Welcome to HTN’s international news in brief, where we round up some of the health tech headlines to have caught our eye from around the world over the last couple of weeks.
Sarasota Memorial invests $160 million in new EHR
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System announced at the end of November that it would be replacing its current EHR system with Epic’s “single, integrated platform” at the cost of $160 million, with hopes that the new system will replace “numerous standalone and ancillary systems” over the next two years.
David Verinder, Sarasota Memorial’s CEO, called the investment “a significant step” toward ensuring patient care both now and in the future, saying, “we look forward to the many benefits the nationally recognised system will bring to our patients and medical teams managing their care”.
The implementation will also see the roll-out of the My Chart patient portal, which will enable patients to access their health records and “securely exchange information with their care teams”.
Health NZ shares plans to “significantly reduce” digital roles
Health NZ has shared plans to “significantly reduce” digital roles, with emails sent out last week to those affected. The health service stated that the restructuring is “part of a drive to save $100 million per year from the data and digital budget”.
The announcement outlines the move as part of a wider effort to redirect available funds and resources to the frontline. This latest development follows news that $380 million initially outlined for digital and data functions had been recalled by the 2024 budget.
Italy and the UNDP launch Digital Flagship with Africa initiative
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has announced the launch of the Italian government’s Digital Flagship with Africa initiative, focusing on supporting digital transformation in “key sectors” including health and education across the Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mozambique and Senegal.
A primary goal of the initiative is around accelerating digital transformation across the African continent, with Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, minister for communications at Ghana’s Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation, speaking of hopes it will “foster a more inclusive society that benefits all citizens” and “catalyse digital solutions in agriculture, health and education, while bridging the urban–rural divide”.
Construction of National Digital Health Center underway in Togo
The construction of a new National Digital Health Center is officially underway in Togo, following a ceremony to lay its foundation stone.
The center will focus on three “major health challenges”, including maternal and child health, non-communicable and tropical diseases, and epidemic and pandemic management. It will ultimately play a role in helping to ensure “effective operational governance of digitisation activities in the health sector”, such as tele-ultrasound, distance learning, and remote consultations.
The project is financially supported by UNDP Togo, and is estimated to cost around $2 million USD. Mrs Binta Sanneh, resident representative UNDP Togo, noted that the construction will help realise the “shared ambition” to “sustainably address the problem of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through the use of digital technology”.
WHO and KSA expand Hajj health card initiative to support millions undertaking holy pilgrimage
The World Health Organization and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have expanded the Hajj health card initiative to support “roughly 3 million pilgrims who undertake the holy pilgrimage every year”.
The health card includes health information, medication needs, and pre-existing conditions, allowing those making the pilgrimage to offer access to their “accurate, up-to-date patient summary information” for healthcare providers.
The WHO shares that further collaboration has been agreed with KSA to expand upon the successful pilot, with “expertise and support from the Saudi government and their digital implementing partner LEAN” offering help around data security and technical issues to those countries joining the initiative.
Unity Health Toronto goes live with new EPR
Unity Health Toronto has gone live with its new Epic EPR, “the largest clinical transformation project in Unity Health history”, following a two-year project focusing on bringing the health system together “as a better connected organisation”.
Prior to the go-live, three of Unity’s hospital sites had their own electronic or paper-based systems, with the move to one EPR system hoped to “improve communication, efficiency, clinical decision-making and quality of care”. The MyChart patient portal was released simultaneously, allowing patients to manage their health journey, view health records, retrieve test results, and more.
The decision to work with Epic on the new EPR followed “a robust engagement and procurement process”, according to Unity Health’s announcement, which also highlights the ability to configure offered by Epic, and the potential of this to help the health system “boost it artificial intelligence (AI) efforts” and “more easily roll out various AI tools across its sites”.
