble were accredited to the ITK version 2.0 standards.

Read the full press release here.
Read the InterSystems ITK Executive Summary White Paper here.

To view the ITK certification for ITK Middleware - click on the link below:

BundlesScopeCertificate
  • Patient Identity Management v1.0
  • Patient Identity Management Update Master v1.0
  • Patient Encounter Management v1.0
  • Patient Encounter Management Update Master v1.0
  • In/Outpatient Encounter Management v1.0
  • In/Outpatient Encounter Management Update Master v1.0
  • Advanced Encounter Management v1.0
  • Pending Encounter Management v1.0
  • Query Patient v1.0
  • Correspondence - Basic Document Transmission
  • Correspondence - Non Coded CDA v1.0
  • Correspondence - Ambulance v1.0
  • Correspondence - Discharge v1.0
  • Correspondence - Emergency Department v1.0
  • Correspondence - Out of Hour v1.0
  • Correspondence - Outpatient
  • Queue Collection v1.0
  • PDS (Spine Mini) Services v1.0
  • Document Transfer Services Support

ITK Middleware Secure Web Service Enabled

Certification Date: 25 November 2011

View the ITK Certificate

 


What is the ITK?

The NHS Interoperability Toolkit (ITK) – first announced by Christine Connelly in 2009 – is a set of standards and frameworks for making IT systems interoperable. The intention was that it would significantly reduce costs and improve the quality of technology integration in the NHS. While the political landscape has changed significantly in the last two years, the ITK concept is solidifying as one of the key enablers behind a new vision for the NHS. It is being used as a platform for sharing innovation, enabling Trusts to solve problems with new applications that can be reused across the NHS. Importantly, its rapidly growing success is not just in the IT agenda, it is also helping to drive organisational reform.

What does the ITK mean to Healthcare Integration?

Integration can enable system interoperability; ease the flow of information, support process and workflow improvements, and make new and legacy applications work together. However, when it is simply a tactical, technical answer to specific problems then integration can become a barrier to innovation. Integration should be a strategic investment that drives IT and business innovation, but for some it has been too slow to do and difficult to finance.

The ITK addresses these issues to transform an organisation’s integration capability by:

  • Being a standards ‘reset’ and an interoperability enabler

  • Enforcing the common service, content and vocabulary definitions promoted by both CfH and standards authorities

  • Acting as a plug-and-play mediator for compliant devices, appliances and applications

The InterSystems ITK is a tangible and proven implementation of the CfH vision. It is based on InterSystems Ensemble®, a seamless platform for integration and the development of new connectable applications. InterSystems ITK has been successfully tested in CfH pilots, and is working in NHS Trusts. It is a shrink-wrapped product that comprehensively supports the security standards, web services and interaction patterns which will make plug-and-play interoperability a reality for healthcare users. It helps effort and investment that otherwise is needed for integration to be transferred to improving patient safety and clinical outcomes.

Black-box Interoperability

Evolving the ITK

InterSystems successfully participated in a number of ITK PoCs, and as a result of this work there will be several ITK-enabled solutions released in the future by our Partners that make use of InterSystems Ensemble.

To help evolve the existing non-ITK integration solutions already in use, and create new ones InterSystems has implemented the full set of published ITK Service bundles. Working with its Partners, InterSystems intends to rapidly attain further ITK service bundle accreditations. These will be published in the CfH ITK Compliant Solutions Catalogue.

InterSystems has long promoted a ‘Leave and layer’ approach to IT investment, especially in the Healthcare market. Whereby, existing IT is leveraged to combine with new investment to create value that is greater than the sum of the individual components. InterSystems wants to work collaboratively with application partners and end-users to develop innovative solutions that extend the use of ITK and directly contribute to the Government’s ‘Connect all’ strategy.

To learn more contact InterSystems UK office.