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In preparation for the February 2005 system upgrade, BICS will undergo an “enhancement freeze” from September 30 through the end of February. This freeze is necessary to allow developers to complete final code migration and for BICS to be thoroughly tested on the new platform.
BICS modernization is a multi-year project that is converting 137 integrated applications (45,000 DOS-based programs) to newer Cache technology while maintaining the same functionality. Thanks to an IS-designed emulator, BICS users will find the same navigation on the new system as the old, which is expected to minimize training needs
The new BICS computing environment will offer greater stability and reliability than the current platform. When users logon to BICS, it will start much more quickly and demand less disk space and memory on PC’s. BICS will use Windows controls and be capable of directly launching web applications.
BWH has been acknowledged as a leader nationally for its advanced physician order entry system and is recognized for its many achievements in support of patient safety. According to Sue Schade, chief information officer, “BICS modernization is a major step forward to ensure that we have a more reliable and efficient underlying infrastructure to support this functionally rich system.”
Anthony Whittemore, MD, chief medical officer said, “The BICS upgrade is an essential investment in clinical, administrative and financial applications that are the backbone of our patient care. The next several months will be critically important in assuring that thousands of programs will function seamlessly when the switch-over is completed in February 2005.”
Acceptance testing is planned for November and December, where BICS users will test all BICS applications prior to the upgrade going live. For more information, the BICS modernization dedicated web site is coming soon, accessible via Pike Notes.