The Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) signed a $18.3 million agreement to modernise its information system and once implemented, no matter where a patient goes within the public health care system, his or her records will follow this according to Minister of Health Dr. Perry Gomez.
Health officials say implementation will result in a number of functions becoming automated.
These include patient access and identity management; patient accounting; health record information management; materials management; ambulatory and inpatient electronic medical record (EMR); critical care module (EMR); Emergency Department Information System (EMR); radiology information system; pharmacy management and document imaging among others.
Dr. Gomez called the signing a monumental event and the future implementation a remarkable stride forward in service of better healthcare for Bahamians.
“Never before in our development of healthcare have we achieved the selection and implementation of a universal platform that will be accessed by the clinics and services of the Department of Public Health and the Public Hospital Institutions and facilities of the PHA,” he said.
“What this means for patients who access public healthcare is that there will be one patient, one record system that can be accessed no matter where they are seen [and] so it will not matter where you go in the public healthcare system for care, your medical record will follow you.
It is very important that we highlight this incredible achievement in light of our National Health Systems Strengthening initiatives and the launch of National Health Insurance.”
“IHIMS represents a significant mark of progress in our re-development of public healthcare in this country and given the imminent launch of NHI, an aggressive plan will be put in place to ensure the implementation in the shortest timeframe. This is a great day for The Bahamas,” Dr. Gomez added.
Minister for Grand Bahama Dr. Michael Darville, who was also present for the signing, said the new system will reap major dividends for the public healthcare sector in The Bahamas and its clients.
“In the 21st century, more than at any other time in human history, information is power. Timely, accurate and accessible patient information and medical records can have a tremendous positive impact on patient satisfaction and health outcomes,” he said.
“A top tier health information system also positively impacts inventory management, service delivery and productivity at our public health facilities.”
Dr. Darville also thanked all the key players that made the signing possible.
“The evaluation and selection process for IHIMS has been a necessarily rigorous exercise that was led by the PHA and Department of Public Health (DPH) with material assistance from Sanigest International, Santa Rosa Consulting and the National Health Insurance Technology lead.
“At this time, I would like to thank all key stakeholders for their tireless efforts in managing and contributing to this process,” Dr. Darville said.
The total cost for the new system was $18,389,368.
Dr. Gomez added that officials from the ministry and the PHA will be working closely together throughout the implementation process to ensure that the Bahamian people “are afforded value for the major investments made today.”
