it glitch could delay new hospital

Here's an example of what ISOFT is up against at the moment when dealing with the likes of the W.A.D.o.H. Tassie already has their's up and running...


IT glitch could delay new hospital
DANIEL EMERSON, The West Australian October 14, 2010, 2:05 am

The failure of the Department of Health to implement a crucial computer system could delay the 2014 opening of the Fiona Stanley Hospital and is harming its ability to track communicable diseases, the Auditor-General has warned.

A report tabled in State Parliament yesterday found the department's patient administration system, identified as needing replacement 10 years ago, could have been in place by 2006 if the department had acted when $52 million was allocated to the project in 2004.

Acting Auditor-General Glen Clarke said the department had instead spent very little of the money and the system would not be in place until 2014 in metropolitan areas and Statewide by 2018.

"Health is confident that it can make that date but it will be a challenge," Mr Clarke said. "If it's not in place by 2014 it could mean the delay of the opening of the hospital."

Mr Clarke said the "critical" system would record medical and personal information to enable hospitals to track the transmission of communicable diseases, such as swine flu. The department had a patient administration system but it was not as effective, he said.

Mr Clarke blamed the delay on a "serious lack of continuity" in the department hierarchy.

"Since 2007 there has been three directors-general, four chief information officers, three project directors and three project managers, so that sort of lack of continuity really does create project inertia," he said.

Department director-general Kim Snowball denied the planned May 2014 hospital opening would be delayed.

"Really, that is speculation," he said. "Fiona Stanley will absolutely still open. In the unlikely event it is not ready, then we will go to other contingency plans so Fiona Stanley is not in jeopardy."

He said every effort would be made to have the system in place by the time the hospital opened and he was confident of meeting the deadline.
Shadow health minister Roger Cook said the failure to implement the new system meant there was no interface between metropolitan and country health facilities.


iSOFT upgrades i.PM with Western Australia Health
Sydney ? 10 June 2009


? iSOFT Group Limited (ASX: ISF) ? Australia's largest listed health information technology
company today announced it agreed on a licensing contract with the Western Australian Department of Health for its
latest iSOFT Patient Manager (i.PM) hospital information system.
iSOFT will receive a $1.5 million license fee as WA Health seeks to upgrade its older TOPAS solution to i.PM as part
of the state?s eHealth reform program. The company has also agreed, subject to final approval, to implementation and
support services totaling $15.4 million over five years.
Western Australia is set to become the nation?s first state to run iSOFT?s entire iSeries suite of solutions to provide a
flexible, fully integrated patient health record across multiple hospitals. There is potential for an additional $3.5 million
in services should WA Health elect to rollout i.PM across as many as 68 rural sites.
i.PM would be installed alongside iSOFT?s existing complementary eHealth solutions, including i.Clinical Manager and
i.Pharmacy, at 13 sites including Sir Charles Gairdner, Royal Perth Fremantle and Princess Margaret hospitals. Some
6,000 users will access i.PM across the full range of administrative services from patient registration and referral,
through waiting list management and bookings to inpatient attendances and outpatient scheduling.
?This deal demonstrates iSOFT?s success in transitioning large existing clients to our latest technologies,? said Denis
Tebbutt, iSOFT Australia Managing Director. ?Introducing complementary new solutions to create a seamless
electronic patient record is a key part of our strategy to strengthen iSOFT?s global footprint. Western Australia now has
an unparalleled suite of cost-effective eHealth solutions that enhance the provision of healthcare across the entire
patient continuum.

iSOFT upgrades i.PM with Western Australia Health
Sydney ? 10 June 2009 ? iSOFT Group Limited (ASX: ISF) ? Australia's largest listed health information technology
company today announced it agreed on a licensing contract with the Western Australian Department of Health for its
latest iSOFT Patient Manager (i.PM) hospital information system.
iSOFT will receive a $1.5 million license fee as WA Health seeks to upgrade its older TOPAS solution to i.PM as part
of the state?s eHealth reform program. The company has also agreed, subject to final approval, to implementation and
support services totaling $15.4 million over five years.
Western Australia is set to become the nation?s first state to run iSOFT?s entire iSeries suite of solutions to provide a
flexible, fully integrated patient health record across multiple hospitals. There is potential for an additional $3.5 million
in services should WA Health elect to rollout i.PM across as many as 68 rural sites.
i.PM would be installed alongside iSOFT?s existing complementary eHealth solutions, including i.Clinical Manager and
i.Pharmacy, at 13 sites including Sir Charles Gairdner, Royal Perth Fremantle and Princess Margaret hospitals. Some
6,000 users will access i.PM across the full range of administrative services from patient registration and referral,
through waiting list management and bookings to inpatient attendances and outpatient scheduling.
?This deal demonstrates iSOFT?s success in transitioning large existing clients to our latest technologies,? said Denis
Tebbutt, iSOFT Australia Managing Director. ?Introducing complementary new solutions to create a seamless
electronic patient record is a key part of our strategy to strengthen iSOFT?s global footprint. Western Australia now has
an unparalleled suite of cost-effective eHealth solutions that enhance the provision of healthcare across the entire
patient continuum.?

http://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20090610/pdf/31hzz9jxzr2dc3.pdf?