The South Island of New Zealand is home to over one million people, but the population is vastly dispersed. One of the biggest drivers for connecting care across the regions in the South Island has been the patient migration across this diverse geography. It seems to be an obvious problem with a seemingly simple solution – share health information electronically and ensure a patient’s record follows them wherever they go. 

The South Island Alliance is made up of five district health boards (DHBs) that share one major priority—putting their patients first. With that said, the Alliance needed a robust and collaborative health system that would support their commitment to building a best for people, best for system framework. 

In addition, since people in the South Island often cross DHB boundaries, it was crucial for the Alliance to fluidly transfer health information between health systems and services. That’s where Orion Health came in.

For over 10 years, Orion Health has been working with the South Island Alliance to customise their technology for optimal process, and ultimately, optimal health for their patients. Overtime, four key solutions were implemented to establish a well-rounded system that sets their health organisation up for success, including HealthOne and SI PICS.

HealthOne

Developed in partnership with Pegasus Health, HealthOne is an electronic health record system that integrates primary and secondary care information into one secure, patient-centred record. This system provides access to the most up-to-date clinical information for more than one million people in the South Island. HealthOne contains more than 80 million pieces of patient data and even won “Best Technology Solution for the Public Sector” at the 2017 Hi-Tech Awards.

SI PICS

SI PICS is a comprehensive patient management and administration system which enables efficient management of patient demographics, appointment booking, and more. Once all South Island DHBs successfully transfer to SI PICS in 2020, eight separate patient administration systems will be replaced with one cohesive solution.

Read about the other two features the South Island Alliance implemented, Health Connect South and Shared Care Planning, in our case study.

These innovative solutions resulted in major improvements throughout the South Island healthcare system. Now, clinicians are able to view and contribute to a single shared electronic health record, enabling better patient care and outcomes. Since clinicians now have access to all the accurate information they need, the chance of medical errors leading to patient harm has subsided.

Together, the South Island Alliance and Orion Health support DHBs to deliver value and outcomes that make a lasting difference to the lives of all South Islanders. This represents a significant stride towards achieving an integrated health system that puts the consumer at the centre of care, all while saving valuable time and money.

Learn more about how the South Island Alliances worked with Orion Health to keep up with their best for people, best for system approach in our case study.
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