This appeared last week:
Doctors warn of budget blowout due to dodgy software program at Cairns Hospital
May 29, 2016 5:00am
The Cairns Post
SENIOR doctors have warned of a budget crisis developing at Cairns Hospital, with health bosses asking them to no longer use pens, and to switch off lights in unused rooms.
The Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service has confirmed it is facing a “modest” deficit by the end of the financial year, forecasting a shortfall of about $6 million.
However the Far North Queensland Senior Medical Staff Association has warned unless the health service’s new electronic medical records system is fixed – claiming it is a major contributor to the hospital’s financial woes – then a much larger budget blackhole could emerge.
Cairns has been one of two pilot sites in Queensland for the rollout of the software program, Digital Hospital, an Integrated Electronic Medical Record (iEMR) system.
The program removes the need for paper records and charts, allowing staff to see patient information across a number of wards and facilities.
Dr Sean McManus, vice- president of the medical staff association, said Digital Hospital was too unreliable, and therefore creating a lot of stress for clinical staff, distracting them from patient care.
He said hospital funding was dependent on accurate reporting of clinical activity like surgery and clinical visits, which was being jeopardised by the new software program.
“The effect it is having on work, ward rounds and clinics is it now takes significantly longer,’’ he said.
“Medical records are not readily available under the new system. Yes, it is accessible from multiple locations, but you can’t always access it.
“The ability to report on the work that is done in order to get more funding has been problematic.”
More here:
This all sounds rather like what we have already seen in Victoria, SA and to some extent in NSW.
As Mark Twain allegedly said - History seldom repeats but it does rhyme!
David.
1 comment:
"Ms Hartley-Jones said the $31.5 million cost of the iEMR project would be reimbursed."
What does this mean? Reimbursed by who? OR does she mean when the systems working it will pay for itself many times over?
Where does this new software come from? Who is the software vendor? Without such information a story like this is out of context, it has no relevance and is therefore quite meaningless. Second rate reporters need to pick up their act.
Post a Comment