Hira detailed business case being developed

eHealthNews.nz: Interoperability

Tuesday, 29 June 2021

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NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth

HIRA business case The detailed business case for tranche one of Hira is being developed and will need Cabinet approval before funding is released.

In Budget 2021, Government announced funding of up to $385 million over four years (and a further $15 million in capital funding in 2025/26) for health sector digital infrastructure and capability.

The Budget announcement includes funding for Hira, formerly known as the National Health Information Platform, which will “enable access to a virtual electronic health record as needed by drawing together a person's latest health data from trusted sources to create that data".

Health Minister Andrew Little spoke about the pressing need to upgrade the country’s health IT systems during an emergency debate in Parliament on June 29.

The Minister said the ongoing need to maintain investment in health IT systems is “absolutely crucial” and accused the former National government of neglecting this area.

“Now we're in a situation where across our network of 20 DHBs, we have about 120 different IT platforms operating,” he said.

This creates stress for frontline clinical staff, “having to skip from one platform to another just to get the job done”.

“That is why we appropriated this year, $385 million for a serious upgrade of all of the IT systems across our DHB network.

“We can do better by upgrading what we've got, and making the systems we've got talk to each other, so we can get some coherence and coordination when it comes to IT systems across our health sector,” said Minister Little.

“You can't do that without making sure that cybersecurity is woven into every aspect of the upgrade of the system.

An information update for vendors from the Ministry of Health says the drawdown of funding for the implementation of Hira is subject to Cabinet approval of the detailed business cases for each tranche of the programme.

It says a number of vendors submitted responses to the Ministry of Health’s request for information (RFI) in relation to Hira, formerly known as the National Health Information Platform.

“The responses were much appreciated and provided valuable insights, learnings and input which are helping inform thinking and planning for the next stages,” the update says.

It says the detailed business case for tranche 1 is under development and the Ministry cannot yet advise a timeline for early engagement opportunities or market requests.

The Ministry of Health’s website says Tranche 1 will provide access for providers and consumers to important health information including demographics such as; gender, ethnicity, name and date of birth, enrolled general practice, entitlements, medicines, vaccination status and laboratory test results.

As part of tranche 1, consumers will have the ability to update information held in the national health index (NHI), such as their contact details, and work is underway to enable people to update data on their iwi affiliations.

Hira interim clinical director Becky George says the Hira team is, “looking forward to providing tangible benefits for the consumer and their primary care and community services in Tranche 1.

“Where the consumer and provider use the time available for planning services efficiently – knowing who is involved, progressing care with available information and making timely decisions based on accurate source data.”

She says the interim clinical and technical directors for Hira are working closely with key stakeholders to ensure the development of and alignment to standards for information and data and work underway, aligning to the international patient summary, will ensure summary health data is both consistent and viable for evolution in the future.

“The value of a clinical lens and perspective across Hira ensures that the clinical voice is heard, requirements are identified, and concerns raised. Ongoing engagement with the sector is key and we will ensure that the continuous involvement of a diverse range of clinicians is part of the programme’s development,” George says.