Queensland Adds Dedicated eHealth Division

At this week’s Health Informatics Conference 2015, Queensland Health announced the founding of eHealth Queensland, a dedicated eHealth division in a move to bring together the statewide rollout of electronic medical records (EMRs) in state hospitals and patient information viewing solution called The Viewer.

“We are committed to a fully integrated health system with a mobile workforce that can access information as quickly and as close to the patient as possible,” Health Minister Cameron Dick said.

“Our eHealth investment priorities include contemporary network and data centre foundations, a contemporary desktop environment to support a consistent user experience, a secure environment to share information and images, and to consult with others through an information interoperability platform and a statewide electronic medical record system that enables digital hospitals.”

The solution, from global EMR giant Cerner, supports order entry, pathology and radiology results, reporting, clinical documentation, alerts and allergies, and discharge summaries.

The Viewer will link the state’s health system to the PCEHR and will allow clinicians faster access to comprehensive current patient information in one place.

“I saw this in operation myself in Mt Isa when I was connected through the telehealth system on an iPad to a clinic in Mornington Island, which is in the Gulf of Carpentaria. So you can be in the ED in Mt Isa Hospital and connect through telehealth on the iPad to the health clinic and the staff there at Mornington Island. And that’s the future,” said Mr Dick.

“We will jump a generation of technology and ultimately we will be having that connection with patients in their home, across the internet. In the future that’s how patients will be connecting with their clinicians, with their rehab specialists, with their allied health specialists, with their nursing support and it will happen over the internet from their home. In many ways, that wasn’t even contemplated 22 years ago when this conference was first held,” said Mr Dick.

“Telehealth, as many of you know, plays a key role in providing access and sustainable care for rural and remote communities in particular. Queensland currently has one of the largest managed telehealth networks in Australia with over 2000 systems deployed in over 200 hospitals and community facilities. The network supports more than 40 clinical specialties and subspecialties across our state.