Portal for DHBs gets minister's approval

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has welcomed a new Central Region hospital portal which enables secure and faster sharing of patient information.

A $9.5 million regional clinical portal has gone live in Whanganui DHB and will be rolled out across Hawke's Bay, MidCentral, Wairarapa, Capital and Coast and Hutt Valley DHBs.

"This milestone is the first step in delivering improved hospital health services through better patient information sharing and more efficient patient booking procedures," said Dr Coleman.

"The rollout started in Whanganui last month and has been well received by clinicians and DHB staff.

"Early feedback has included that it provides a streamlined and safer way to view clinical information without having to rely on paper notes and printed test results.

"More importantly, it also helps to improve the experience of patients by helping to provide faster, more integrated care.

"This clinical portal system supports the long-term vision of having one portal, one password and one patient record for every hospital clinician across the region."

The Central Region clinical portal is hosted on a shared IT platform owned and managed by the DHBs with support from Central Region Technical Advisory Services.

Developing a clear vision for the future of IT investment in health is a priority, the Health Ministry says.