Using an intranet for physician desk top data consolidation

The Information Services Department of Millard Fillmore Health System in Buffalo, NY (USA), developed the InfoClique program as one of the first Web based information delivery systems specific to patient care. Through an intranet or secure dial-up connection, registered practitioners and staff access patient demographics, laboratory data, radiology results, and dictated reports through a simple "home page" graphical interface consisting of icon buttons and straight forward instructions. Additionally, standard forms and patient educational material are downloadable. The development team, consisting of programmers, clinical advisors, and physicians, designed and wrote interfaces to existing systems and applications, developed HTML/SQL Web server programs, designed security systems, usage policies and procedures, and a name and logo. Since the program's launch in February of 1997, over 800 users have been registered both in-house and off-site.