PHOs launch innovation hub to fast-track digital solutions

NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth 

A newly launched innovation hub aims to rapidly develop and scale technology across 500 general practices nationwide, focusing initially on robotic process automation (RPA) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The Health Accelerator is a collaborative joint venture between four of New Zealand’s largest primary care organisations — Pegasus, Pinnacle, ProCare, and Tū Ora Compass Health — collectively representing more than 500 general practices and serving over 2 million patients across the country. 

Justine Thorpe, Health Accelerator co-chair, says the hub is focused on fast-tracking digital solutions at scale.

"Rather than doing innovation in isolation, we have pooled our resources to be able to deliver it at scale," she tells eHealthNews.

The hub has a four-stage pathway that begins with identifying problems by working closely with practices, patients and stakeholders. Ideas are then prioritised and tested quickly before moving to co-design and collaboration phases, followed by pilot programmes and wider rollout across the four networks, she explains.

Thorpe says the accelerator has already received lots of emails with ideas from healthcare providers, showing strong interest in digital innovation within the primary care sector.

The hub will leverage existing internal capabilities across the four PHOs and will look to partnerships and investment for good ideas that need more support.

One of the first projects is scaling RPA across the country, building on work already developed by ProCare. 

These include a robot to do cardiovascular disease risk assessments (CVDRA), and two inbox management assistants. 

“These tools are already making a difference by reducing the time clinicians spend on administrative tasks. We have developed about 10 robots to date and plan to develop more,” says Thorpe.  

The accelerator also plans to explore AI tools, including AI medical scribe technology -already being adopted by many practices - symptom checkers, and patient signposting systems that direct people to appropriate care services.

"I think that there is going to be a range of AI options in the future and they all need clinical pathways," she says, adding that clinical governance will be central to any innovations led by the accelerator.

"The good thing about it being within our primary health environment is we can ensure there is really good clinical governance and some guardrails in place.”

Thorpe says the collaborative approach addresses a common challenge in healthcare innovation, where new technologies often struggle to gain traction beyond small pilot programmes. 

"I think primary care is absolutely open to this,” she says.

Bindi Norwell, co-chair at Health Accelerator says the hub will focus on digital solutions that enable doctors, nurses, and practice staff to focus on what they do best: caring for their patients.  

“New Zealand's health tech sector is valued at $3.7 billion and experiencing an annual growth rate of 8%. Health Accelerator is designed to speed up healthcare innovation by pooling resources, insights, and expertise. Essentially, it’s about creating a smarter, and faster path to innovation,” says Norwell. 

Image: Back row (from L – R): Alister Lawrence (ProCare), Amit Prasad (Pinnacle), Kiri Rikihana (Tu Ora Compass Health), Barry Bragg (Pegasus). Front row (from L – R): Bindi Norwell (ProCare), Justin Butcher (Pinnacle), Justine Thorpe (Tu ora Compass Health), Kim Sinclair-Morris (Pegasus) 

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