What is a hospital information system?
Each patient sits under one hospital number (HN). When a nurse finishes triage, the doctor sees it straight away; when the doctor prescribes, the pharmacy receives the order; when care ends, all charges are already with finance. No paper folders travel between departments and nothing is typed twice.
Core modules of a HIS
A HIS is split into modules that match hospital departments. Below are the 16 core modules of Centrix HIS, which cover the main work of a typical hospital.
| Area | Module | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Outpatient | Registration | Register patients, issue HNs, check coverage, read ID cards / passports |
| Appointment | Appointments and doctor schedules | |
| OPD | History, triage, examination, diagnosis and procedures | |
| ER | Accident and emergency | |
| Inpatient | IPD | Admission, bed management, transfers and discharge |
| Surgery / OR | Theatre booking and operative records | |
| Labour / LR | Labour room | |
| Nutrition | Patient diet orders | |
| Orders and medical records | CPOE / EMR | Doctors order drugs, labs and imaging; electronic medical record, e-MAR and e-Forms |
| Clinical support | Pharmacy | Order verification, dispensing and administration tracking |
| Laboratory | Lab orders and results | |
| Radiology | Imaging orders and reports | |
| CSSD | Central sterile supply | |
| Administration and finance | Billing | Charges and claims to each payer |
| Inventory | Drug and supply stock | |
| System Admin | Users, access rights and master data |
Systems a HIS connects to
Beyond its own modules, a HIS must exchange data with the lab system (LIS), imaging (RIS / PACS), accounting and purchasing (ERP), vital-sign devices, ID-card and passport readers, self check-in kiosks, queuing, card terminals (EDC) and claims systems. These integrations often decide whether a project succeeds.
HIS vs EMR vs EHR vs Smart Hospital
These terms are often mixed up, but they cover different scopes.
| Term | Meaning | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| HIS (Hospital Information System) | The core system for the whole hospital, covering clinical work, administration and finance | Whole hospital |
| EMR (Electronic Medical Record) | The electronic clinical record; part of the HIS | One hospital |
| EHR (Electronic Health Record) | Health data shared between care providers | Across providers |
| LIS / RIS / PACS | Specialist lab and imaging systems that exchange orders and results with the HIS | One department |
| ERP | Accounting, purchasing and HR; receives financial data from the HIS | Back office |
| Smart Hospital | Using technology across the hospital with the HIS at the centre, plus kiosks, dashboards, telehealth, apps and automated alerts | Whole organisation |
Benefits of a good HIS
- Patient safety: computerised ordering (CPOE) removes handwriting errors, allergy alerts fire automatically, and closed-loop medication tracks each dose from order to bedside.
- Shorter waits: data reaches the next department instantly, with no waiting for folders.
- Accurate finance: charges are captured at the source and claims go out correctly, so fewer are rejected.
- Less paper: the EMR and e-Forms move the hospital towards paperless or paper-light.
- Data for leaders: reports and dashboards on patients, revenue and resources in real time.
Web-based, cloud or on-premise?
Most modern HIS are web-based: they run in a browser with nothing to install, on any device and operating system. There are two main hosting options.
| Cloud | On-premise | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | Lower; monthly or yearly fees | Higher; servers and equipment |
| Who maintains hardware | The cloud provider | The hospital IT team |
| What you need | Fast internet with a backup link | Server room, backup power, recovery plan |
| Best for | Fast starts and multi-site groups | Hospitals that must keep data in-house |
10 criteria for choosing a HIS
Use this as a checklist when comparing vendors, and ask each one to demo with your hospital’s real cases.
- Covers real work in every departmentWalk each department’s workflow through the actual screens, not just the module list.
- An EMR complete enough to cut paperCPOE, e-MAR, e-Forms and nursing notes, supporting paperless or paper-light operation.
- Claims for every payer you acceptSupports claims for each scheme the hospital accepts and keeps up with changing claim standards.
- Proven integrationsAsk for interfaces delivered before: LIS, RIS/PACS, ERP, vital-sign devices, card readers.
- ExtensibleAdd-ons can be built, or an API lets the hospital’s IT team use the data.
- Security and PDPARole-based access, audit logs, encrypted connections, and a tested backup and recovery plan.
- A clear implementation planTimeline, phases, deliverables, UAT and an onsite team on go-live day.
- A data migration planAgree what moves (patient register, allergies, master data) and how old records stay viewable.
- Support after go-liveLocal support and R&D, response times (SLA) and a clear maintenance (MA) contract.
- Total cost of ownershipLicence, hardware or cloud, interfaces, training and yearly MA, not just the starting price.
How HIS implementation works
A typical HIS project has 8 phases. For Centrix HIS, MedInt’s standard plan takes 7 months (6 months of implementation plus 1 month of go-live support), with a 1-year warranty after go-live.
- Project preparationKick-off and WBS plan
- RequirementsAnalyse hospital workflows
- Install & configureOn cloud or hospital servers
- Master dataDrugs, charges, doctors, wards
- Interfaces & formsIntegrations, forms and reports
- Training & UATUser training and acceptance tests
- Go-liveOnsite team
- After go-liveOnline support and closure
Centrix HIS: the hospital system MedInt implements
Centrix HIS (now called MedHIS by its owner, MEDcury Co., Ltd.) is a web-based, cloud-native hospital information system with 16 core modules, a full EMR, CPOE and closed-loop medication. MedInt is an implementation partner that installs it, builds add-ons and supports it after go-live. With MedInt add-ons, Centrix supports New SIMB reimbursement and has an iClaim interface.
Frequently asked questions
Is a hospital information system the same as a hospital management system?
Usually, yes. Both mean the HIS that records and connects patient care across departments, from registration to billing and claims.
How long does HIS implementation take?
It depends on hospital size, departments and integrations. MedInt’s standard plan for Centrix HIS is 7 months: 6 months of implementation and 1 month of go-live support.
Will we lose data when we switch HIS?
Not if migration is planned early. The patient register, allergies and master data usually move to the new system; older treatment history is migrated in part or kept viewable, as agreed in the project.
Do we need servers in the hospital?
Not necessarily. A web-based HIS can run on cloud or on hospital servers. Choose based on connectivity, data policy and budget.
What does PDPA mean for a HIS?
Health data is sensitive. The system needs role-based access, audit logs, encrypted connections and tested backup and recovery.
We already run Centrix HIS / MedHIS. Can MedInt support us?
Yes. MedInt provides add-ons and companion software, reports, helpdesk and maintenance (MA) without modifying the core system.