Contract Signed for Electronic Health Records System

The Ministry of Health and Wellness, on Tuesday (February 28), signed a US$5-million contract for the implementation of an Electronic Health Records (EHR) System in the public health sector.

The system will be rolled out over the next 18 months in 13 health centres and hospitals across the island.

United Kingdom (UK)-based firm, The Phoenix Partnership (TPP), is the entity contracted to deliver the system.

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, in his remarks at the contract signing held at the Spanish Town Hospital in St. Catherine, said that the EHR is “game changing” and will ensure greater efficiency in the delivery of patient care in the public system.

“We are ushering in a historic move based on what the result should be. It is potentially changing the way we administer patient care by reducing transactional time, transaction cost, and improving the quality-of-service provision for the patients in our public institutions,” the Minister said.

The EHR system is being implemented as part of the Health Systems Strengthening Programme, for which Jamaica has received a loan of US$50 million from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

It includes a patient registration system for appointment setting and assignment of patients in the triage process of a facility, which will mean shorter wait times for diagnosis and treatment, reduced cost in providing services, increased productivity, reduced staff frustration, and increased service-satisfaction levels.

EHR will allow healthcare providers access to review a patient’s full medical history via a database, whether at a health centre or hospital, enabling health professionals, in a controlled environment, to access patients’ medical history and to be able to deliver faster responses.

The Minister said the system will ensure seamless interface of critical diagnostic imaging that will enable doctors to see X-rays and computerised tomography (CT) scans on computers and tablets that have already been provided at the facilities.

Noting that the system will enable the sharing of health records across institutions, Minister Tufton said it will also support the telemedicine project, which enables patients to see medical professionals via a remote process.

“A successful implementation will make public health more advanced, in many cases, than the private sector. It is an important milestone in delivering equitable, comprehensive and quality healthcare for the people of Jamaica in a modern ecosystem,” Dr. Tufton said.