NZ Health Inc: Orion, Medtech and CSC team up with an eye on EHR
Three of the largest IT suppliers to the New Zealand healthcare sector have teamed up to develop what they call a world-leading, integrated, precision medicine solution for the country that would also provide an obvious platform on which to build the recently announced national electronic health record (EHR).
In a joint statement, the three organisations said they will work together to join hospital-level clinical data with primary care data and personal health data, which when linked to genomics, microbiomics, proteomics and other new health information types, will enable a truly personalised healthcare system for New Zealanders.
Orion Health CEO Ian McCrae said the joint vision of the partners is to deliver a “collective data ecosystem” that supports health and social investment.
“Being able to target people who need support earlier, predicting the risk of people most in need and supporting people across their journey through life – where they live, work and play – would be a game-changer for health and social services,” Mr McCrae said.
“Enabling a precision medicine approach will ultimately drive personalised healthcare combining all information unique to a person to identify prevention and treatment strategies which will be effective for them based on genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors.”
While they do not specifically say they will bid to build the national EHR, all three are already heavily involved in existing national and regional shared health information programs that form the foundations for what the NZ government says it is hoping to achieve.
Medtech is the dominant practice management system used in NZ general practice, with an estimated 85 per cent share of the GP desktop market. It also markets the ManageMyHealth patient portal that is being used in a number of district health board (DHB) and primary health organisation (PHO) eHealth projects.
CSC’s webPAS patient administration system is widely used in NZ hospitals and its MedChart medications management system is being rolled out nationally as the single EMM solution for the whole country. This is envisaged to eventually move beyond the acute setting to also enable integrated medications management in the community.
Amongst many other projects, Orion Health is rolling out the national, single clinical workstation through which hospital clinicians can view electronic medical records and other clinical information systems. It is also building the South Island Patient Information Care System (PICS), provides a consolidated view of clinical information systems for the Auckland, Waitemata and Counties Manukau DHBs, and supplies the EMR for Central region hospitals.
The three companies all work together as well, with Medtech and CSC involved in a collaboration to allow GPs to access CSC’s UltraGenda enterprise resource management system through ManageMyHealth to participate in the coordination of schedules and view and book appointments with secondary care facilities.
Mr McCrae said the partners expect and fully welcome other New Zealand technology and service organisations to join them and believe a commitment to open, multi-sectorial collaboration and partnership is critical.
“As the largest software providers to the New Zealand health system, collaboratively Orion Health, Medtech and CSC believe they have an obligation to support a NZ Health Inc. approach, and work with other key partners in the sector, including the New Zealand government,” he said.
“We need to leverage the current health system investments better and focus on a human-centred design to support personalised medicine.
“Together, New Zealand providers can lead the way – not only delivering upon the government’s vision for a national electronic health record, but more importantly enabling the delivery of a completely new model for healthcare, deeply personalised to the needs of individuals.
“This approach fully endorses the focus areas outlined in the new draft New Zealand Health Strategy, specifically the strategic themes of People Powered, Closer to Home and a Smart System.”
Medtech CEO Vino Ramayah said the key components for delivering the vision could already be found within New Zealand’s borders.
“Orion Health, Medtech and CSC are already caring for the health and wellbeing of millions of New Zealanders through our services, and working together will allow us to achieve a global-leading health system,” Mr Ramayah said.
“Medtech is committed to empowering individual New Zealanders, working with their doctors, to manage their own health and wellness. We are delighted to be working with Orion Health and CSC to deliver a more integrated and personalised service.
“There will be significant benefits to both individuals and the broader healthcare system by achieving seamless information flows between primary and secondary care.”
Stephen Miller, New Zealand director and country manager for CSC, said the through the partnership, the three New Zealand companies will start to break down the silos that exist between systems, ensuring a ‘whole of person’ healthcare approach.
“This is consistent with CSC’s efforts globally and our aspirations to facilitate greater participation and personalisation of care with the consumer involved in organising and coordinating their own care,” Mr Miller said.
“A whole new world of health is upon us and New Zealand could be the global leader in the transformation.”