These fully managed cloud-native smart data services empower developers to build cloud-native databases and machine learning (ML) applications in SQL environments with ease.

With Cloud SQL and Cloud IntegratedML, developers can access a next-generation relational database-as-a-service (DBaaS) that is fast and easy to provision and use. Embedded AutoML capabilities allow developers to easily develop and execute machine learning models with just a few SQL-like commands in a fully managed, elastic, cloud-native environment.

Shaping a complete data management portfolio for mission-critical applications

As part of the InterSystems Cloud portfolio of smart data services, Cloud SQL and Cloud IntegratedML provide application developers with access to InterSystems proven enterprise-class capabilities as self-service, fully managed offerings on Amazon Web Services (AWS) while providing a fast and seamless on-ramp to the full suite of capabilities in InterSystems IRIS data platform.

InterSystems IRIS is a next-generation data platform designed for organisations implementing smart data fabrics that provide powerful database management, integration, and application development capabilities. By consolidating these capabilities into a single product, InterSystems IRIS accelerates the time it takes to realise value from data, simplifies overall system architectures, and reduces both maintenance effort and costs.

“We are excited for the capabilities of InterSystems IRIS to be exposed through these new, easy-to-deploy and easy-to-use services,” said Scott Gnau, Global Head of Data Platforms at InterSystems. “With native support for AutoML, we give developers the power to build comprehensive, predictive, and prescriptive applications.”

Fully managed, enterprise-class reliability with InterSystems IRIS Cloud SQL

Cloud SQL makes it easy for application developers to leverage advanced relational database capabilities as a fully managed, secure, scalable, high-performance, highly available cloud-native database-as-a-service (DBaaS).

Cloud SQL delivers the following benefits for SQL developers:

• Extremely high performance, especially for ingesting and processing incoming data and performing SQL queries on the data with low latency at scale.
• Fast and easy to provision and use.
• Ability to easily connect client applications via JDBC, ODBC, DB-API, and ADO.NETdrivers.
• Automated security, data encryption, and backups

Automation of machine learning tasks with InterSystems IRIS Cloud IntegratedML

Available as an additional cloud managed service for InterSystems IRIS Cloud SQL customers, Cloud IntegratedML extends the capabilities of Cloud SQL to enable SQL developers to quickly build, tune, and execute machine learning models with just a few SQL-like commands, without moving or copying data to a different environment. A significant advantage of Cloud IntegratedML is the elimination of the need to transfer or replicate data to an external platform to build ML models, or to move ML models to a different environment for execution.

Cloud IntegratedML delivers the following benefits for SQL developers:

• Automation of machine learning processes and resource-intensive tasks such as feature engineering, model development, and fine-tuning.
• Seamless integration of models developed and trained with Cloud IntegratedML within Cloud SQL, facilitating real-time predictive insights and prescriptive actions in response to events and transactions.

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It is underpinned by the InterSystems HealthShare advanced interoperability platform used by healthcare sector organisations globally to assist with the effective, safe, and reliable sharing of patient information.

But why is having such an exchange so important?

Healthcare providers worldwide find it challenging to balance spiraling costs with delivering consistent, high-quality patient outcomes.

Fortunately, the growing adoption of technology solutions within the sector has seen the development of health information exchanges in the United States, across Europe, and now with CareConnect, in Africa.

At the heart of these exchanges is the concept of unified care. This empowers providers to securely integrate patient care records with patient indices while still safeguarding personal data. In doing so, the sector can collate data to deliver analytics and improve the healthcare environment of a country. One only needs to turn to the US, arguably the most mature HIE market in the world, to gain vital insights into the trajectory of CareConnect in SA.

Targeted beginnings

Stakeholders throughout the healthcare industry want to be part of an HIE but tend to view things from their perspectives when it comes to data ownership.

As more role players start getting involved, a tipping point occurs where the data begins living in the exchange to create a strategic asset that all can use.

Of course, the enormous amount of data sources in healthcare adds complexity, especially when it comes to trying to unify everything. Thanks to advanced technologies like the InterSystems HealthShare platform, this integration is a steppingstone to creating strategic value. The COVID-19 pandemic has been an obvious use case for the benefits of hospitals, clinics, and other service providers having access to a centralised data resource containing patient information. But there are others. Just consider the positive impact an HIE can have to deliver care when there is a natural disaster like flooding.

While it is still early days, CareConnect can be the catalyst for supporting innovative programmes that improve healthcare across public and private spaces. An additional value-add from an HIE is that it can start small but rapidly grow to deliver a unified care programme.

Privacy-driven

Comprising two modules, HealthShare Unified Care Record and HealthShare Patient Index, the InterSystems platform gathers the information that matters. It connects providers, patients, and payers through a unified care record that delivers comprehensive analytics across the entire healthcare value chain.

Even before one can look at deploying an HIE, the elephant in the room must be addressed – complying with global and national standards and certifications around data privacy and security. The InterSystems platform is standard by design.

It ensures the integration and interoperability of health applications and data with a commitment to privacy and consent standards such as HIPPA (USA), GDPR (Europe and UK) and POPIA (South Africa), while also making use of FHIR, HL7, IHE, and other global healthcare information protocols and messaging formats. This means that the patient data is always protected.

Relevant insights

It is only when the data of a health system is harmonised that it can run analytics to inform more robust decision making. CareConnect creates the impetus to do this in SA. Traditionally, health systems face significant data latency and duplication challenges.

Yes, companies have invested in everything from data warehouses to dashboards and predictive models but because these tools are limited by scalability, integration and workflow challenges, the likes of clinical, claims and other data remain siloed.

The ability to see, in real-time, a patient’s history and care regime regardless of the service provider used might therefore sound like science fiction. And yet, that is exactly what an HIE like CareConnect will do, resulting in improved decisioning and reduced costs while enhancing patient care. Imagine the possibilities for clinical departments across the country. The interoperable environment delivered through CareConnect and InterSystems enables specialists to identify previously hidden correlations leading to better patient outcomes.

Patient-driven

Throughout all this, the patient must remain front and centre. The HIE lives and dies by how effective it is in bridging the data integration gap with analysis that brings relevant insights that can save lives, improve care, and keep costs as affordable as possible.

Using an HIE to identify at-risk patients using an interoperable platform ensures that clinical data can be pulled together from any number of sources. For example, a provider might discover a patient with diabetes who is overdue for an eye exam, which aids the early detection and treatment of diabetic retinopathy, which can cause blindness.

Think of the hub as linking all data in partnership with healthcare organisations to develop insights that can be broadly applied to all patients in the ecosystem. This means that a process that began with one patient can deliver patient-driven insights that can apply to all people using healthcare in the country.

CareConnect is the future of quality healthcare. The journey has begun, and it is one we are excited to be part of.