In a classic little-pond/big-pond migration story, Oracle has released version 3.0 of its Health Sciences Central Coding, a data coding and dictionary management application. The upgrade enhances integration with the InForm Global Trial Management system. InForm hails from Phase Forward, a former big fish in the little CTMS pond, now operating within Oracle, a big fish in the big healthcare pond, among others.
"Coding can be seen as dry, but we're very excited about this release," says Martin Young, VP for strategy at Oracle health sciences business unit, and formerly VP at Phase Forward.
Version 3.0 expands query management and automated workflows to aid efficiency and consistency. Users can create and manage InForm queries directly in Central Coding, streamlining the process with one point of entry rather than switching between the two.
The upgrade matches a trend in clinical trial IT that corresponds with an Oracle objective. Clinical development tools have gone from "point solutions [like EDC], which are important but not enough anymore," Young says. Users do jobs across multiple systems. At Oracle, he says, the focus is on "streamlining and automating better," as well as usability.
The software giant has "a lot of strengths in the healthcare area," says Young, "and is looking at how they come together." One example is the merging of healthcare delivery and comparative effectiveness research.
- see the Oracle release