SS-MIX: A Ministry Project to Promote Standardized Healthcare Information Exchange

Objectives: To promote healthcare information exchange between providers and to allow hospital information systems (HIS) export information in standardized format (HL7 and DICOM) in an environment of widespread legacy systems, which only can export data in proprietary format.

Methods: Through the Shizuoka prefecture EMR project in 2004–2005, followed by the ministry’s SS-MIX project, many software products have been provided, which consist of 1) a standardized storage to receive HL7 v2.5 mes sages of patient demographics, prescription orders, laboratory results, and diagnostic disease in ICD-10, 2) a referral letter creation system, 3) a formatted document creation system, 4) a progress note/nursing record system, and 5) an archive/viewer to incorporate incoming healthcare data CD and allow users to view on HIS terminal. Meanwhile, other useful applications have been produced, such as adverse event reporting and clinical information retrieval. To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, these software products were created and propagated, because users can use these software products, provided that their HIS can export the above information to the standardized storage in HL7 v2.5 format.

Results: In 20 hospitals of Japan, the standardized storage has been installed and some applications have been used. As major HIS vendors are shipping HIS with HL7 export function since 2007, HIS of 594 hospitals in Japan became capable of exporting data in HL7 v2.5 format (as of March 2010).

Conclusions: In high CPOE installation rate (85% in 400+ bed hospitals), though most of them only capable of exporting data in proprietary format, prefecture and ministry projects were effective to promote healthcare information exchange between providers. The standardized storage became an infrastructure for many useful applications, and many hospitals started using them. Ministry designation of proposed healthcare standards was effective so as to allow vendors to conform their products, and users to install them.

Spindle cell carcinoma of the breast: a case report and an immunohistochemical study including p53 and Ki-67 expression

A rare case of spindle cell carcinoma (SpCC) of the breast occurring in a 51-year-old Japanese woman is reported. A firm and well-circumscribed tumor, measuring 9 x 8.5 x 8.5 cm, was located on the upper lateral region of the right breast. Microscopically, the tumor consisted of sheets of both malignant spindle cells and poorly differentiated ductal carcinoma containing squamoid islands with gradual transition to the spindle cell component. The immunocytochemical expression of epithelial markers was recognized in the spindle cells, as well as in the carcinomatous cells. Moreover, the spindle cell component expressed vimentin, alpha-smooth muscle actin and S-100 protein. Ultrastructurally, in addition to the features of adenocarcinoma, squamous or myoepithelial differentiation was confirmed in the spindle cell component. These findings thus suggest an epithelial origin with squamous differentiation and myoepithelial participation in the genesis of SpCC. In a comparative study, the expression of p53 protein and Ki-67 as a proliferation marker in each component of this tumor was also investigated. The mean p53 labeling index (LI) in both the carcinomatous and spindle cell area was similar, however the mean MIB-1 LI in the spindle cell area was significantly higher than that in the carcinomatous area. The results indicate that p53 overexpression is involved in the tumorigenesis of both components in the SpCC, and the spindle cell component shows a higher degree of proliferative activity than the carcinomatous component.