UNC Healthcare to license IBM technology

The University of North Carolina Health Care System will license IBM's technology to create a Web-based system of unified medical records for patient information, Big Blue said Thursday. The system, called "WebClinical Information Systems" (WebCIS), will essentially replace the paper chart for roughly 7,000 caregivers in the UNC facility. They will have access to medical data on a million patients over a secure Web site, according to the software company.

UNC Healthcare will use IBM's so-called Health Information Framework, which draws on open standards in the health care industry. That boils down to the makings of a system combining records from a doctor's office and pharmacy, plus lab reports and so on. A hospital emergency room, for example, would be able to see complete information on an admitted patient, including his or her medications, allergies, previous X-rays and text-based reports of prior treatments, within a matter of seconds, according to IBM.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.