The University of Colorado Cancer Center (UCCC) is an NCI-designated, comprehensive cancer center located in Aurora, CO. It includes a teaching hospital and research facility (currently under construction), as well as an oncology outpatient center equipped with IMPAC’s solution for medical oncology and radiation oncology.

Now an IMPAC medical oncology customer for more than two years, UCCC initially selected IMPAC software to help with a larger CPOE initiative. Decision-makers appreciated the software’s ability to work seamlessly within the enterprise, its single database between radiation and medical oncology, and its inbound and outbound interfaces with the HIS for sharing orders and other documents, labs, and ADT. Today, all physicians in medical oncology write orders on the IMPAC system.

“This was an important milestone for us,” says Gail Curley, RN, Manager of Computer Applications for both oncology and outpatient care. “Complete physician adoption is a considerable challenge. Now that we have it, all orders go into the system. Based on these orders, nurses administer and document treatment in the infusion area. Physicians from strategically located computers on campus can access the patient record, including current lab results that are automatically pulled from other systems and demographics that get pushed in from the HIS. They can view, approve, and make changes to orders. This creates a continuum of care that is absolutely vital for our patients.”

One of the most important advantages of the IMPAC solution is its flexibility. This allows UCCC to make changes to regimens and assessments with speed and efficiency, which came in handy during an audit from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).

“When the JCAHO officials were reviewing our medical oncology software, they recommended we add an assessment for falls,” Curley says. “By the end of the visit a couple hours later, our systems analyst, Vicki Slat-Vasquez, RN, had already built the new assessment into the IMPAC system and was able to show it to the JCAHO team. They were impressed with the turnaround time.”

The flexibility of the IMPAC software also helps UCCC save money. For example, the facility was able to replace the scheduling and task management software used in its bone marrow transplant (BMT) program simply by retooling an existing component of the IMPAC solution. This enabled UCCC to eliminate all the costs of licensing, maintenance, and software support from a different vendor.

Right now, UCCC is building a new research facility at its Aurora campus. The plan is to have the IMPAC software deliver data to the systems at this site.

“IMPAC software solutions are the right choice for our medical oncology department,” Curley says. “They offer the features and functionality our physicians need, as well as smooth integration with enterprise systems, and the versatility to adapt to our changing needs.”

University of Colorado Cancer Center



Gail Curley, RN, Manager of Computer Applications for both oncology and outpatient care