Vic plans clinical sharing

PHARMACY records in Victoria’s 151-strong hospital network are set to be integrated with other systems under a new Clinical Information Sharing system being planned by the state’s Department of Health and Human Services.

The department is seeking expressions of interest from suppliers to provide a new Clinical Information Sharing (CIS) solution for the state-wide integration of medical record and patient administration systems.

Tender documents confirm that hospital pharmacy platforms are included, as well as various electronic medical records.

A key part of the new system would be to facilitate access to the summary information in a patient’s My Health Record, including information across the broader health ecosystem such as general practices, private diagnostic providers, specialists and clinical information from other states and territories across Australia.

“The combination of access to local health data provided by the CIS and a summary of a patient’s medical history from outside Victoria via the MHR will enable healthcare providers to have a more complete record of their patient’s medical history,” the specification states.

A briefing session will take place in Melbourne tomorrow, with expressions of interest due by 17 Sep 2018 and expectation that a final shortlist of providers will be available in early Nov.