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A Network Link A Day Keeps The Doctor Away By Mona R. Litt Medical professionals have an immense appetite for information. The Missouri Department of Health in Jefferson City has found a way to provide vital information and statistics to health professionals so that they can make well-informed decisions about patient treatment. "Remote users use Citrix [Systems'] WinFrame to dial into the database server--Compaq Computer Corp.'s ProLiant 5000 R--and access data on patients," explains Jim Branson, the department's network services man ager. The department's custom application, MOHSAIC, provides a centralized database for tracking patients and their needs for various medical procedures. MOHSAIC records immunizations, tracks medicine and supply inventories, and handles appointment scheduling. MOHSAIC, a part of the department's intranet, will link standalone software packages into one system, providing one point of reference for all Missouri health-care facilities and private physicians. For instance, county officials will submit on-site sewage plans for authorization via the network, rather than wading through scores of paperwork. The state-run Women, Infant and Children (WIC) program checks the latest status on clients over the network before issuing USDA food stamps. MOCARES, another custom application, keeps tabs on people with HIV or AIDS and their progress. The Missouri Department of Health also issues funds to individuals in need through the Ryan White Foundation, which helps AIDS patients, says Branson. By y ear's end, Branson reports, the intranet also will include a cancer registry program. Surveyors will contact cancer patients for their opinions on the treatment received at state hospitals and other facilities. This information will help the state improve treatment and keep tabs on programs. The University of California-Irvine Campus will construct the database, Branson says. The department network's backbone is part of a state-owned integrated voice-data network, but the department will soon go through Southwestern Bell for the frame relay connection to county offices, Branson says. The department's network, the Missouri state government and the county networks are links over a WAN provided by Sprint Corp. This month should bring a new laboratory information system, according to Branson. It will connect all lab equipment to a centralized system for tracking results, notification and importing data to the data warehouse--tying the WAN to more than 75 state-approved clinics, he says. With so much data storage and retrieval, how does the Missouri Department of Health manage to provide network security to its employees and associates? It uses various methods, including firewalls, Oracle Corp's database security, encryption programs, and Novell's Novell Directory Services (NDS). Branson reports that by having remote users dial in through Shiva Corp.'s LANrover to reach Citrix WinFrame and legacy systems, "an extra layer of security" is provided.
Updated September 24, 1997 
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