Capital and Coast Health’s electronic health record (EHR) and patient management system (PMS) has been formally approved by the board and CIO Andre Snoxall hopes to start the 17-month Phase 1 in April.
Suppliers have already been chosen — IBA for the PMS and Orion for the EHR — and a planning study done. The project still has to be signed off by the Ministry of Health and the regional capex committee, Snoxall says.
The EHR system provides a portal onto a patient’s current and historical information held in various parts of the system, even with other health providers It will be developed on an “open” framework, with an ODBC standard database interface and a web front-end.
Following the completion of the first phase there is a Phase 2 already planned, to add further functionality but there isn't a "finished” phase, says Snoxall; enhancement will continue.
Project manager Robert Campbell said last week he could not give an indicative cost for the project at this stage, as contract details are still being finalised.