Dell has joined forces with Red Hat, Intel and VMware to open a dedicated center where hospitals can test and deploy a new option for running Epic Systems’ electronic health records (EHR) software on Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The DRIVE (Dell, Red Hat, Intel and VMware for Epic) Center of Excellence is located near the EHR vendor’s Verona, Wis., headquarters.

Last year, Epic added Red Hat Enterprise Linux to its list of target platforms. Until then, the software exclusively ran on AIX and other UNIX servers. With the potential lower total cost of ownership of running the software on Dell Intel x86 servers, this combination could be a cost-effective option for hospitals.

At the DRIVE Center of Excellence, hospitals can test their applications on a variety of Dell server and storage options, test configurations for end-user computing, perform cross-functional testing of other optimized solutions such as help desk services and disaster recovery, and interact with all the primary third parties involved in a Linux deployment.

A legacy of expertise
Dell and the other companies in this effort each have a strong history in supporting open standards and migrating customers from complex proprietary environments. In addition to hardware, Dell provides a full range of professional services and support for every stage of EHR deployment backed by technical and clinical experts with deep expertise in working with a variety of EHR vendors.

VMware vSphere® is the leading KLAS-rated x86 virtualization platform in healthcare. vSphere provides hospitals with an industry proven virtualization platform for delivering powerful solutions from the point of care to the hospital’s datacenter.

Red Hat will provide hospitals with the premium support services they need to meet the 24x7 demands placed on an EHR system. As the world’s leading open source platform for enterprises, Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers healthcare customers a standards-based, cost-effective yet highly flexible and powerful solution.

St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center
More small- to mid-size hospitals are using Linux to run key applications as they see the benefits of using open source versus proprietary platforms, including cost savings and improved interoperability.
St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center, a 431-bed hospital and health system in Syracuse, N.Y., turned to the DRIVE team for help in implementing Epic on Linux as part of a 16-month conversion of the hospital’s EHR system. Working closely with both the hospital and Epic, the companies are making the best use of St. Joseph’s current infrastructure and resources to build a test and training environment as well as preparing to deploy the full production system. In addition to training and planning assistance, the DRIVE team will provide ongoing support to fine-tune the system for optimal performance.

“Using VMware and Red Hat Enterprise Linux to run Epic’s database on Dell’s x86 servers will not only significantly reduce hardware costs, but also will simplify our environment and allow our IT staff to focus on delivering the best user experience for our clinicians,” said Chris Snow, manager of IT systems engineering for St. Joseph Hospital Health Center. “We are confident that Dell and its partners have the deep experience required for this type of complex implementation.”

Additional Quotes
“Dell has a long history with both Red Hat Enterprise Linux and in supporting complex EHR implementations with hardware and related services and consulting,” said August Calhoun, Ph.D., vice president and general manager of Dell Healthcare and Life Sciences. “Through this alliance, we are poised to give customers - especially mid-size hospitals - greater choice and flexibility for meeting meaningful use requirements.”

“Red Hat has a long history of providing open source mission critical IT Infrastructure environments to some of the largest healthcare entities and software vendors worldwide,” said Mark Enzweiler, vice president of Global Channels and Alliances, Red Hat. “Our expertise and robust technology coupled with the DRIVE Center of Excellence will provide Epic customers with world-class support. Open source software also enables organizations to enjoy a lower total cost of ownership, helping offset potentially rising healthcare costs.”

“The new alternative of running Epic on Linux with the latest generation of Intel x86 servers meets the needs of mission-critical healthcare solutions,” said Rick Cnossen, worldwide director of health IT for Intel. “The DRIVE Center of Excellence provides hospitals with an efficient way to evaluate an open platform based on industry standards, with ecosystem expertise available for ongoing support.”

“The news today underscores VMware’s passion and commitment to healthcare,” said Frank Nydam, healthcare CTO at VMware. “This partnership demonstrates how meaningful collaboration and technology can help transform the delivery of healthcare products and services. We are proud that VMware vSphere® can provide Dell and Epic with the performance and availability required to deliver always-on patient care services.”

Dell at HIMSS13
Dell will showcase its end-to-end solutions and services for healthcare at the Healthcare Information & Management Systems Society (HIMSS) 2013 Annual Conference and Exposition, March 3-7 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. (Booth #4427, Hall F).

Following HIMSS13, Dell will host a Healthcare Think Tank on March 19. Dell has invited industry thought-leaders to take part in an interactive discussion exploring the challenges and opportunities on the path to information-driven healthcare. Join the conversation via live stream or follow on Twitter at #DoMoreHIT