When evaluating EHR options, the implementation process should be an important consideration. The iKnowMed implementation team has brought more than nine hundred cancer care providers and thousands of staff onto the iKnowMed platform over the last four years. This experience has led to the development of a robust implementation process designed to minimize patient disruption and increase the chance of implementation success. From data loading and training through go-live, a dedicated iKnowMed team provides focused expertise throughout the implementation process. The iKnowMed team also provides one-on-one training for physicians, along with customized training specific to the respective staff positions. Training is structured so that the staff learns the application as it applies to their role. This streamlined training reduces time away from patient care and ensures deep understanding of iKnowMed capabilities.
Ongoing user support is always available to iKnowMed customers. A dedicated Help Desk is available to resolve application issues, while a designated iKnowMed regional director is available for questions and training needs. This phone or email support is included in the licensing fees - there is no limit on the number of support calls that a practice can make, and there are no additional charges for after-hours calls.
iKnowMed customers can feel confident that the patient information entered into the iKnowMed application is safe and secure with redundancy efforts in place to back up all data entered. Though the practice is responsible for implementing and maintaining their own technical security measures, such as not sharing application credentials with others and utilizing firewalls and virus protection software, the iKnowMed team has made significant efforts to protect the sensitive patient records saved to the iKnowMed servers.
For those practices seeking to become 21 CFR Part 11 compliant, iKnowMed provides two of the deliverables that are required to achieve this compliance standard.
To maintain the security of the data entered into the iKnowMed application, SSL-encryption is applied to all iKnowMed data that passes over non-private network connections. Additionally, unique user ID’s control access to the application based on specific user roles, and the audit trail captured within the application itself tracks all user activities. The iKnowMed Internet circuits are protected by Cisco ASA firewalls, and a McAfee IPS (Intrusion Prevention System) sits with the datacenter as an additional layer for blocking malicious access. There is no direct network path from the Internet to the databases, only to the SSL offload, which is provided by a Citrix NetScalar. Physical access to the servers is controlled by a multi-level entry access system, while the servers themselves sit in key locked server racks.
The iKnowMed datacenter maintains high levels of redundancy, including redundant power and network infrastructure. In the unlikely event of a server outage or database corruption, the iKnowMed team has the ability to rebuild the database to a point no more than 15 minutes prior to the incident, as a result of nightly backups of iKnowMed and server transaction logs being backed up every 15 minutes.