Gelre ziekenhuizen migrated its Electronic Medical Record (HiX), workplace and data platform to Microsoft Azure. Together with Rapid Circle, KPMG and Microsoft, the hospital moved 90% of its workloads to the cloud to become a data-driven hospital, improve collaboration and control costs, while preparing for the future of healthcare.
Theo Vens, CTO, Gelre ziekenhuizen
“Quality, accessible and personal care is only possible with modern IT infrastructure. With the migration to the cloud, we have control over our management environment, our technology is scalable and we are prepared for the future by removing obstacles.”
Gelre Ziekenhuizen
Healthcare (hospital)
Preparing the hospital for the future of healthcare with a modern IT infrastructure that supports innovation, collaboration, affordability and a new electronic patient record
Migration of 90% of workloads to Microsoft Azure, including HiX (EPD), a cloud workplace and a data platform
A data-driven hospital with improved performance, lower costs and a future-proof IT foundation
Gelre ziekenhuizen, one of the largest hospitals in the Netherlands, had the ambition to be the first hospital in the Netherlands to be 100% ready for the future of healthcare. With a data platform and a modern IT infrastructure that offered room for the innovation that healthcare so desperately needs to remain affordable and available. And attractive as an employer.
With hospitals in Apeldoorn and Zutphen and a number of outpatient clinics, Gelre ziekenhuizen fulfills an important regional function in Gelderland. More than 3,600 employees serve a catchment area of 350,000 people. Connection with chain partners, care for patients at home and a valuable working environment for colleagues are key pillars of the vision. Modern IT is a basic condition for this collaboration.
In 2022 and 2023, Gelre ziekenhuizen, in partnership with Rapid Circle and Microsoft, migrated 90% of its workloads to Azure.
The climax of the program came in November 2022: the first operational cloud implementation of ChipSoft HiX, Gelre’s new electronic patient record (EPD). To make that step possible, a completely new cloud workplace was rolled out for all employees.
The EHR in the cloud was not an end in itself. Gelre aims to become a data-driven hospital to ensure the availability and affordability of care in the future. A previously created data platform serves as the basis for better diagnoses, decision support and process optimization, with plans to connect chain partners next.
Going live went smoothly. System performance and latency are better than many on-premises installations. The result is a better running operation, lower costs and a much better experience for employees.
With balanced cost management, Gelre reduced the total costs (Azure licenses, management by Rapid Circle and external costs) by 1 million euros per year, compared to an on-premises installation.
Due to the migration to Azure Cloud, less space was needed for data servers. The freed-up space has been converted into a nursing ward, literally and figuratively making room for primary care.
Want to learn more about migrating healthcare workloads and Electronic Medical Records to the cloud? Get in touch and discover how a future-proof IT foundation can support your organization.
To support its ambition to become a data-driven hospital, improve collaboration with other healthcare providers, and ensure healthcare remains affordable and accessible in the future.
Gelre ziekenhuizen migrated 90% of its workloads to Azure, including the HiX electronic patient record, a cloud workplace and a data platform.
Improved system performance, lower operational costs, better scalability, and a more flexible IT environment that supports innovation in healthcare.
Gelre ziekenhuizen worked closely with Rapid Circle, Microsoft and KPMG to execute the migration and manage the cloud environment.
