Information technology introduction into Health Care institutions’ activity is an important and at times the most principal condition of successful activity. As the world experience shows the information technology usage in medicine significantly improves the effectiveness of work. It also reflects on the quality and speed of service. Furthermore, significant funds economy takes place.
Since 1999, when Irkutsk Oblast Diagnostic Center was opened, statistic information processing has being carried out with the help of Excel electronic tables. Because of the fact that the planned capacity had already been reached in 3 months after the Center had been opened, the tasks set before the employees of organization-and-method department and the employees of registration-and-control department could not be solved without special software.

The registration-and-control department became the most intensive sector of work in Diagnostic Center (DC). So long as the quantity of medical examinations carried out in DC during the day constitute counted about 1400, registration of the patients’ itinerary leaves without total automation caused constantly the queue formation and, hence, led to patients’ discontent. The questioning of patients concerning the organization of Irkutsk Oblast Diagnostic Center work once more confirmed the necessity of software development with the prospect of electronic cards creation in DC unified information environment system.

Introduced stage by stage full-function medical information system has being used in DC since September 2000. In the process of its introduction, corrections, additional conditions and tasks, data inquiries are being emended. The system constantly extends and elaborates. It can be subdivided into two constituents:

- computer network (providing the doctor’s physicians’ workplace connection to the unified information network)
- software (patients’ electronic cards creation).

Computer network allows to tune up, control and maintain the work of medical and attending staff automated workplaces. There is no necessity in moving work stations and it is not necessary to bother patients and tear doctors physicians away from work in order to install operation systems, office and application programs which every employee needs, and to solve the problems sprang up in the process of exploitation. All necessary works can be done remotely-controlled and centrally-directed. Medical devices are also connected with the computer network. The unified informational field availability allows to resolve the problems effectively concerning the archiving, data processing and optimization of inside as well as outside documents circulation. The inside network is safely protected from an unauthorized access. This allows to observe the information confidentiality and obey the patients rights.
The electronic card solves all the questions concerning patients’ service from the preliminary registration for any type of medical examination to delivery of the examination results.

This information system availability allows:
- to shorten the time and to improve the quality of information fed into computer network: since the data are not put down in manuscript, the time of feeding the information is shorten and the probability of information misreading and mistaken duplicating is dwindled;
- to work in accordance with the confirmed decrees: to observe the time and finance quota while registering for examinations, to introduce changes in good time, to make all possible reviews;
- to serve and accumulate the data safely for a long time
· the patients and examinations database, physicians conclusions, medical information, administrative documents are kept on servers where reserve copies are periodically created;
· data accumulation from devices is done with the help of the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS); in particularly, Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM 3) is used for this purpose;
- to speed up the information searching and processing: rapid cards search finding, elucidation of examination itinerary and central-directed results distribution in a proper form;
- to provide with sharing access to database: medical registers, physicians, statisticians, methodologists and others can simultaneously work with the same information without any conflicts and slowing down the data processing;
- to analyze the results, correct the policy of organization’s enterprise activity: to elucidate the demand of different kinds of examinations, the degree of medical staff and devices loading;
- and many others.

The employees of the IT Department information-and-calculation department have created the program with regard to of requirements and tasks set before them. Basic normative documents, orders, instructions of registration and account used in health-care treatment-and-prophylactic institutions were put at the heart of the documentation of account provided by this program.
Different reference books were included into the program:
· Irkutsk Îblast populated areas
· The list of the streets of Irkutsk
· Irkutsk and Irkutsk Oblast health-care treatment-and-prophylactic institutions
· The list of examinations carried out in DC with their code indications identification numbers
· DC physicians’ codes identification numbers
· The list of insurance companies and others.
Irkutsk Diagnostic Center patient card corresponded to the confirmed registration form of Health Care Ministry was developed. Irkutsk Diagnostic Center patient card was developed in correspondence with the confirmed registration form of Health Care Ministry of Russian Federation. When a patient appeals the employees of registration-and-control department fill in the patient’s card: define the day and time of the prescribed examination with the itinerary arrangement taking into consideration patient’s desires, procedures urgency and consistency.
After having carried out the examination or consultation the DC specialists make a note of its fulfillment in the everyday account in the program. At the same time a report an account of every physician’s work including the number of visits, carried out examinations, conventional units of labour-intensiveness is formed every day.
The software gives the opportunity to receive the following accounts:
· the report account of examinations carried out in DC for any period of time
· the account of every physician’s work
· patients absence from examinations
· the account concerning examinations in accordance with different finance sources
· the account concerning patients social status positions and categories
· the account concerning health-care treatment-and-prophylactic institutions referrals
· the account concerning health-care treatment-and-prophylactic quotas usage
· the account of additional referrals for examinations made by DC specialists
· reports registers to the insurance companies and others
The DC physicians use in their work the international disease classification - Revision 10. According to the international disease classification a diagnose cipher is marked in everyday account of control over examinations and consultations carried out in DC. The forming of the account of revealed pathology in DC takes place.
We successfully resolve many tasks set before DC organization-and-methodological department by using software in our work. We have in the prospect the strategic planning of patients streams, correlation “city - oblast” when quotas are distributed, introduction of additional shifts for highly demanded methods methodologies and consultations, improvement of the specialists ARMs in accordance with new standards.

Irkutsk Diagnostic Center has an allotted channel for connection with Internet its own channel for Internet connection. It allows the medical personnel to have an access to world medical resources accumulated in the Internet straight from their workplaces, to improve their qualifications classification without giving up work, to exchange information with the colleagues living in other cities, regions, and countries.

At present an official DC site http://dc.baical.ru exists which is constantly maintained and elaborated. All necessary information about services is given there to potential patients, and also you can find there the present actual tariffs for these services. Besides, you can find there the DC history and a list of contact administrative persons. The sections of news, scientific and practical activity achievements are constantly renewed modified . Any our site visitor can become acquainted with messages leaved in DC address and answers to questions you are interested in and also leave his/her message in the “Communication” section.
Irkutsk Diagnostic Center participates in the project of creating Irkutsk Oblast Health Care unified computer network.

The availability of special equipment for holding the videoconference opens the following prospects:
· participation in regional, federal, international conferences;
· efficient consultations of patients of medical institutions that are in other cities;
· holding the séances of remote on-line diagnostics (videoconferences);
· holding the delayed off-line TV consultations (filling in and sending standard forms);
· to consult in leading world clinics by using medical equipment for receiving controlled dynamic video images;
· many others.

Thanks to distance or E-medicine TV medicine the necessity of specialist physical presence is significantly decreased and the patient does not have to get over quite a distance to have a surgery hours. The application of carefully worked out technologies will allow to accelerate the process of receiving the expert advice, not to reckon with physical distance and there will be no necessity for in significant time and money expenses for patients transportation.