ALTERA HEALTHCARE (IT) UK LTD

Healthcare Software including Electronic Patient Record, PAS, Patient Flow and other applications.

Altera's EPR and associated products provide an end-to-end integrated electronic patient journey, elements of which can be implemented as stand-alone or add-on applications to improve clinical outcomes while reducing the administrative burden on the hospital or clinic. Therefore, supporting the provision of care across all healthcare settings.

Features

• Electronic Patient Record
• Patient Administration System
• Patient Flow
• Electronic Prescribing Service
• Electronic Document Management Service
• Clinical Performance Management Analytics
• Patient Portal
• Electronic Maternity Management
• Working Diagnosis
• Compass

Benefits

• Real-time reporting
• Remote Access
• Improved Administration
• Cost Saving
• Clinical Outcomes
• Integrated Solutions
• Better Communication
• 24 Hour Support
• Amalgamates Data From Different Systems
• Information is immediately available

£1,000.00 a licence a year

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Skills Framework for the Information Age rate card

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at salessupport.emea@alterahealth.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

772090140313525

Contact

Altera EMEA Sales Support
02078190444
salessupport.emea@alterahealth.com

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: Yes, but can also be used as a standalone service
• What software services is the service an extension to: Altera offers core products such as an Electronic Patient Record and Patient Administration System, but elements of our solution can be added to other providers' core products.
• Cloud deployment model:
  • Public cloud
  • Private cloud
  • Hybrid cloud
• Service constraints: No, Altera conducts planned maintenance with the system running.; ; Altera can provide a fully managed service, including database management, security patching and DR.; ; A Warranted Environment Specification is provided that details end user requirements e.g. end user devices, network connectivity.
• System requirements:
  • Printers - Typically all Windows based printers are supported.
  • Scanners - Typically all Windows based devices are supported.
  • Label Printers - Various Zebra devices.
  • Displays (for Tracking Board views) - Various
  • Thin Client - End point compliance for Citrix
  • Fat Client - Full specification can be provided (not recommended).
  • Mobile Devices - iOS and Android minimum versions.
  • Client Workstations - Hardware specifications

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: Altera responds to cases of high importance within 30 Minutes.; ; Cases of different severity and importance have different service level agreements. ; ; There is no difference in response times during the weekend.
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: Yes
• Online ticketing support accessibility: WCAG 2.1 AAA
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 24 hours, 7 days a week
• Web chat support: Web chat
• Web chat support availability: 24 hours, 7 days a week
• Web chat support accessibility standard: WCAG 2.1 AAA
• Web chat accessibility testing: N/A
• Onsite support: Onsite support
• Support levels: Altera has one standard support model. Please see below:; ; 1. Critical = Complete Failure of Software: prevents system from performing in accordance with the Documentation or that pose a significant, risk.; - Initial response - 30 minutes. Support staff will work continuously, until the Error Correction is completed, constantly updating the client.; ; 2. High = Business Function Inoperable: severe negative impact on material function.; - Initial response within 4 business hours. Suppliers uses reasonable efforts to start Error Correction within 4 hours. If a design defect, priority given to the repair.; ; 3. Medium = Business Function Limitation - minimal functional limitations that do not currently impair the material activities, ; -Initial response within eight (8) business hours. Supplier uses efforts to complete Error Correction. If determined to be a design defect the update may be completed in the next release.; ; 4. Low = Limited Occurrence Error –specific functions of the Software that do not negatively impact daily operations.; - Initial response within sixteen (16) business hours. Supplier will bundle errors and formally acknowledge them periodically. ; ; Altera provides a technical account manager. ; ; See pricing document for maintenance costs.
• Support available to third parties: Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: Altera provides training, both during the implementation and BAU.; ; During deployment, Altera follows our OTM for a predictable/planned outcome, working collaboratively with the Trust to create an effective and logical training plan. The training aims to ensure that the Trust’s project team is trained to become self-sufficient in configuring, testing, and maintaining the system independently or with minimal Altera support. ; ; Training spans various stages of the service implementation, including Design, Configuration, Validation and Go Live Readiness.; ; Training activities for a successful programme will span across all three specific pillars of the Altera OTM listed below: ; ; 1. Clinical transformation/benefits realisation ; 2. Organisational change/adoption ; 3. Project management methodology/workstreams ; ; All three pillars have very specific activities and deliverables for the training workstream throughout the seven stages of the methodology, e.g. the creation of end-user training materials during Stage 3 and delivery of Train-the-Trainer training at Stage 4. The list below illustrates, at a high level, the training activities and products at their respective parts of the project lifecycle. Where appropriate there is a training activity and set of tools to support project stakeholders at each stage of the methodology. ; ; Training materials include on-site training, remote training, product and technical documentation.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats:
  • HTML
  • PDF
  • Other
• Other documentation formats: Online - Information on products, services, hardware and technical requirements.
• End-of-contract data extraction: This would need to be negotiated with the client depending on their needs, type of data and confidentiality.
• End-of-contract process: At the end of the initial contracted period, the contract can be terminated, extended for a fixed term or on a rolling annual basis. When the contract ends all support ceases along with related support/subscription payments, and the client will be required to cease use of the software with immediate effect. At this point, the client and Altera would agree on any future access to the data, if this had not been agreed in the initial contract.

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Chrome
• Application to install: Yes
• Compatible operating systems:
  • Android
  • IOS
  • Windows
• Designed for use on mobile devices: Yes
• Differences between the mobile and desktop service: The Altera solution provides iOS and Android based applications to support clinical users for mobile based workflows, integrated with the Altera's EPR and support for various form factors, these solutions provide an intuitive and mobile based experience to end users.; ; The mobile solution supports additional authentication methods where these are available, such as, ; - Biometric authentication ; - Utilising fingerprint or facial scanning; - Two Factor Authentication (2FA)
• Service interface: Yes
• User support accessibility: WCAG 2.1 AAA
• Description of service interface: The service interface ensures that there is consistency across all elements, such as, screens, menus, buttons and other interactive elements, e.g. forms and other input fields.; ; It has been designed to be intuitive and accessible, its layout uses the principles of Human Centered Design, ensuring that the user is at the forefront of all design decisions.; ; This ensures that there is a consistent look and feel across the solution and interactive elements are strategically placed for optimal accessibility, ensuring that users can effortlessly locate and engage with the features they need.
• Accessibility standards: WCAG 2.1 AAA
• Accessibility testing: Altera include support for different methods of user interaction, ranging from mouse and keyboard on a desktop to touch controls on smaller form factors like phones and tablets. Additionally, users can utilise voice recognition and digital dictation inputs where these have been configured. Altera is committed to supporting users who require additional needs when utilising the EPR solution, WCAG is incorporated into the design lifecycle and various capabilities can be used, such as, text scaling, screen readers, speech to text, Altera is committed to ensuring that accessibility requirements are a core consideration throughout all new developments.
• API: Yes
• What users can and can't do using the API: Altera supports industry standard integration protocols such as HL7 & FHIR, as well as a suite of open APIs, and comes with an Integration Engine (eLink) to connect to and from systems.; ; The Developer Portal provides access to a rich set of REST API endpoints within the solution, allowing both retrieval and saving data covering: ; -Documents; -Encounters/Appointments; -Patient Information; -Allergies/Intolerances; -Diagnostic Reports; -Observations; -Medications; -Orders and Care Episode Information.; ; Altera provides support for the UK Core set of FHIR APIs, as this is an-going development standard, so too does the support for existing and new FHIR APIs within the Altera solution. ; ; The Altera API test harness is fully supported and documented, so developers, clients, and competitors can connect, test, and publish applications using our FHIR API. The FHIR APIs are developed in compliance with Release 4 of the HL7 FHIR standard, except for those defined within STU3 for UK discharge summaries.
• API documentation: Yes
• API documentation formats: Open API (also known as Swagger)
• API sandbox or test environment: Yes
• Customisation available: Yes
• Description of customisation: Altera's solutions offer flexible configuration tools which are embedded across the different layers of the system. For example, local configuration options are available to support alerts, prompts and other workflows, ensuring these are relevant to the local clinical workflows. ; ; A basic set of documentation is provided as part of our content Blueprint which has been specifically designed with our NHS clients, that can then be added to and tailored to support local clinical workflows to speed up implementation. ; ; Clinicians can configure and customise their own static and dynamic patient lists which can also be shared with colleagues. The comprehensive configuration options allow for the creation of robust departmental and specialist management functions to ensure the clinical users can retrieve accurate information, presented to them appropriately within the current workflow. As well as giving organisations flexibility with regards to how the various catalogues are constructed, it also ensures a consistent look and feel for clinical users throughout the requesting process.

Scaling

• Independence of resources: Altera designs its solution to ensure high availability and robust performance, supported by proactive monitoring and management practices aimed at pre-emptively addressing potential issues to prevent service disruptions. This commitment to reliability is evidenced by our track record with UK NHS clients, where we've consistently achieved uptime exceeding 99.95% over extended periods.; ; To eliminate single points of failure, our architecture incorporates load-balanced servers, clustered application servers, and Microsoft SQL Server Always On database technology. This multi-layered approach enhances system resilience and availability, whilst allowing minimal downtime patching.

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: Altera's approach in ensuring excellent performance levels for end users involves meticulous management of both system performance and response times across a range of transactions, including those undertaken by physicians, nurses, administrative staff, and clerks. In addition to clinical documentation and structured note interactions, we aim for 95% of end-user transactions to be completed in under a second.; ; System availability is a critical component of our performance guarantees. A typical guarantee we offer is 99.5% system availability. ; ; Monthly performance reports include:; -Uptime performance,; -Summary of incidents and requests,; -Concurrent user consumption,; -Network utilisation for the Client Application Environment, when applicable.
• Reporting types:
  • Real-time dashboards
  • Regular reports
  • Reports on request

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Other security clearance
• Government security clearance: Up to Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

Asset protection

• Knowledge of data storage and processing locations: Yes
• Data storage and processing locations: United Kingdom
• User control over data storage and processing locations: No
• Datacentre security standards: Managed by a third party
• Penetration testing frequency: At least once a year
• Penetration testing approach: Another external penetration testing organisation
• Protecting data at rest: Other
• Other data at rest protection approach: Other - Altera use Azure Data Centres, which fully meets the service principles. See https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security/fundamentals/protection-customer-data for more details.
• Data sanitisation process: Yes
• Data sanitisation type: Explicit overwriting of storage before reallocation
• Equipment disposal approach: A third-party destruction service

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: Altera provides various tools allowing organisations to export and extract data, examples include:; Configuration: Can be populated and/or moved between environments. In addition, these tools allow for the extraction of system configuration for external analysis.; ; Subject Access Request: Altera fully supports the streamlining of operational processes, such as, Subject Access Requests, allowing the patient record to be compiled and exported e.g., PDF, printed or otherwise.; ; Reporting Tools: Built on the Microsoft SQL Server database backend, the Sunrise reporting subsystems utilise both SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) & PowerBI. If required, we can also support SQL Replication into a data warehouse.
• Data export formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data export formats: XML (CDS reporting)
• Data import formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data import formats:
  • Excel (Workbooks)
  • HL7 (PMI uploads)
  • Database uploads (to support data migration)

Data-in-transit protection

• Data protection between buyer and supplier networks:
  • Private network or public sector network
  • TLS (version 1.2 or above)
  • Other
• Other protection between networks: HTTPS; SSL
• Data protection within supplier network:
  • TLS (version 1.2 or above)
  • Other
• Other protection within supplier network: Altera follows best practice to ensure all data is secure, this includes:; ; Encryption - Potocols such as SSL/TLS are used to ensure that data is encrypted both at rest and in transit.; ; Firewalls - IP restirction and whitelisting to ensure only authorised access.; ; Access Control - Following principal of least privilage for both authorisation and authentication.; ; Intrusion Detection - IDPS tools for the monitoring of network traffic.; ; Backup and DR - Robust DR processes in place to, such as, off site within a separate availability zone to allow the system to restore if needed.

Availability and resilience

• Guaranteed availability: The Managed Service is monitored 24 hours by 7 days (24x7). Any maintenance work undertaken on the live Software will be restricted to one of the following maintenance windows: ; ; Daily – Tuesday to Sunday inclusive – 03:00 to 05:00 (2 hours); ; Weekly - Sunday 18:00 to Monday 08:00 (14 hours); ; ; (together the “Planned Maintenance Period”). ; ; Notice of Planned Maintenance will be given to Customer within 5 days of the Planned Maintenance Period wherever possible. Planned Maintenance will be excluded from the Availability calculation and will not incur Service Credits. ; ; If a delay in resuming the Services after Planned Maintenance is caused by products and services supplied, managed or maintained by a third party, e.g. HSCN connectivity, NHS Spine services, etc., then any outage caused by such delay will not constitute a breach of the Service Levels nor a breach of the Managed Service Agreement by Quicksilva and no Service Credits will accrue. ; ; The Availability of the Managed Service connecting to the NHS Spine set at 95.5% is measured over a fixed calendar quarter.
• Approach to resilience: Altera use Microsoft Azure to host our services, utilising availability szones within UK South to ensure availability, with additional DR recovery over to UK West.; ; Altera can provide specific HLDs as part of any service implementation covering this requirement.
• Outage reporting: Altera's applications are monitored via our support teams and by specialist monitoring software. This can be viewed 24/7 by our monitoring teams and has alerts built in which immediately inform Altera and the client if required of any outages. This software, through constantly monitoring activity, highlights potential issues allowing preventative action to stop outages before they occur. Stakeholders can view the dashboard at any time and emails can be sent automatically.

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Dedicated link (for example VPN)
  • Username or password
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: Altera restrict access in management interfaces and support channels through different authorisation levels managed by our internal governance team.; Generally, Altera use LDAP or ADFS and use windows credentials where available. 2FA can be implemented in a number of different ways if required.
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least once a year
• Management access authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Dedicated link (for example VPN)
  • Username or password

Audit information for users

• Access to user activity audit information: Users have access to real-time audit information
• How long user audit data is stored for: User-defined
• Access to supplier activity audit information: Users contact the support team to get audit information
• How long supplier audit data is stored for: User-defined
• How long system logs are stored for: At least 12 months

Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: Yes
• Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001: NQA Global Assurance
• ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date: Renewed 21/07/2022
• What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover: N/A. All facilities and business units are covered.
• ISO 28000:2007 certification: No
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: No
• Cyber essentials: Yes
• Cyber essentials plus: Yes
• Other security certifications: No

Security governance

• Named board-level person responsible for service security: Yes
• Security governance certified: Yes
• Security governance standards: ISO/IEC 27001
• Information security policies and processes: In addition to 27001, Altera also maintains:; Internal IT governance policy - promotes effective and efficient use of systems and technology resources.; Information Security Management Policy - the protection of ; Sensitive, Confidential, and Privileged Information; meeting legal, regulatory, and contractual duties; and; minimizing privacy and security incidents (Redballs)

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: Altera operates its Outcome Transformation Methodology (OTM) process for configuring/updating its software.; It has eight stages;; • Pre-Implementation; • Visioning and Mobilisation (Discovery); • Current State & Initiation (design); • Future State and Configuration; • Validation (implement); • Go-Live Readiness; • Go Live; • Steady State; It provides a structured and flexible framework for Implementations. ; Changes are assessed for security impact both at product design and development through the use of Sandbox and test environments and during OTM stages 0, 1 and 2. Development and other depts monitor products/services in situ releasing updates as necessary which follow the aformentioned processes.
• Vulnerability management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Vulnerability management approach: From the highest level, Altera Information Security Management System (ISMS), is designed to protect both client and corporate assets and is derived from the National Institute of Standards Technology (NIST) and ISO27002:2013 standards. ; Our standard Azure Hosting solution has best-practice AV & Malware tools configured and is monitored 24/7 by the Altera Security & Network Operations Centre.; Potential threats to our services are assessed against, data security and GDPR Guidelines, risk of downtime, the effect on patient safety and on clinical outcomes. Patches can be deployed within hours, depending on the urgency and the level of threat.
• Protective monitoring type: Supplier-defined controls
• Protective monitoring approach: Aletra's Cyber-Security team referred to in the previous answer constantly monitors for threats. When, discovered their properties are explored and potential effects triaged to gauge potential severity and ensure our systems can cope.; A message will be sent to stakeholders and clients about what has been discovered and what, if any, actions to take, While our systems might be safe, client systems may not be.; When work is required to counter a threat, that will be carried out immediately with the aim of patching within hours, while an alert is circulated detailing what actions need to be taken.
• Incident management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Incident management approach: Altera uses the ServiceNow online portal for reporting and managing incidents and support cases. Users can log tickets, these are then acted upon by our Global Support Team. The user/client has access and visibility in real-time, allowing them to be constantly aware of the latest situation. The portal can be used to converse with agents, escalate issues and provide reports. ; For Critical Incidents, a Critical Incident Support bridge is established which calls all stakeholders together immediately, under the leadership of a designated Incident Manager who manages the real-time reporting, understanding and resolution of the incident.

Secure development

• Approach to secure software development best practice: Independent review of processes (for example CESG CPA Build Standard, ISO/IEC 27034, ISO/IEC 27001 or CSA CCM v3.0)

Public sector networks

• Connection to public sector networks: Yes
• Connected networks:
  • NHS Network (N3)
  • Health and Social Care Network (HSCN)

Social Value

• Social Value:

  Social Value

  • Fighting climate change
  • Covid-19 recovery
  • Equal opportunity

  Fighting climate change

  Altera’s Environment Policy tackles the global environmental challenges through: ; ; -Following and striving to comply with all laws and regulations associated with environmental requirements. ; -Continually communicating and training associates on the best practices supporting our commitment to environmental requirements.; - Identifying, tracking and reporting on metrics identified to demonstrating how our processes support this commitment. ; - Identify, tracking and reporting initiatives and activities to ensure we continually improve, addressing changing environmental requirements. ; Since 2020, Altera has used a virtual workforce model, which has reduced our carbon footprint. Altera has continued to take steps to reduce this footprint globally and has reduced its operations from two commercial offices in Manchester and London to one central location in Birmingham, powered by renewable energy.; ; Continuous initiatives include: ; - A managed print standard, meaning reduced consumption of paper/toner by over 1,900 reams of paper (approximately 95 trees annually). ; - Using QRs for case studies and marketing brochures ; - Recycling 100% of shredded materials. ; - Creating recycle programmes across the Altera office. ; - Purchasing Office workstation furniture made of recycled materials. ; ; Through ISO 14001, Environment Management System (EMS), Altera will continue to promote and increase environmental sustainability through tracking and reporting:; - Annual % reduction of ; -printing ; - kWh electricity in 31 Temple Street ; - water consumption ; - miles used by petrol/diesel cars ; - miles travelled by plane ; - Annual training for associates on ISO 14001 policy, processes and best practices ; - IT equipment (i.e. laptops, monitors, mouse) donated and/or collected for recycling ; ; The EMS policy, processes, and metrics will be reviewed and reported on annually to ensure that will achieve our overall objectives of achieving Net Zero by 2050. Per the published Carbon Reduction Plan, Altera is committed to a 5% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2028 and a further reduction of 30% by 2033.

  Covid-19 recovery

  During the COVID-19 pandemic, Altera’s IT department ensured that every associate had all the relevant equipment to work from home. ; Although many of our services’ implementations typically required an on-site presence, within a month of the first lock-down the services teams were able to fully support remotely the first go-live with no problems. Between the robustness of the methodology, the diligence of the team, and the strength of the tools required to do the job, our associates were able to carry-on with their day-to-day job working remotely. There has been little/no impact to the associate’s living standards. Because we can show that many of our roles could be done remotely, the transition back to on-site or into the office has been as-when needed, based on business / client requirements, and the individual’s needs and preferences. In order to ensure that the overall living standards and mental health were not adversely affected by the COVID-19 lockdowns, there were continued team events online, as well as speaker sessions and communications around Health & Wellbeing.

  Equal opportunity

  Altera is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and equal employment opportunity prohibits discrimination based on any legally recognised basis, including but not limited to: race, colour, national origin or ancestry, religion, sex, age, marital status, pregnancy, lactation, childbirth or related medical condition, sexual orientation or gender identity, genetic characteristics, physical or mental disability, veteran status, uniformed service member status, or any status or characteristic protected by applicable law. Altera’s staff policies apply to all personnel practices, terms and conditions of employment, and prohibits discrimination by or against any associate or third party, including clients, suppliers, and candidates for employment or other business partners. Altera’s commitment to equal opportunity employment applies to all persons involved in our operations and prohibits unlawful discrimination by any leader or associate. ; In May of 2022, Allscripts Hospitals and Large Physician Practices business segment was acquired by the N. Harris Computer Corporation to become Altera Digital Health. Since the split between Altera and Allscripts, there has been a renewed engagement and focus between Altera and the N. Harris Computer Corporation and all the organisations that sit within the N. Harris ‘family’. ; ; Altera is developing a strategy to ensure there is a robust plan in place to support PPN 06/20 themes across the organisation. For ‘Equal ; Opportunity’, Altera is looking to focus first on the education and support for Psychological Safety. This is being done through: ; - Employee Survey ; - Training and Education ; - Communications Sessions ; When an organisation feels Psychologically Safe, then there can be more openness, transparency, communications, and discussions on ; inequalities in the workforce. Altera is also developing a DEI Strategy and working closely with HR to identify how/where there are gaps and inequality in the workforce so that specific actions plans can be put into place to address it.

Pricing

• Price: £1,000.00 a licence a year
• Discount for educational organisations: No
• Free trial available: No

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Skills Framework for the Information Age rate card

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at salessupport.emea@alterahealth.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.