The state intends to ‘stop big hardware purchases’ and move its workloads to the cloud.
NSW Health is set to consolidate its fragmented digital information and record systems into a fully integrated clinical information platform within the next few years.
Presenting at the AIDH’s MedInfo23 conference last week, senior leaders at NSW Health outlined the department’s roadmap for digitally transforming the health system over the next decade, including imminent plans to replace the state’s electronic medical records, patient administration systems, and audit information systems with a single digital patient record.
“Probably the biggest clinical and digital transformation ahead of us is our single digital patient record initiative,” said Dr Zoran Bolevich, chief executive of eHealth NSW and CIO of NSW Health.
According to Dr Bolevich, Epic has been selected as the principal supplier of the digital patient record, with the final stages of contractual negotiations between both parties currently under way.
In preparation for the new integrated clinical platform, Dr Bolevich said the department was also undertaking workforce planning, establishing effective clinical and program governance, assessing the readiness of LHDs and developing a future operating model to support and maintain the platform once it is implemented.
“This will no doubt be a significant multi-undertaking, and we do not underestimate its complexity and the challenges that will have to be overcome,” he said.
“But there is a lot of excitement in our organisation about this initiative. And we look forward to getting the actual implementation under way.”
Dr Bolevich said the department also plans to increase the number of clinical workloads hosted in the public cloud from 30% to 90% over the next two years.
Also on the agenda is the introduction of a new standards-based approach for consistent and regularly updated local area network capability, which will assist in scaling local services into evergreen, statewide services.
To be able to move data from various operational systems to the cloud, the department has also developed an enterprise data lake which replicates data from operational systems in near real time and now has live AI capabilities.
“We [have] made a conscious decision to stop big hardware purchases and instead start migrating our workloads to the cloud,” he said.
“In our opinion, the future of digital health is in the cloud.”
Finally, Dr Bolevich outlined the next steps for the department’s digital strategy, including implementing more consumer-facing digital services and capabilities.
Ongoing initiatives in this area include the digital front door, which includes an online portal – Engage Health – offering patients easier access to digital health services, patient-reported measures, digital baby book management, and virtual consultations.
“We have an opportunity to use digital channels to engage consumers and citizens in a meaningful way and bring their voice into the process of healthcare provision,” he said.
“The third cycle of digital transformation will be characterised by more scaled-up, whole system digitisation efforts, but that cycle also must visibly and tangibly contribute to wider health policy and health reform priorities.”
