Victoria announces $14M EMR expansion

The Victorian government is investing A$21.4 million ($14 million) more to replace paper-based patient medical records systems in several public health settings. 

In a statement, state health minister Mary-Anne Thomas said four health services will be supported to transition to electronic records: The Royal Eye and Ear Hospital, Eastern Health (Victoria's second largest health service with 65 facilities), the 15-service Hume Rural Health Alliance, and Grampians Rural Health Service with eight health services. 

Implementation of a "connected and standardised" EMR system at these healthcare facilities will be supported by Hospitals Victoria and the Department of Health.

Two years ago, the Gippsland Health Alliance,  comprised of 11 hospitals and 6 bush nursing centres, completed its deployment of an EMR system provided by Altera Digital Health. 

NALHN, Peninsula Health to adopt digital patient flow management platform

Northern Adelaide Local Health Network in South Australia will implement a digital platform for managing end-to-end patient flow. 

The "interoperable, multi-facility digital health platform" will be delivered over five years by ASX-listed Alcidion under a A$4.5 million ($2.9 million) contract. 

Based on Alcidion's corporate disclosure, its platform – to be integrated with SA Health electronic patient record and other applications – will provide a near-real-time and streamlined view of each patient's journey across NALHN settings, including Lyell McEwin and Modbury Hospitals.  

A demand management and capacity planning solution will be initially deployed.

NALHN is also in the midst of digitising its patient pathways as part of a statewide project with another technology provider, Personify Care.  

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Peninsula Health in Melbourne, Victoria has also contracted Alcidion to implement the same patient flow management platform. 

The digital platform, which shows demand, capacity, and predicted availability and tracks both admitted and emergency patients, will be delivered across 13 sites over the next five years, as stated in its A$3.7 million ($2.4 million) contract.

Clinical ultrasound training at Edith Cowan University 

Edith Cowan University Australia is set to offer short courses for healthcare professionals on clinical ultrasound training.

It has recently signed a partnership with global health tech company Philips to develop a comprehensive curriculum on ultrasound. A series of short theoretical and practical courses will be created, featuring Philip's ultrasound devices. 

Based on a press release, these include courses on improving vascular access and fistula cannulation during dialysis; 3D advanced quantification and image quality optimisation; echocardiography in structural heart disease; and courses on advanced liver and pelvic imaging, musculoskeletal imaging, and pediatric scanning.

Once developed, they plan to extend these courses throughout Asia-Pacific, starting in Australia.

Workshops and training sessions are also expected to be held at Philips' Medical Sonography Simulation Lab at the university's Joondalup Campus.