Talk:Microsoft Amalga

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Contents 1 Promotional edits 2 Promotional edits 3 Suggested revision (replacement) 3.1 =====================

[edit] Promotional edits

I have revised the sales/promotional language out of the article, but kept some additional detail about functionality. I have also removed the average waiting time staement, since I cannot find a citation to support this. I have added a "Fact" flag to the data management capacity sentence, since I can't find a citation, even on the Axyxxi website. Thanks for the contributions; I believe it is important to keep statements about this software neutral in tone. Ryanjo 14:27, 4 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Promotional edits

Thanks for revising the article. However, I still find several sections promotional in nature, e.g. "ties together hundreds, if not thousands, of unrelated medical systems" and "using powerful middleware software" as well as "can obtain within seconds", all in the second paragraph. --Sebernhardt 14:10, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Agree, go ahead and remove the objectionable phrases. Ryanjo 02:38, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Suggested revision (replacement)

I manage the team that enhances and supports Amalga at MedStar Health, the non-profit hospital system that includes Washington Hospital Center, the birthplace of Azyxxi. I respectfully submit this replacement version of the article, which I think provides a more appropriate description of the value that this system provides to its users, while not describing specific claims (such as amount of data that it can support). MedStar has 8 hospitals, each with their own mix of ancillary and source systems. Amalga provides our physicians with a true one stop shop where they can get all of the data they need to treat our patients. The system's flexibility also allows us to combine, optimize and display data for nearly any purpose.

[edit] =====================

Microsoft Amalga is a product in a new healthcare software category called Unified Intelligence Systems. It brings together health information from multiple sources, including clinical systems, back office, ancillary systems like laboratory and radiology, even faxes and scans. In addition to consolidating data from disparate information sources, Amalga also provides insight into critical information, allowing clinicians, administrators and other hospital staff to slice and dice the data however it is most meaningful and relevant to them for their information needs at that point in time. The solution presents and analyzes information across the enterprise, helping healthcare organizations effectively address key industry challenges such as regulatory reporting, quality improvement and pay-for-performance. Microsoft Amalga also allows healthcare organizations to leverage their existing technology investment to full potential.

The solution, formerly known as Azyxxi, was developed by doctors and researchers at the Washington Hospital Center emergency department in 1996, and was acquired by the Microsoft Health Solutions Group in 2006. Microsoft Amalga is currently being implemented (as of this writing in February, 2008) in a number of leading-class healthcare organizations, including Johns Hopkins, New York Presbyterian, Moffitt Cancer Center and St. Joseph’s hospital in Orange, CA.

Mcbyte (talk) 00:56, 30 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for the contribution. Your expertise could really improve this article. However, I have some objections to merely replacing the entire article with the text above.

• Where are the references?
• Details from the original text are lost, such as "components are integrated using middleware software that allows the creation of standard approaches and tools to interface with the many software and hardware systems found in hospitals", "Besides clinical data, Amalga is also designed to collect financial and operational data for hospital administrators." and "Amalga currently runs on Microsoft Windows Server operating system and uses SQL Server 2005 as the data store"
• Most of the history of its roll-out, development, the developers is gone.
• The first paragraph contains a breezy style, generalized statements, "wow" words ("even faxes and scans") and sales talk ("slice and dice the data"), but little concrete info. How does Amalga give "insight into critical information", does it have decision matrices, practice parameters, speculative diagnoses?
• Unreferenced, the statement "Microsoft Amalga also allows healthcare organizations to leverage their existing technology investment to full potential" reads like a sales brochure.

Like most Wikipedia users, I am not likely to use, purchase or truly understand how Amalga works, so making a case for the "value" of Amalga isn't really needed. However, I come to this article to learn what Azyxxi, now Amalga, is, how it came to be, how it works, who and where is it used, and some general technical info (for some readers). A screen shot image or two would also be excellent.

Please don't take this as criticism, Wikipedia needs knowledgeable people like you to improve articles. I just don't think the present article should be replaced, but rather improved upon. Regards, Ryanjo (talk) 20:24, 31 May 2008 (UTC)