The news items below are included in our eHealth NSW 2022 Year in Review newsletter.
Next step in digital transformation of healthcare
In November, NSW Health announced US healthcare software provider, Epic, as the preferred supplier for the delivery of the Single Digital Patient record (SDPR) program, subject to successful completion of contractual negotiations.
The new platform will give authorised NSW Health professionals fast and secure access to an integrated record of an individual’s clinical history no matter where they work across NSW Health.
The choice of Epic as preferred technology partner follows a comprehensive and rigorous procurement process that involved consultation with over 350 staff including a wide range of healthcare professionals from across eHealth NSW, NSW Health Pathology, LHDs and SHNs.
SDPR will replace NSW Health’s nine existing electronic medical record platforms, six patient administration systems, five pathology laboratory information management systems and several other clinical support systems. It will encompass the entire NSW Health system including the 15 LHDs, two SHNs and all NSW Health Pathology laboratories.
“Our vision for the program is simple; no matter where you seek treatment across the NSW Health system, you will receive consistent and personalised care,” said Dr Zoran Bolevich, Chief Executive, eHealth NSW and Chief Information Officer, NSW Health.
SDPR will be jointly delivered by eHealth NSW and NSW Health Pathology, in collaboration with LHDs, SHNs and other NSW Health organisations.
“Their expertise, along with meaningful engagement with healthcare consumers, will continue to guide us as we roll out SDPR across the state,” said Dr Bolevich.
SDPR will first be available in the Hunter New England LHD, followed by a phased rollout throughout NSW. Representatives from across NSW Health as well as patients and consumer groups will be involved throughout design and implementation.
NSW Health’s first Health Prototyping Centre launches in NSW
The Health Prototyping Centre (HPC) was launched in August as NSW Health’s first dedicated facility supporting the rapid testing of ideas, designs and concepts before final build. The Sydney-based warehouse space is highly configurable to a range of clinical scenarios and has an onsite team of technical and design experts to help the projects.
In 2022, the HPC team worked on four rapid prototyping projects, two evaluations and four large scale workshops. This included an evaluation into using sustainable bowls, plates, cups and cutlery in NSW health facilities, and a five-day design sprint to evaluate a range of options to design and build a chatbot for YourRoom’s drugs and alcohol information service.
“The Health Prototyping Centre (HPC) has given us a collaborative space to step out of the day-to-day and into focused problem solving with the right minds in the room. At HealthShare NSW, we have used the centre to join strategic, support and operational teams along with subject matter experts (SMEs) to bring some high-risk problems that would significantly impact our service delivery to the broader health system," Leia Giacon, Associate Director, Work Health & Safety, HealthShare NSW said.
"The HPC team pushes our thinking, and through all of the work done in the HPC we have been able to understand problems and issues more clearly and work towards viable and fit for purpose solutions. We can’t wait to jump back in!”
The HPC is a collaboration between eHealth NSW, HealthShare NSW, Health Infrastructure NSW and NSW Health Pathology. To learn more, visit Health Prototyping Centre.
