uMed

The Challenge

• Medical research execution was an incredibly manual process, limiting the speed and number of studies undertaken

• Access to health record data via 3rd party GP record vendors was essential to manage the identification and consent of patients

• Health record data could only be obtained securely through the Health & Social Care Network (HSCN)

uMed recognised that the way in which medical research is currently executed involved an overwhelmingly manual process which limited the speed and number of studies which could be processed at any one time.

In order to execute a clinical research study, patients needed to be identified, then engaged in the study, data needed to be collected, that data needed to be collated and structured in a common way, and then finally sent back to the researching organisation. These tasks were generally delegated to GPs or staff at GP surgeries, which engulfed a huge amount of their time.

With the amount of manual input needed, GPs were only able to take part in one or two research studies at any one time which was slowing down any advancements which could be achieved from study outputs. uMed designed a platform which would automate this process, managing activity to allow dozens of studies to run simultaneously, giving time back to GPs and surgery staff, and allowing more patients to be part of research, which would in turn improve patient outcomes.

The platform, built in Amazon Web Services (AWS), needed access to health record data in order to manage the identification and consent of patients. To access this data uMed had put agreements in place with the large health record providers, who would supply relevant data extracts. The only way that the secure and compliant transfer of patient data could be ensured was via the government’s Health and Social Care Network (HSCN). However, the uMed platform didn’t have a connection in place. A new perspective was needed.

The Solution

• Complete end-to-end connectivity platform from Cloud Gateway to connect the uMed platform, built in AWS, to the HSCNImpact

• Seamless interconnection with health record data partners via the HSCN and GP Electronic Health Record systems

• A new PRISM tenant with HSCN connectivity provisioned and onboarded within just two weeks from first engagement

uMed was looking for a complete end-to-end connectivity solution to connect the AWS hosted software to the Health and Social Care Network (HSCN), in order to access health record data from its partner directly to the platform in a compliant and transparent way.

Working with uMed, Cloud Gateway was able to set up a working proof of concept within minutes, using cloud-native connectivity platform, PRISM. A new PRISM tenant with HSCN connectivity was provisioned and onboarded within just two weeks of the first engagement with the uMed team.

As a cloud-native provider, Cloud Gateway was able to provide the visibility, security and guidance needed.

As soon as the platform had been deployed, uMed was able to seamlessly integrate with third party health record provider partners to access the health record data needed to deliver regulatory grade clinical research studies.

The Impact

• uMed are able to manage the whole end-to-end activity to connect patients to clinical studies and consent patients faster

• This has delivered time back to GP surgeries to concentrate on

  delivering patient care

• uMed can support dozens more research programmes which will

  enable huge increases in improved patient outcomes

uMed is a technology platform embedded across a global network of healthcare providers that automates the process of building prospective, protocolized patient registries.

This enables sites to participate in dozen’s of programmes simultaneously without increasing overhead or burden on staff. For life science companies, uMed provides access to research-grade registry data, where patients within those datasets can be compliantly re-engaged to support the research lifecycle.

Since the deployment of the PRISM tenant with HSCN connectivity, uMed is able to manage the whole end-to-end downstream activity, to connect patients to clinical studies and consent patients faster. This has cut the amount of physical activity needed from, and delivered time back to, GP surgeries, who can now concentrate on delivering patient care.

The cloud hosted platform with HSCN connectivity is now supporting Oxford University Hospitals in the UK’s fight against Coronavirus, as part of a large national research programme.

Alongside this, uMed has seen a rapid growth in the number of GPs that are adopting the platformand taking part in clinical research studies due to the simplification of interconnection with the HSCN and GP’s Electronic Health Record systems. With over 125 health practices in the UK now on board.

Choosing a cloud first approach alongside HSCN connectivity from Cloud Gateway’s cloud-native PRISM platform has provided uMed with a future- proof solution and the flexibility to scale on- demand. Speed of deployment and a faster time to market means that uMed can support dozens more research programmes which will enable huge increases in improved patient outcomes in the future.