Argus for Pathology Practices

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Would your practice like to use a secure, robust and low cost electronic messaging capability for delivering reports, for which you are not charged per report sent?
Are you interested in a messaging facility that does not place the entire cost burden on your business, particularly the costs of connecting up referring doctors?
Would you like to use a messaging facility that is quickly growing in popularity amongst GPs and specialists because of its low cost and freedom of choice?
Do you want the freedom to send your reports via any ISP that you wish, without any need to sign up via a third party message gateway provider?

Argus is a solution that is growing in popularity across the Australian healthcare sector that pathology practices can use for sending reports to referring doctors. The popularity of Argus stems from its high security and reliability yet low cost, its potential for widespread use for a range of clinical communications by doctors, and its focus on Standards and universality.
Your referring doctors will appreciate Argus because in addition to receiving your pathology reports, they can achieve additional cost and time savings by eliminating the need to scan incoming specialist letters and reports and also receive these electronically.
In addition, both GPs and specialists incur no charge for installing Argus, hence your practice need not carry any of this cost. All GPs are also supported by the ArgusConnect Help Desk which relieves the burden of your practice to support these clients.

Key Benefits

• There is no paying per message for sending or receiving messages by anyone: GP, specialist, pathology practice, pathology provider or hospital
• Argus seamlessly integrates with existing email services, internet service providers and clinical software
• Argus uses HeSA (HIC) approved methods for securing data transfer and encrypting records
• Argus is becoming increasingly popular as the mechanism of choice by GPs because of its simplicity and capability to serve a range of messaging needs
• There is a growing team of Certified Argus Installers around Australia who can assist your referring practices to implement Argus, frequently at no charge

What is Argus?

Argus is a communication tool kit that runs on any computer alongside existing clinical software and provides safe, simple and secure transfer of clinical and patient data. Argus uses email as the transport mechanism for clinical document transfer, but overlays a range of security and reliability features that enhance email to become a safe mechanism for clinical use. Patient privacy and security is assured by use of PKI encryption, computer-to-computer interoperability is provided by the HL7 Standard message structure and additional mechanisms ensure that all documents are received reliably by the intended recipient.
The Argus suite has been designed so that there are products that suit the whole range of professional health practices, from specialists and single GP practices to large hospitals, pathology and pathology companies.
ArgusEnterprise is the version of Argus designed for pathology practices which provides an extremely robust, higher volume facility for sending and receiving pathology reports securely. This is available for a very competitive one-off licence fee and annual service fee for Help Desk support, plus access to an Australian Argus Users Directory, with no 'per-document sent' fee.
Because Argus uses open, commonly-used internet technologies (e.g. email) all healthcare providers can implement Argus easily and cheaply. Most of your referring doctor practices can obtain Argus free of charge, and receive installation assistance at no cost.
Also, doctors may use whichever Internet Service Provider they choose, with the option of either dial-up or permanent broadband connection.

Argus Features

Utilises standard internet email to send and receive clinical messages.
Adds PKI encryption, a failsafe mechanism for assurance of message delivery and HL7 message structure.
Can be used with dial-up or broadband internet connection.
Provides a range of interface methods for interoperability with Lab software.
Interfaces with a wide range of GP clinical software for receiving clinical reports.
Runs on most Windows, Macintosh or Linux computers.
Provides a local address book of clinicians and organisations with recipient email addresses and access to their PKI public keys to encrypt messages.
Access to an Australian Argus Users Directory via the internet to update address book entries including PKI keys and email addresses.

How can Argus help your Pathology Practice?

Argus offers the following benefits to a pathology practice:

• Significant savings on the costs of sending reports electronically.
• Works alongside your existing Laboratory Information System and will replace any existing messaging facility that charges by the transaction.
• Improves efficiency of dealing electronically with secure messaging.
• Guarantees delivery of secure and encrypted messages to GPs and other healthcare providers.
• Contributes to better relationships with referring GPs, by speeding up results and referral processes, therefore encouraging co-operation between healthcare providers
• Relieves your practice from the cost burden of providing your referring doctors with software to receive your reports electronically.

Security Highlights

Argus encrypts all data sent by email and decrypts all received messages using HeSA Public Key Encryption. The HeSA PKI system is the same as used by HIC for their electronic claiming through HIC Online.
Security of sending clinical data is also dependent upon ensuring that anything sent is actually received by the intended recipient. Argus utilises the international Standard HL7 method of ensuring that a message has arrived at the receiver's mailbox by automatic acknowledgement of receipt by the recipient's Argus to the sender's Argus.

What support is available?

ArgusConnect provide a full Help Desk support capability during regular business hours (EST) with optional after hours service (additional cost) and priority on-site support for support contract clients (at concessional rates). Fully secure client-controlled direct access to the ArgusEnterprise client server can also be offered. This enables Argus technical personnel access to the ArgusEnterprise server to provide near equivalent to on-site attention.
Regular updates to the product are issued periodically with enhancements that are based on user feedback and other identified opportunities to improve Argus.

Recommended Minimum Requirements for Argus Installation

• A dedicated ArgusEnterprise server machine is recommended for most medium to large pathology practices, with Windows 98 and later, Linux and Apple OSX
• Broadband is recommended for most pathology practices, although any level of Internet connectivity may be used, from dial-up to a permanent broadband connection
• An email address dedicated to clinical messaging
• HeSA PKI location certificates for the practice
• An interface between the Lab system and ArgusEnterprise - various options are possible, so speak to an Argus Business Analyst