As part of its goal to introduce electronic health records, The Tasmanian Department of Health and Human Services is to shortly convert 60,000 paper based records into a digital format.
The records, which are held at North West Regional Hospital and Mersey Community Hospital in Tasmania, will be scanned and put into the North West Area Health Services digital records system. An additional 140,000 records will be digitised in the future.
North West Regional Hospital currently uses a paper-based patient record system that is managed electronically by a software system called iPatient Manager (iPM). This is used state-wide as the Department’s Patient Administration System (PAS). iPM will still be used once patient records are scanned.
iPM was developed by e-health provider ISOFT (ASX:ISF). This was rolled out in June 2010 as part of a $4.6 million patient management system across Tasmania..
It provides clinical staff across Tasmania with access to up-to-date patient information in an aim to optimise efficiency, avoid duplication, reduce risk, and reduce time spent collecting patient information
Once the records are scanned, the Department will gain real time access to patient information from anywhere in the State. Improved quality of service through a shared patient record across community, allied health and acute health services is also expected.
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