New system for prisoner health rolled out by mid-2026

NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth 

National roll-out of a new electronic patient management system (PMS) at the NZ Department of Corrections is due to be completed by mid-2026.

In July 2024, Intrahealth, a subsidiary of HealWell AI, announced a $9 million partnership with the Department over a seven-year agreement to improve offender healthcare through the delivery of a new patient management system.

Department of Corrections chief nurse – director physical health, Ben Storey, tells eHealthNews that the Intrahealth PMS, Profile, will be used by frontline health staff in New Zealand prisons.

It will support Pae Ora (health staff) with managing medical records for people in prison, and will include functionality to allow referrals to external medical providers (including local hospitals), ACC referrals and claims, he says.

Also, prescribing medication and electronically sending prescriptions, booking appointments, along with internal reporting and reporting to external agencies such as Health NZ. 

“Through automating tasks, reducing paperwork and simplifying processes, Profile will ensure our staff can focus on providing quality care for people in prison,” Storey says.

“Profile will integrate with critical health systems including the National Immunisation Register (NIR), Health link, ACC, NHI, NES, ERMS and ePrescribing.”

Storey says that the department decided to move to Intrahealth’s Profile solution because its current digital software, MedTech32, is more than 20 years old and has been assessed by MedTech as at the end of its life. 

“It is not able to meet our service requirements going forward, including the data analysis and reporting we require,” he explains.

Dorian Prior, president of Intrahealth, said the new patient management system will improve operational efficiency, freeing up the health team to focus on providing quality patient care. 

“The system also features advanced security protocols and regular audits, ensuring the confidentiality of private medical information,” he said in a statement last July.

The roll-out of the new system is due to be completed by mid-2026.

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