| The health care industry like many aspects of our lives has benefited from the adoption of new technologies over the years. This is particularly remarkable with the continuous influence of distributed computing and the internet. Many health care facilities now have information systems with support for medical record keeping, accounting and workflow management.; There is a need for extending the use of medical information about patients, research and policies beyond the single organization. Electronic exchange of information among health care organizations (such as physician offices, hospitals, research agencies and government establishments) provides the integration needed for efficient and cost effective management of care and research.; Given the complex, diverse and evolving nature of these systems, a flexible infrastructure that acts as a backbone for integration of medical organizations is required.; This thesis presents an approach of realizing integration of different organizations as information service nodes in a configurable network of interconnected organizations based on a Grid paradigm. The integration is achieved through uniform and adaptable interface with functionalities for secured and controlled access to the individual information system. |
