Elekta Axis Cloud Debuts in Japan

Oncology Informatics

Apr 17, 2024 3 minute read

Okayama Red Cross Hospital finds peace of mind and efficiency with Elekta’s secure cloud environment

Seeking to simplify its complex oncology IT environment and achieve cost predictability while protecting clinical data, Okayama Red Cross Hospital’s oncology experts became the first in Japan to implement Elekta Axis Cloud.

The Okayama Red Cross Hospital Team — The Okayama Red Cross Hospital team

Located in Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, Japan, Okayama Red Cross Hospital is a major medical center for the region, serving as a general hospital and designated cancer center. The hospital houses 500 beds and employs more than 1,000 medical professionals. In early 2023, Okayama sought a solution to replace its on-premise hardware and meet its need for a flexible and secure hosting technology designed specifically for oncology.

Though no other hospital in Japan had yet implemented Axis, Okayama Radiation Therapy Section Manager Yoji Kimura saw the potential of the solution to boost efficiency, operational continuity, and data security and control IT costs.

“Our previous on-premise systems required maintenance and inspection in the server room and time to work on client terminals, which was a burden on our business.”

“Our previous on-premise systems required maintenance and inspection in the server room and time to work on client terminals, which was a burden on our business,” notes Kimura. “On-premise hardware also requires an update every seven years. When you look at the costs for updates and maintenance, Axis is much more cost-effective over the long-term.”

Axis allows the team more flexibility to access Elekta ONE™ OIS powered by MOSAIQ® from off-site locations and offers the resources and capacity to accommodate changing needs and clinical growth quickly.

“With the introduction of Axis, we hope the business will no longer be stagnant due to a lack of terminals,” adds Kimura.

“Elekta ONE OIS powered by MOSAIQ now responds more quickly in areas where it used to be slow.”

Additionally, Axis is designed to provide maximum software performance, which can help clinicians save time. Kimura has noticed that “Elekta ONE OIS powered by MOSAIQ now responds more quickly in areas where it used to be slow.”

The oncology team also faces planned rolling power outages, which occur annually at the hospital, requiring staff to shut down and restart the server. In addition, Japan is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, where earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions are common occurrences.

Yoji Kimura Receiving the Acceptance Letter for Axis — Yoji Kimura receiving the acceptance letter for Axis

If the hospital experiences a natural disaster, power outage, common network failure or other crisis, Axis ensures patient data is backed up, protected and available – minimizing downtime and loss of productivity. Automation and monitoring provide proactive support to detect problems before failures occur, assuring maximum uptime.

Since Axis is built and fully automated in Microsoft Azure, the department’s data is protected by robust data security features, including multi-layer threat protection and automated security detection and response. Elekta also partners with world-class cybersecurity organizations, providing 24/7 monitoring and incident response, and Axis is certified to meet the stringent security requirements of the SOC 2 Type 2 Report.

Guidance and support at every step

Elekta regional and global colleagues partnered with Okayama from day one, providing guidance and support every step of the way. Before installation, Elekta facilitated peer-to-peer exchanges between Okayama and an Axis customer in Australia.

Between April and July 2023, Okayama Red Cross Hospital began the Axis implementation process. Close communication and collaboration between Okayama and Elekta, including weekly check-ins, kept the implementation moving forward smoothly. In preparation for going live, the team tested the integration with Elekta ONE OIS powered by MOSAIQ and hospital systems each weekend to avoid potential problems during clinic hours.

In August 2023, Okayama Red Cross Hospital’s oncology experts proudly became the first in the country to deliver precision radiotherapy in a cloud-based environment with Axis.

Designed specifically for Elekta oncology software, Axis has transformed the hospital’s IT environment. Kimura appreciates that IT expenses are now more predictable and technology management is simplified, empowering the oncology team to put patient care first.