Royston Hospital in Hastings has introduced the first robotic-assisted surgical system in Hawke’s Bay, that significantly improves local access to advanced surgery for patients who previously had to travel outside the region for procedures. 

The Evolution Healthcare Group hospital has installed the Medtronic Hugo™ surgical robot, a technology that supports surgeons performing complex operations through small incisions with enhanced visualisation and precision.

The system is being used across several specialties, including urology and gynaecology as well as general surgical procedures.

Hawke’s Bay urologist, Dr Kenny du Toit, who trained on the Hugo system in Sydney before its deployment at Royston Hospital, said the local robotic-assisted technology is a significant win for surgeons and patients alike.

“Robotic-assisted surgery allows us to perform very complex procedures more efficiently and accurately. For suitable patients, that can mean a smoother recovery and a quicker return to normal activities.

“Importantly it also expands treatment options for local residents who previously may have needed to travel outside Hawke’s Bay for those procedures. We hope this soon provides a pathway to include all patients within both the private and public health sectors.”

Royston Hospital General Manager, Anna Harland, says the investment also reflects a broader commitment to improving access to advanced care while supporting regional clinical teams through training and collaboration.

“Introducing robotic-assisted surgery is an important milestone for healthcare in Hawke’s Bay. It enables our surgical teams to deliver modern techniques as well as allowing patients to remain close to their families and support networks during treatment.”

Royston Hospital has also hosted demonstration events for local doctors and healthcare professionals, providing an opportunity to see the system in operation and learn more about referral pathways and surgical planning using the technology. 

Source: Evolution Healthcare media release

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The world’s first health AI orchestrator, Orchestral, has launched Orchestral for Medication Safety, a product that supports clinicians to check prescriptions in real time inside pharmacy dispensing workflows to flag dose and interaction risks.

The product was developed in direct response to New Zealand’s rates of prescription errors. Estimates for how many people die in New Zealand as a result of prescription errors range hugely from around 2001. 

But from Orchestral’s point of view one person is too many whether that’s due to dosing errors or due to contraindications with other medications they are taking.

Lucy Porter, Chief Executive of Orchestral, said pharmacists are being asked to carry an unsustainable level of clinical risk and technology can solve this. 

“Last year, a week-long volunteer audit at 68 pharmacies in Midland New Zealand found 1,257 problems in prescriptions sent by GPs, specialists, midwives, dentists and other prescribers with 26% of these mistakes having a high risk of patient harm.

“If you extrapolate that data across the whole country there are one million problem scripts per year and 250,000 have a high risk of patient harm – we have to change this. 

“Pharmacists are expected to check every prescription under time pressure while holding thousands of drug interactions and clinical considerations in mind. That is not a people problem, it is a systems problem. 

“Orchestral for Medication Safety is designed to provide a safety net by checking every prescription, every interaction and every risk, inside the existing prescribing and dispensing workflow. This supports pharmacists' clinical judgement in real time,” says Porter. 

Orchestral for Medication Safety is delivered through the Orchestral platform, the world’s first health AI orchestrator, that empowers healthcare providers to harness the full potential of their data. 

The team are already having positive discussions in New Zealand about piloting this technology, and globally this is just one of the use cases for Orchestral that health systems are focused on.

Orchestral for Medication Safety sits within existing pharmacy dispensing systems. Prescriptions are checked automatically against dispensing guidelines to confirm dose safety and identify potential interactions with other medicines a patient is taking, with relevant alerts surfaced directly into the pharmacist’s workflow.

Medication safety is the first of a set of clinical safety workflows Orchestral is building for pharmacy and primary care.

“No patient should be left behind because of missed data. Yet no clinician can quickly connect all the available health information about a patient and relevant medical research with the current tools they have.

“More data is not the answer, better insight is. We’re here to turn the world’s scattered health data into life-saving insight that’s trusted, explainable, and ready for clinicians and patients when it matters most.

“The future of healthcare AI isn’t about more models or bigger clouds. It’s about orchestration like medication safety to make the whole system intelligent. That’s the category we’ve created,” says Porter.

Source: Orchestral media release

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Telstra Health, Australia’s largest digital health technology company, has today launched Smart Connect, a new pathology eRequesting capability within MedicalDirector Clinical, designed to replace manual, paper-based pathology requests with a fully digital workflow. The feature launches with Healius Pathology Network as its first integrated partner. 

Smart Connect allows GPs to generate, edit, electronically sign and securely send pathology eRequests directly from within their existing workflow, without leaving the MedicalDirector Clinical solution. Requests can be sent electronically to both patients and pathology laboratories, with radiology eRequesting to be added in future releases.

The launch comes as demand for diagnostic services continues to rise. eRequesting is becoming critical to maintaining efficient clinical workflows and supporting timely patient care. According to research conducted by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 59 per cent of Australians accessed Medicare‑subsidised tests in 2022-23, with 91 per cent of those delivered through primary and community care.

“Too often, healthcare digitisation optimises one link in the chain, instead of supporting every stakeholder across the patient journey,” said Dr Jennifer Beer, Product Executive at Telstra Health. “Smart Connect breaks that pattern — reducing admin for clinicians, removing paper for patients, and freeing pathology staff from manual data entry. That end‑to‑end impact is what truly transformative healthcare technology looks like.”

Smart Connect is powered by Telstra Health’s FHIR-native Health Information Exchange (HIE), enabling clinical information to be shared securely and in near real time between MedicalDirector Clinical and integrated pathology providers. 

Following the initial launch with Healius, Telstra Health will work with additional pathology providers in the coming months to support broader adoption of eRequesting across primary care.
Healius Chief Operations Officer, Puneet Nagi, said the partnership marked a significant step forward in collaboration between pathology providers and clinicians, helping improve efficiency and patient experience. 

“By enabling secure, near real-time electronic requests, we’re helping GPs reduce administrative burden and find more time for patient care, while making it easier for patients to access and follow-up their results. This is particularly important in today’s virtual, digital-first and telehealth-enabled environment,” he said. 

“Through Smart Connect, our laboratories benefit from structured, legible and editable requests — helping to minimise transcription errors and reduce processing delays.” 

Smart Connect is the latest addition to MedicalDirector Clinical’s suite of digital workflow tools, which also includes Smart Scribe, an AI-powered clinical documentation capability, and integrated Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities.

“Smart Connect is just one way we’re addressing longstanding issues with siloed data and fragmented workflows — securely connecting MedicalDirector GPs with pathology providers, and soon, radiology providers,” Dr Beer said. 

To find out more about Smart Connect, visit https://www.medicaldirector.com/smarter

Source: Telstra Health media release

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BPAC Clinical Solutions has today announced the launch of BPAC CareSuite, a new home for its suite of healthcare decision support tools, aimed primarily at general practices in New Zealand.

This is an exciting development that will, over time, see all BPAC decision support tools available in one place. BPAC CareSuite will enable easy access through patient management systems.

BPAC Clinical Solutions, Chief Executive Officer, Karl Andrews, commented: “This is a significant development for BPAC Clinical Solutions. We are pleased to provide greater accessibility for the delivery of our solutions to clinicians, that help ease workload pressures and support consistent, high-quality clinical advice.”

The launch of BPAC CareSuite coincides with the release of the ACC Certification Dashboard. This tool has been developed in collaboration with the ACC Performance Team to provide practitioners with detailed information on medical certification practice, including the number and ratio of ‘fully unfit’ and ‘fit for selected work’ certificates, average incapacity durations, and return-to-work timeframes.

The first release of our new decision support tools is the Brain Injury Screening Tool (BIST), developed in association with AUT. The BIST has been developed as an interactive tool that integrates with MedTech and Indici to provide patient-specific clinical advice to support the assessment and management of suspected brain injury or concussion.

Professor Alice Theadom of AUT’s Brain Health Research Institute said: “We are excited that the BPAC team have picked up and further developed BIST. When we originally developed BIST to help clinicians assess and manage suspected brain injury or concussion, it was important that the tool was easily accessible and aligned with best practice for both clinicians and patients. Integration into BPAC’s suite of tools adds a valuable new dimension to its ongoing evolution.”

Clinicians or practices wishing to access BPAC CareSuite are encouraged to visit caresuite.co.nz and complete the registration form. Once enabled, users will have access to BIST (from early March) and the ACC Certification Dashboard, with additional tools becoming available as they are introduced.

Source: BPAC Clinical Solutions media release

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Around 125 aged residential care (ARC) facilities across New Zealand will begin implementing the Deterioration Early Warning System (DEWS) from April 2026, with all but one using digitised versions integrated into their resident management systems.

The Health Quality & Safety Commission Te Tāhū Hauora is coordinating the phase one rollout, with staff training and data collection beginning in February and March 2026 and facilities starting integrating  digital DEWS from April.

Nikki Grae, HQSC senior manager quality systems, says the system provides a standardised, evidence-based approach for recognising and responding to acute deterioration in older people living in aged care. 
“This system was co-designed with the ARC sector – is world-leading and unique to New Zealand,” she says.

It is made up of three tools that trigger clinical escalation pathways with automated alerts and notifications to ensure timely interventions.

The Commission is working with RMS vendors to translate the three paper DEWS tools into a digital format. Two of the five main resident management system vendors used in New Zealand have digitised DEWS, and two other vendors are actively developing digital versions.

“The majority of ARC providers use electronic RMS so digital integration of the tools enables DEWS to be embedded into everyday clinical workflows, reducing duplication and supporting consistent use by staff,” says Grae.

“Digitised DEWS will enable a standardised, sustainable process. It allows data collection to be automated and reduces the burden of manual data collection on staff.”

Speaking at Digital Health Week NZ, CEO and founder of Hercules Health Gillian Robinson said the company has completed the digitisation process for DEWS and is awaiting education packages from the commission to support the system's rollout across aged care facilities using its system.

Robinson said this development of DEWS forms part of a broader transformation in aged care from reactive to proactive care delivery.

Data from Hercules Health's system shows more than 67,000 falls have been recorded over the past decade across client facilities, highlighting the scale of adverse events in aged care settings for residents over 65.

The company's new data dashboards enable real-time analysis of incident patterns, allowing clinical teams to identify risk factors and implement preventive measures before injuries occur.

"Data does not make decisions, but it certainly empowers better clinical decisions by the teams," Robinson explained.

"Decisions needed to be informed by live current data, not historic data reported sometime after the event.”

The digitisation of DEWS will create an even richer dataset for preventive care learning, supporting the sector's transition from reactive to proactive care delivery models, Robinson told conference attendees.

Grae says future implementation phases will be planned and facilitated by the Commission to support ARC providers interested in using DEWS over the next two to three years. Phase two and beyond involves the implementation of digital DEWS in facilities as more RMS platforms integrate the tools.

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The continuing use of paper-based referral and prescribing systems in hospitals is compromising patient safety  and reveals critical gaps in New Zealand's digital infrastructure, the health and disability commissioner says.

Speaking at Digital Health Week 2025, Morag McDowell said disparities in access to electronic prescribing systems across the country are leaving some facilities without basic digital drug alert capabilities.

She highlighted the case of a cardiac surgery patient with a documented penicillin allergy who suffered life-threatening anaphylaxis because of inconsistent allergy documentation across multiple hospital systems.

"When the HDC did its investigation, the documentation of the allergy on the national medication chart was very inconsistent and there were multiple errors throughout the clinical records, across multiple staff members and across multiple teams about his allergy status," McDowell said in her keynote address.

The investigation found the failures represented a systemic breach of patients' rights to services of a reasonable standard and the hospital has since developed a new single patient management system with electronic drug alerts.

In another case, a GP's paper referral letter expressing concerns about possible subacute bacterial endocarditis was lost, so was not seen by the treating clinicians.

"Evidence to the investigation showed that the GP to hospital referral system had been something of an issue for years for which no sustainable solution had been found," the commissioner told attendees.

The lost referral was a missed opportunity for timely diagnosis and resulted in breach findings for both reasonable standard of care and cooperation among providers to ensure continuity of care.

Digital systems that do not talk to each other are also adding risks, such as a case where a patient with bowel symptoms and an identified pelvic mass had their care delayed because of lack of integration.

"There had been a business case put forward about 10 years earlier for system integration which regrettably had been declined due to cost and time," McDowell said.

She also told the conference that patients have rights to informed consent regarding AI, telehealth, and other digital tools. Providers must explain why tools are being used, their benefits, limitations, risks, and mitigation strategies, plus any alternative options.

"People do have the right to decline their use, but of course should be told of the risks of doing so," she said, adding that digital tools such as AI cannot substitute for clinical judgement, and providers retain responsibility for decisions made and actions taken.

"Please read those AI notes, double read the AI imaging, reflect on the diagnosis," said McDowell.

Image: Health and disability commissioner Morag McDowell speaking at Digital Health Week 2025

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SECTOR UPDATE - Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora 

New digital technology that will support the New Dunedin Hospital Outpatient Building is being rolled out ahead of the facility opening next year.   

A Digital Health Design Lab has been set up on Cumberland Street, across from the new outpatient building, where Health New Zealand teams are fine-tuning the digital systems that will be used in the new hospital. 

New Dunedin Hospital Digital Programme Director Phil Baskerville says the new technology is being developed in real time and will improve the patient experience in the new hospital. 

“The lab is fully equipped with one of every type of digital device that is going into the outpatient building, allowing teams to validate some of the new models of care and make sure everything works well in real-life situations before commissioning begins.” 

What’s Coming to the New Hospital? 

The hospital will feature modern technology designed to make healthcare more efficient and user-friendly. Some of the key upgrades include: 

• Smarter scheduling: A new digital booking system and patient SMS/email system that will replace the current mix of letters, spreadsheets, whiteboards, and paper forms. 
• Digital signage and wayfinding: Screens and devices will help patients and visitors find their way around the hospital. 
• Patient journey boards: These will show real-time updates on appointments, clinic locations, and patient flow. 

The new scheduling system for clinical use is being rolled out early, so staff can make use of it before the hospital opens. It will feed information directly to the patient journey boards, helping staff manage appointments and clinic flow more smoothly. 

“These tools will make communication faster and clearer across the hospital,” Baskerville says. 

Less Paper, More Time for Patients

One major change is the move away from paper-based documentation. Going digital will lead to greater accuracy and provide faster access to critical information, as well as reducing admin work for staff.  

A Model for Future Hospitals 

The digital systems being tested in Dunedin will also help guide digital upgrades to other hospitals across the country like Nelson and Whangārei as part of the Regional Hospital Redevelopment Programme. 

Funding Snapshot 

• $225.5 million was allocated in Budget 2022 for the New Dunedin Hospital’s digital programme
• $82.4 million is already committed to the Outpatient Building
• The rest is set aside for future work in the Inpatient Building
  

Source: Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora media release

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Echo-Health has integrated its AI-powered scribe and patient communication technology directly into Medtech Evolution’s practice management software (PMS), creating a seamless clinical workflow that processes consultation data in real-time.

The integration, which went live in May 2025, allows clinicians to act directly within their workflow. Along with AI scribe functionality, clinicians can create letters, referrals and updates without leaving their existing Medtech Evolution environment.

The system listens to consultations with ambient speech recognition, analysing patient literacy, emotions and sentiment, and automatically produces personalised notes with pre-filled templates to update patient records. 

The patient experience is enhanced by sending reminders, booking links, plain language summaries, and educational materials to patients via SMS post-consultation.

Echo-Health is also developing a mobile version that allows clinicians to use the AI scribe functionality from their phones, all while maintaining the seamless clinical workflow directly into Medtech Evolution.

The power of integration

Cecilia Harris, founder and chief executive of Echo-Health, says the company is focused on three key components when looking at AI.

“We are very focused on the patient, we are very focused on the clinicians, and we are also focused on interoperability,” she says.

"We are different to competitors because we believe integration is absolutely critical to the long term workflow and integration of AI technology.

“So we looked for a partner that believed in the same thing, and Medtech, with their ALEX® platform, have all the existing infrastructure to make it very straightforward.”

Harris says that with Medtech being the leading PMS provider in New Zealand it was a “no brainer” to partner with them, and it has worked perfectly.

Integration using the Medtech ALEX® API means that unlike standalone scribe solutions that require copying and pasting information between systems, Echo-Health automatically places clinical content in the relevant sections of the patient record.

The system updates observations directly into Medtech Evolution’s screenings section and an upcoming integration with SR Referrals will automatically populate referral information.

Alex Cauble-Chantrenne, Medtech programme manager (Integrations) says ALEX® enables rapid development and deployment of these types of integrations without partners having to wait for practice management software release schedules.

This allows innovative companies like Echo-Health to develop and release new features themselves, while maintaining security and workflow integration standards.

Protecting patient information

Echo-Health processes all data in real-time without transferring patient information to external servers.

Patient identifiable information never enters its system, with the company pulling details like patient names and NHI numbers directly from the practice management software when formatting documents.

Harris says, "we do not take that information, we do not hold that information, so we do not pass that information back through the LLM in any way, shape or form.”

This approach addresses potential concerns about AI tools accessing patient data as the scribe strips any identifying information before processing, ensuring patient privacy remains protected, she says.

Lawrence Peterson, Medtech general manager integration and infrastructure, says patient data stays in the PMS where it belongs, rather than being spread out around the cloud.

“In-line processing means the only time the patient data is accessed is during the consultation and should a later ‘follow-up’ piece of work be required, such as checking for results, this can be performed later also as an inline request,” he says.

A user perspective

Bream Bay Medical Centre and Tui Medical are already using the integrated scribe, along with several other New Zealand practices.

Kay Brittenden, Bream Bay practice manager, says the security provided by an integrated AI scribe was the key factor for her when looking at options.

The medical centre, which looks after 9,500 patients with a team of 38 including 13
doctors, started using Echo-Health in June 2025.

"Security was the big concern for me and we always get the patient’s consent," she says.

"It is saving the doctors a lot of time and they are capturing more information from the consult, which is really the main benefit."

One doctor was surprised at how quickly she has adopted the technology into her day-to-day work, as she previously did not think she would ever use it, Brittenden explains.

Nurses are now also trialling the scribe and clinical staff are working with Echo-health to customise templates to meet their particular needs.

The future

Harris says future developments for Echo-Health include linking with clinical prescription databases to provide drug interaction alerts and allergy warnings.

"We are in conversation whereby we are linking in with a well-known clinical provider of prescription information that can bring up prompts on drug and allergy alerts, and drug on drug interactions," she says.

"We are focused on everything being done in a clinically safe way."

The system can also access existing patient information to provide prompts during consultations. This capability could alert doctors to missed screenings, overdue check-ups, or relevant medical history that may inform their treatment decisions.

The use of SNOMED coding means that in the future the system could also validate information by checking with another system.

“It is a very exciting future of what we can do within that space,” says Harris.

Watch the webinar Medtech ALEX® & Echo-Health - See SR Referrals Integration & Mobile Access in Action

If you have any questions re the above feature article, please contact the editor Rebecca McBeth.

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SECTOR UPDATE - Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is in negotiations with PMS suppliers (MedTech, Valentia, MyPractice and IntraHealth) to enter into new statements of work to support the GP2GP stabilisation work.

It is anticipated that PMS suppliers will prioritise implementing the latest version of GP2GP into their applications once these agreements are finalised. Following this, they would work with us on implementing further stabilisation activities.
 
HealthLink* will soon enable a feature which will allow larger files, up to 50MB, to be transferred over their network. HealthLink, Health NZ and the PMS suppliers will need to work collaboratively on implementing this new feature before it can be used by practices. Allowing larger files to be transferred between PMS systems will reduce the need for practice staff to manually break up files for a patient transfer.
 
When the GP2GP stabilisation activities are completed across the PMS applications, practices will start seeing improved reliability and safety – fewer data inconsistencies and errors, less need for manual intervention in managing file sizes, and regular testing to ensure ongoing stability of the GP2GP service.
 
More information about GP2GP is available on the Health NZ website.
 
*HealthLink is a messaging system used to send information between GPs, via Connected Health.

Source: Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora media release

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SECTOR UPDATE - Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora 

For the first time in public hospitals across Australasia, patients will benefit from increased access and faster, higher-resolution imaging as part of Health New Zealand’s digital innovation programme aimed at improving patient outcomes.

The very first new “Photon Counting” CT (PCCT) scanner in New Zealand will today begin operating at Christchurch Hospital. The scanner is a key element of Health New Zealand’s focus on using advances in technology to improve patient care.

Health New Zealand Radiologist Dr Alistair Rumball-Smith says: “This technology offers a significant step change in image quality, similar to shifting from black-and-white TV to 4K Ultra HD.”

“We can see the potential of photon-counting technology across a range of clinical areas and, as the clinical benefits evolve, will explore broader applications and develop new models of care to maximise the technology's impact.”

The PCCT scanner provides significantly sharper imaging than conventional CT machines, providing radiologists and cardiologists with better tools to do their job. 

They improve the quality and quantity of cardiac services, helping us to meet national health targets. Semi-urgent and more routine procedures including patients with heart valve disease or chronic coronary syndrome will have diagnostic imaging quicker, freeing up staff and facilities to focus on patients with more acute or complex needs. 

Health New Zealand CEO Dr Dale Bramley says the benefits to patients offered by the new PCCT scanner is just one example of how digital innovation can support better health outcomes.

“We will continue to invest in new technologies that support our teams to give patients better access to the treatments they need. The PCCT scanners are an excellent example of how advanced digital tools can assist us to do more and make best use of our clinical resources.”

Future proofing our healthcare, the new technology puts patients at the centre by creating new opportunities for patient care and cardiac diagnostics. It also improves access for people previously limited by traditional CTs, including those with irregular heart rhythms, reduced kidney function, limited mobility or bariatric patients.

Christchurch cardiologist and researcher Dr Charlotte Greer has recently been awarded a Heart Foundation Senior Fellowship to explore the potential of PCCTs to evaluate heart muscle structure and function to diagnose heart diseases.

“Radiology has worked in partnership with Cardiology for many years. These machines provide an exciting opportunity to continue working together to evolve and improve outcomes for our patients,” Dr Greer says.

Source: Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora media release

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indici is proud to announce the release of its direct integration with the National Cervical Screening Programme’s (NCSP) Cervical Screening History Summary.

Previously, clinicians had to phone the national cervical screening service to obtain a patient’s history, it’s a time-consuming process that often-disrupted consultations. With this new integration, clinicians can now securely access a patient’s complete screening history directly within indici, with a single click using the Time to Screen button.

The Cervical Screening History Summary provides real-time access to patient details, next expected screening events, and full screening history. This makes consultations faster, more efficient, and ensures that patients are offered the correct test at the right time.

Feedback from frontline clinicians

Early adopters have already highlighted the positive impact of this integration on both patient care and practice workflows:

“I think the Time to Screen shortcut has been one of the most useful additions to my quality of consultation. I do a lot of cervical smears and it is now really easy to check a clients screening history. having access to a client’s history enables me to provide care that is opportunistic and ensures that I offer the client the correct test based on their history. I love that I can download the report into Indici and therefore add it as attachments to referrals and letters etc. Accessing a clients history is now an efficient use of time during consultation.” - Registered Nurse, Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa

“The Time to Screen button has revolutionised our recall process. It provides timely information to our team of recall nurses, enabling us to better ensure that we recall clients at the right time.”

Clinical Information Specialist, Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa (https://sexualwellbeing.org.nz/)

Collaborative Rollout with Health NZ

This integration is being rolled out collaboratively by indici and Health New Zealand. Because cervical screening access requires a separate Terms of Use agreement to be signed at the practice level, the rollout is being governed by Health NZ. The aim is to complete the rollout across all indici practices before the end of this year.

Imran Rashid, Development Manager at indici, said: "we have worked closely with Health New Zealand on this integration and are proud to be the only PMS to have released this feature.

"The early rollout across 12 practices has already shown excellent feedback from clinicians and administrators. To make the Time to Screen option as accessible as possible, we have embedded it across multiple areas of the system, including the inbox, patient file, cervical recall management, and measurement sections. Clinicians also have the ability to download the screening summary, making it easy to attach to referrals and letters. Having one-click, real-time access to cervical screening register data adds significant value to practices. It improves efficiency, supports opportunistic care, and ensures clinicians can provide the right care to patients when it is needed most.”

Supporting better patient outcomes

By embedding cervical screening data directly into the patient management system, indici empowers clinicians to make evidence-based decisions in real time. This integration supports opportunistic screening, improves recall accuracy, and ensures that patients receive the right test at the right time.

Source: Valentia Technologies media release

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Medtech Global has integrated with dermatology platform DermEngine to help general practitioners and dermatologists offer expanded skin care services directly within their Medtech Evolution practice management software (PMS).

The integration streamlines workflow for GPs and specialists while improving patient outcomes through faster diagnosis and monitoring.

Enabling access to care 

DermEngine is AI-powered dermatology software for the imaging, documentation and analysis of skin conditions including skin cancer, and is used by general practitioners, dermatologists, dermoscopy nurses and skin specialists.

With a strong global presence across markets such as Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and beyond, DermEngine is widely recognised for advancing digital dermatology infrastructure and helping clinics integrate modern imaging and documentation practices into their daily workflows. 
 
A new integration with Medtech Evolution through the company’s ALEX® (Application Layer EXchange) allows doctors and specialists to access the smart dermatology system without leaving their PMS. 
 
Alex Cauble-Chantrenne, Medtech programme manager (integrations), says there is a growing trend among Kiwi GPs getting qualified to perform dermatology screenings and minor procedures that previously needed specialist referrals. 
 
"We have more and more GPs who are able to do a wound or a mole removal - that is becoming increasingly common,” she explains. 
 
The integration automatically loads patient information when a GP or specialist accesses DermEngine through Medtech Evolution, so there is no need to search for patients across multiple systems and introduce potential user errors. 
 
Lawrence Peterson, Medtech general manager integration and infrastructure, says the collaboration with DermEngine is great for New Zealand customers as the platform is already well-established in Australia. 
 
It can provide a new revenue stream for GP practices by enabling them to offer specialist services in-house, while also improving patient outcomes through faster care and early detection. 
 
While minor issues can be dealt with in primary care, GPs still refer complex cases to specialists when necessary and dermatologists using Medtech Evolution also get significant benefits from the improved workflow, he explains. 

AI-powered skin cancer detection

DermEngine is an advanced skin cancer and dermatology platform designed to support healthcare providers with medical imaging, documentation, and workflow optimisation.

The software is used by general practitioners, dermatologists, dermoscopy nurses, and skin specialists around the world to manage and organise clinical images in a secure, cloud-based environment. 
 
Pegah Kamali, marketing and business development manager, Asia Pacific at MetaOptima, explains that through its AI-powered tools, DermEngine enhances how clinicians capture, compare, and track images over time, supporting streamlined record-keeping and efficient clinical decision-making.

By simplifying image management and case documentation, DermEngine reduces administrative burdens and enables providers to focus more time on patient care. 
 
"If you do not know what is happening on your skin, especially on the back or on parts that the patient cannot monitor, this imaging and this documentation ensures they are not missing anything," she says. 
 
The new integration with Medtech saves time during patient consultations, allowing doctors to spend more time examining patients rather than doing administrative tasks, she explains. 
 
DermEngine includes two main imaging components: dermoscopy for detailed lesion photography and total body photography for comprehensive skin mapping. 

Application Layer EXchange - ALEX®

The integration was made possible by Medtech’s ALEX® platform, which enables event driven data sharing using FHIR® APIs. 
 
Third parties such as DermEngine are able to work seamlessly within the PMS and are governed by a Medtech Partner Programme Code of Conduct. 
 
Peterson explains: "the true benefit behind it is that it keeps the clinician inside of Medtech and it has a deep integration at the back which allows the exchange and sharing of information in a consented and secure manner.” 
 
Cauble-Chantrenne says that GPs have many increasing interactions with external parties weekly, making streamlined integrations all the more valuable. 
 
She says the ALEX® platform has matured significantly over recent years, allowing partners to integrate more quickly than previously, when extensive scopes of work and scheduled releases were often required. 
 
"It is night and day compared to how integrations historically happened: anybody can easily work with us if their solution is going to bring benefits to GPs," she says. 
 
Kamali says it has been a very easy and rewarding process to partner with Medtech via the ALEX®  platform. 
  
“The collaboration has strengthened DermEngine’s ability to deliver smarter, more connected skin cancer solutions and created real value for both clinicians and patients,” she says. 
 

To learn more about the integration with DermEngine, join the ALEX® Partner Webinar: Enhancing Clinical Workflows with DermEngine and Medtech Evolution at 1pm on September 10, 2025. 

Register here

If you have any questions re the above feature article, please contact the editor Rebecca McBeth.

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SECTOR UPDATE - Bupa New Zealand

Bupa New Zealand is rolling out a digital tool to help aged care employees consistently identify and respond to early signs of health deterioration in residents.

The tool is based on the Deterioration Early Warning System (DEWS), which was trialled at Bupa’s Northhaven Care Home during a feasibility study conducted in partnership with the Te Tāhū Hauora Health Quality & Safety Commission and the University of Auckland.

“DEWS helps us spot subtle health issues early, so we can take action sooner to help prevent serious problems and support better outcomes for our residents.” - Sandy Turnwald, Clinical and Quality Director at Bupa New Zealand.

Developed in New Zealand by Julie Daltrey, Aged Residential Care Clinical Lead at Te Tāhū Hauora Health Quality & Safety Commission, and Dr Michal Boyd, Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Auckland, DEWS enables caregivers and nurses to recognise small but significant changes in a resident’s health - such as increased fatigue or reduced appetite, before more serious symptoms appear.

“Caregivers often notice when something isn’t quite right. This evidence-based system gives structure to those observations and automatically escalates concerns to the Registered Nurse to take action,” says Turnwald.

DEWS consists of three tools:

1. Quick-DEWS: Caregivers answer nine questions about each resident each shift. If changes are noted, the concern is escalated to the registered nurse (RN).
2. RN-DEWS: The RN conducts a full clinical assessment, generating a score and checklist to guide next steps, such as closer monitoring or contacting a doctor or nurse practitioner.
3. SBARR-DEWS: communication and critical thinking tool to standardise handover to primary or secondary care.

Northhaven was one of five New Zealand aged care homes that tested the paper version of DEWS, which showed improved health outcomes for residents. Based on the results, Bupa decided to roll out the system to all 40 of its care homes and integrate it into its electronic resident management system, enhancing usability, consistency and visibility across care teams.

Bupa is also convening a working group with two other aged care providers using the VCare management system. Together, with VCare, they are building and testing the digital version of DEWS which is expected to be available to all VCare users by the end of the year.

To support the sector wide rollout, Te Tāhū Hauora Health Quality & Safety Commission is developing supporting resources, including online training, with more information to be shared with the aged care sector in the next 2-3 months. If any ARC facilities are interested in implementing DEWS, please contact DEWS@hqsc.govt.nz for more information.

“This is a New Zealand-made tool that improves care for older people,” says Turnwald. “We’re working to making easy to use and accessible to others.”

Source: Bupa New Zealand media release

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The Doctors Online has adopted indici lite to better support their virtual care model, streamline administrative and clinical processes, and provide a smoother experience for patients and clinicians.

Kylie Tucker, virtual care manager at The Doctors Online, says that as part of the 24/7 digital health service, they needed a system that could support extended hours and flexible care delivery.

Indici lite is intuitive and built specifically for online GP services, helping us manage appointments more efficiently, integrate patient communications more effectively, and offer a wider range of appointment types, including extended consults” she says.

The go-live with Doctors Online is the latest expansion of Valentia’s configurable telehealth platform across New Zealand's virtual healthcare sector, as it already supports the Ka Ora national rural telehealth service, CareHQ and Pratice Plus, among others.

Indici lite connects to shared health records nationwide and gives a complete integrated experience of care delivery to patients using only a web browser.

Sufian Mehmood from Valentia says this means, “you can deliver care to your patients in a complete virtual setting in a very configurable, adaptable manner: we can tailor it down to your needs."

The platform is able to support any organisation, from large scale operations to individual practitioners.

It also  integrates with all lab providers and pharmacies nationwide, as well as patient-facing applications, allowing direct appointment bookings through API integrations.

The platform has evolved from its original conception as a lighter version of indici and has been built with flexibility and a high level of configuration by design, making it adaptable for a wide range of special needs and use cases, explains Mehmood. 

For example, it currently powers the majority of ACC’s integrated care pathways and serves a number of organisations focused on telehealth delivery.

The platform's client native and web-based approach means there is no need for complex software installations, allowing healthcare providers to deliver care using standard internet browsers. This accessibility supports the virtual nature of modern telehealth operations.

"Most of our customers have virtual organisations, so they are operating with all of their organisation members operating remotely," he says. 

"The organisation is virtual as well as the delivery of care to the patient is completely virtual."

Kylie Tucker says the transition to indici lite has gone well, with strong support from both the inhouse and Valentia teams. 

“While there has been a period of adjustment, the team has adapted quickly, and we are already seeing benefits from a platform designed for online-focused care,” she says.

“Indici Lite will also improve reporting, strengthen service integration, and help us expand our reach, support digital health innovation, and enhance access to care across New Zealand.”

Source: Valentia Technologies media release

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WellSouth and Medtech have developed tailored practice management software for the Pacific Island Advisory Charitable Trust (PIACT), enabling it to expand healthcare services and improve access for Southland's Pasifika population.

The Medtech Evolution platform allows PIACT to coordinate care across all its health services (General Practice, mental health, nursing, social work and community navigation services.)

WellSouth hosts the system, which was implemented in April 2024, and provides ongoing technical support for the Invercargill-based organisation.

General practice operations advisor at the Primary Health Organisation, Karen Bolch, says the system has been customised to meet the trust’s unique needs.

"We had to make the system work for them rather than the other way around,” she says.

Supporting Southland’s Pasifika community

PIACT supports Southland's Pasifika communities through a diverse range of services, which include Whānau Ora, financial mentorship, work and income clinics, and community resilience programmes.

PIACT health contracts lead and board advisor Judy Bradley says Medtech Evolution integrates all of the trust’s services under one platform, as its previous system provided good data for social services, but could not integrate with other health services.

The new system has enabled the trust to employ clinical staff including a nurse practitioner, general practitioner, well child nurse and vaccinator, along with mental health clinicians. Winning these contracts only became possible by having a robust digital system.

"We would not have been able to secure and sustain those services without the information system provided by Medtech Evolution. If we did not have one, we would not get the other," says Bradley.

"We started off with five users and now we have 10. We were just dabbling our feet in the water at the start, and we were future proofing, hoping that we would get these services."

Enabling care

A lack of integration meant that previously general practices were not made aware of the work of PIACT staff, but the new system enables secure information sharing, Bradley explains.

Implementing practice management software (PMS) also means the trust can serve unenrolled patients who cannot access GP services due to closed practice books or other issues.

Invercargill has a very high number of unenrolled patients due to the general shortage of GPs and most, if not all, closing their books. Having this system that documents and stores information related to unenrolled patients enables ready access as space becomes available.

Bradley says this integrated approach allows staff to identify multiple needs during a visit.

"Many of our clients are quite complex with unresolved issues of a cultural nature that require further assessment and support by our team. This includes pastoral care, clinical pharmacist to assess their medications, dietitian, social worker, financial advisor and mental health.”

She adds that the bespoke software meets the cultural needs of Pacific families, where appointments often involve multiple family members and require longer than the traditional 10-minutes.

"It could be two or three family members that come and that takes time: respecting their culture and the language barrier,” says Bradley.

A digital transformation

The project began in February 2024 with comprehensive scoping, training plans, and support structures. WellSouth's team designed the system to include both social services and Comprehensive Primary Care Teams for PIACT.

Bolch, who led the implementation project, explains that the new practice management software needed significant customisation to suit community healthcare rather than traditional general practice workflows.

Making it work for them was probably one of the biggest challenges, she says.

Medtech Evolution was also adapted to handle group bookings for programmes like Whānau Ora groups and Drive My Life sessions, replacing paper-based tracking with electronic health records that automatically generate demographic and attendance reports.

Many PIACT team members had never used practice management software, so they identified a "super user" to give support and simplified the registration processes based on community feedback.

"Some of the challenges for the community was it was a change of process. They had to come in, they had to fill out a registration form to be logged onto a system," says Bradley.

Social workers and community support workers can also log in remotely to access patient notes, and automated appointment reminders sent via SMS both the day before and one hour before appointments have significantly reduced non-attendance rates.

Lasting impact

Medtech supports many communities like PIACT, says Jeremy van de Klundert, general manager sales & marketing, Medtech Global. 

“Healthier Care is our byline, and by helping and learning from those who need support, we become stronger as a healthcare provider in the community,” he says.

Bradley says the new software makes it much easier for the trust to welcome people into the space and support them and their health and wellbeing needs as suits them.

She can also get accurate reporting at the touch of a button and providers can modify components such as the sign-up forms to be more accessible.

“So many medical forms and paperwork are hard to understand especially if English is your second language,” explains Bradley.

“Something like a client information form that you can understand and starts the process positively can make the difference between someone staying and getting the help they need or leaving.”

Since PIACT’s successful implementation, WellSouth has rolled out Medtech Evolution to four other community providers in the Southern region, using the lessons learned to streamline future deployments.

“This is where healthcare needs to go,” Bradley says.

“We need to help break barriers, so people get support where they feel most comfortable.”

Image: PIACT staff member using Medtech Evolution

If you have any questions re the above feature article, please contact the editor Rebecca McBeth.

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Australia/New Zealand, July 2025 – Altera Digital Health, a global health IT leader, this week announced the general availability of Sunrise™ 25.1, the latest release of its complete electronic health record (EHR) system for hospitals and health systems. Designed in close collaboration with clients, Sunrise 25.1 introduces nearly 700 updates and new features that sharpen clinical and financial workflows, streamline navigation, minimise the cognitive load for users and make critical information accessible at the point of care.

Sunrise 25.1 also represents a significant uplift in clinical workflow satisfaction and efficiency for clients. Within Sunrise™ Ambulatory Care, enhanced patient management features include a unified list for appointments and walk-ins, easy location viewing, enhanced visual cues and clinical assignments, and new mini-views that enable users to toggle between patients with a single click. On the acute side, users can enter, view and maintain orders at the patient level and enter queries without exact search term requirements. Additionally, Sunrise™ Mobile’s new, intuitive icons and modernised user interface enable clinicians to use the system more seamlessly so they can focus more on patient care.

To further strengthen patient outcomes and safety, Altera Digital Health has also announced the general availability of Sunrise™ CarePath, a mobile patient engagement platform designed to close communication gaps and reduce adverse events, readmissions and financial barriers. Fully integrated with the Sunrise™ EHR, Sunrise CarePath delivers capabilities including real-time secure messaging, self-scheduling, patient notifications and appointment reminders, and online billing integration - empowering patients to remain connected to their care teams and better manage postdischarge care.

Research across Asia-Pacific reveals that hospital readmission rates within 30 days postdischarge range from 10% to 16%, with long-term rates in some populations reaching up to 33%¹. In the Philippines², socioeconomic factors contribute to a 47% loss to follow-up rate in tertiary hospitals, while in Singapore, continuity of care is a major focus under Healthier SG reforms³. Sunrise CarePath aims to address these regional challenges by closing critical communication gaps during and after hospital stays.

“When patients can’t easily message their care team, manage follow-up appointments or stay on track with medications, adverse events are inevitable,” said Jay Adams, Executive Vice President and General Manager for Sunrise, Altera Digital Health. “Sunrise CarePath gives hospitals powerful tools to close these gaps - helping clinicians protect patients and drive better outcomes after discharge. This level of engagement is key to delivering truly patient-centric care.”

Healthcare organisations across APAC continue to face mounting financial pressures. In Singapore, manpower accounts for 60% of total healthcare costs⁴ and 79% of healthcare leaders identify financial challenges - including workforce shortages, rising labor costs, and uncompensated care - as significant barriers to delivering timely, high-quality services⁵.

Healthcare organisations in Australia continue to face significant financial and operational challenges. In 2022–23, private hospitals experienced a sharp decline in profitability with average EBITDA margins shrinking from 8.7% to 4.4%⁶, while cost barriers led approximately one million Australians to delay or skip specialist care⁷.

Sunrise 25.1 addresses these realities by embedding best-practice workflows and flexible configuration tools that support revenue integrity, clinical productivity and enterprisewide efficiency. For example, the Sunrise™ Financial Manager module contains a billing hub that consolidates billing requests, claims and self-pay into three easily accessible tabs that streamline workflows for staff members across the revenue cycle.

“This release brings meaningful advancements to the front lines of care and operations, delivering tools that help teams move faster, work smarter and make strides where it matters most to them,” said Shanna DeLeo, SVP of Development for Sunrise, Altera Digital Health. “Sunrise 25.1 is a direct result of listening to our clients and a commitment to continuous progress. I am incredibly proud of the Sunrise team for
delivering on our promise to keep elevating healthcare for clinicians, staff members and the patients they serve.”

“Healthcare providers across Asia-Pacific are under growing pressure to do more with less - whether it's responding to workforce shortages, improving patient access or managing rising costs,” said Todd Haebich, Executive Vice President, APAC, Altera Digital Health. “With Sunrise 25.1 and the launch of Sunrise CarePath, we’re delivering technology that helps hospitals work smarter, not harder and enabling clinicians to deliver more connected, efficient and patient-centred care.”

Learn more about new product features and enhancements in Sunrise 25.1 here.

Footnotes:
1 https://www.publish.csiro.au/ah/pdf/AH16287
2 https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/article/30/Supplement_5/ckaa166.496/5914073
3 https://www.moh.gov.sg/newsroom/targeted-versus-medium-term-outcome-indicators-of-healthier-sgprogramme
4 https://www.channelnewsasia.com/cna-insider/healthcare-costs-rising-singapore-hospitals-governmentsubsidies-moh-4764391
5 https://www.philips.com/c-dam/assets/corporate/global/future-health-index/report-pages/experiencetransformation/2024/sg/philips-future-health-index-2024-report-better-care-for-more-people-sg.pdf
6 https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/private-hospital-financial-viability-health-check-summary
7 https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jun/15/one-million-australians-missing-specialistdoctor-appointments-due-to-cost-report-finds

Source: Altera Digital Health media release

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SECTOR UPDATE - Medtasker

Medtasker, a leading provider of hospital communication and task management software in Australia and New Zealand, today announced the first successful implementation of its new Emergency Response module, designed to help hospitals respond faster and more effectively to emergency events.

Hospitals face emergencies every day, from critical patient deterioration to security incidents with these events commonly referred to as Medical Emergency Team (MET) Calls, emergency codes or 777 alerts in New Zealand. However, many hospitals still rely on outdated tools such as pagers or overhead announcements, which offer limited visibility and no way to track who is responding or if help is on the way. These gaps can delay response times and increase risk during critical events.

The Emergency Response module modernises how urgent situations are activated by replacing fragmented processes with instant communication via mobile devices, live tracking and automated workflows. Alerts go directly to designated responders and give coordination teams real-time visibility of who has acknowledged the alert and who is yet to act. This transparency speeds up escalation decisions, reduces confusion over attendance and ensures the appropriate staff are mobilised without delay.

Designed for the fast pace of hospital environments, the Emergency Response module supports all staff and departments by sending clear, location-specific alerts. Coordination teams can monitor responses live, ensuring the right team is mobilised while frontline staff stay focused on patient care and safety.

Paul Hirst, CEO of Medtasker, said: “Hospitals manage a wide range of emergencies every day, from critical clinical events to security, environmental and operational incidents. They need communication tools that support live collaboration across teams. We worked closely with frontline and coordination teams to develop an experience that is intuitive, reliable and built for the urgency and pressure of real-world emergencies. This solution reflects our vision to support hospitals in every situation where clear communication, coordination and visibility are essential. We are proud to give frontline teams the confidence to act quickly and effectively, no matter the level of acuity.”

Health New Zealand is the first health service to implement the Emergency Response module, going live at
Whangārei Hospital in June 2025. Rollout is planned across eight more hospitals across New Zealand’s Northern Region over the coming months. This expansion aligns with Health New Zealand’s broader commitment to digitising critical hospital workflows across their health services.

For more information or to request a demonstration, contact info@medtasker.com. 

Source: Medtasker media release

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New Zealand's largest community lab provider has implemented a digital pathology system, integrating digital scanners with its in-house laboratory information management system (LIM) to modernise diagnostic processes.

The digital system enables better collaboration, remote working and specialisation for pathologists across the country, as well as increases the safety and effectiveness for reporting of histology specimens.  

Awanui Labs went live with Whole Slide Imaging/ Digital Pathology at its histology laboratory in Dunedin towards the end of 2024 and is now rolling out in Wellington and Christchurch. 

This enables the team to scan and transfer images of a patient’s tissue sample onto a single digital file, which is then uploaded to their system.

Brent Glanville, chief information officer at Awanui Labs, says the organisation integrated Leica digital scanners and eSlide Manager software with its LIM, called Lab Solutions. 

He tells eHealthNews the digital system changes how pathologists receive and process cases, as instead of getting physical glass slides in trays, they now click a button to access the next case from a digital queue.

The integration included modifying the LIM to implement quality control screens to assess whether scanned slides meet diagnostic standards and enhancements to do case assignments.

This change enables greater specialisation as cases can be automatically assigned and directed to pathologists with expertise in areas such as breast, prostate, or bowel cancer diagnostics, Glanville says.

While the digital system adds an extra scanning step to the histology department workflow, it also allows pathologists to collaborate and get second opinions as multiple specialists can view the same slide simultaneously from different locations.

Awanui Labs established a separate network infrastructure to handle the large digital pathology files, which range from one to 1.5 gigabytes per image. It stores images locally in Christchurch with a backup system in Auckland to ensure data security and accessibility.

Glanville says the use of digital pathology provides the foundation for using artificial intelligence in the future, to do things like highlight cells of significance and prioritise cases requiring urgent attention.

"AI will not replace pathologists, but it will speed up the diagnoses and the work that they have to do,” he says.

Anatomical pathologist Michael Lau says use of digital pathology increases the safety and effectiveness for reporting of histology specimens.  

“Direct integration of the two digital scanners into the LIM is a crucial step as this electronically scans and separates the information on each individual specimen case, reducing the risk of reporting the ‘wrong slide’ and a further safety improvement,” says Lau.  

“This will enable our organisation to continue improving the efficiency and quality of our service in the lab and look at how the technology can be applied on a broader scale both across the Awanui network and the wider pathology sector in the future.”

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SECTOR UPDATE - System C

System C is proud to announce the continued expansion of the comprehensive BadgerNet Maternity and Neonatal services across New Zealand's hospital districts. This initiative marks a significant step towards unifying maternity and neonatal care in the country.  This six-year partnership between System C and Health New Zealand will run until March 2031.

The adoption of BadgerNet aligns with both long term goals of New Zealand’s Heath Strategy, aiming to achieve health equality and improving the health outcomes for all New Zealanders. 

System C’s maternity and neonatal solutions are built with expectant parents in mind as well as clinicians with the Badger Notes app providing pregnant women with access to their pregnancy notes, empowering them to be involved in their care and promoting a woman-centred approach.

Alongside the national adoption of BadgerNet across all hospital districts, System C have also implemented a bespoke Perinatal Spine technology that allows midwifery providers using alternative systems to integrate seamlessly into the national shared care record.

Trusted British Tech in New Territories 

With a strong heritage in the UK as the leading provider of maternity and neonatal solutions across both the NHS and private sector, System C’s BadgerNet Neonatal Clinical Summary technology is used in 99.9% of clinical settings in the UK. BadgerNet Neonatal technology ensures that interfacing, charting, clinical care plans and task lists are integrated into one system, supporting clinicians’ efficiency their day-to-day activities.

System C's BadgerNet Maternity is the only comprehensive solution that enables real-time recording of events and care throughout pregnancy, from pre-conception to postnatal, including early pregnancy and gynaecological care. It offers locally configurable pathways and tasks, eliminating the need for paper records. 

Guy Lucchi, Managing Director – Healthcare, System C said "We are delighted to bring our cutting-edge maternity and neonatal solutions to New Zealand. This partnership underscores our commitment to enhancing healthcare outcomes through innovative technology. By integrating our BadgerNet systems, we aim to provide seamless, real-time access to critical patient information, empowering clinicians and improving patient care. We look forward to supporting New Zealand's healthcare professionals in delivering the highest standards of care."

Aligning with the four priorities for women’s health in New Zealand 

System C is proud to partner with the New Zealand government during this pivotal time, as Aotearoa New Zealand introduces its first Women’s Health Strategy. This strategy sets long-term priorities to guide the health system towards equity and healthy futures for women. The four key priorities are:

• Priority 1: A health system that works for women
• Priority 2: Improving health care for issues specific to women
• Priority 3: Better outcomes for mothers, whānau and future generations 
• Priority 4: Living well and ageing well. 
  

The need for the investment in maternity services leading to a reduction in overall spend is echoed by a recent study conducted by Science Direct. Utilising real-world data from New Zealand, the only country with fully integrated midwifery continuity-of-care, the study established that midwifery care is cost-saving for public healthcare systems compared to maternity care provided by private obstetricians.” (The impact of caregiver and intended mode of birth on the public cost of care: Cost analysis of maternity and neonatal care in New Zealand - ScienceDirect) 

This partnership represents a significant milestone in the advancement of maternity and neonatal care in New Zealand. By leveraging System C’s innovative technology and expertise, we are committed to supporting healthcare professionals and improving health outcomes for women and their families. Together, we are paving the way for a healthier future, ensuring that every mother and baby receives the highest standard of care.

Source: System C media release

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SECTOR UPDATE -Toniq

Pharmacy dispensing solution provider Toniq will roll out a new, revamped user screen to pharmacies over the next month – offering users more viewing options and support features.

Toniq senior product manager Luke Tilson said new application features had been developed in response to customer feedback on the screen view and had already received positive reviews from early adopters.

“We absolutely love the Toniq Side Panel — it’s a total game changer for us here at Unichem Hurst and Taylor,” said pharmacist Scott Phillips, adding “It’s made everything faster and easier.”

Mr Tilson said it delivered a better experience for users. “What we’ve done is added a new application that sits to the side of the dispensary programme. For pharmacies, it will be really useful for dispensing, by displaying the prescription,” he said.

“Essentially, it is a web view, that’s integrated with the core dispensary application.”

Mr Tilson said it was a step towards paperless prescriptions for pharmacies, “but also on top of that, we’re thinking about other use cases”.

Mr Tilson said other features being developed for the side panel included SmartForm eReferrals, AI and additional support features.

Toniq were currently prototyping AI-generated directions and suggestions, and also an “AI chatbot for users to be able to ask questions from a help article perspective,” Mr Tilson said.

“We’ve already got an internal AI chatbot, but are adding a customer-facing AI bot, in order to present some of that information as well.

“In low-trafficked areas of the application – where a user doesn’t normally operate in – we now present information on how to use that particular area of the programme in context – while also reducing the need for support.”

Mr Tilson said Toniq would change its major version as part of the side panel release. 

“We’ve been on version five for a few years now – so this is a big deal for us and our pharmacy customers. It’ll be quite exciting to get the new version out and make it available.”

Currently, more than 900 pharmacies operate Toniq Dispensary across New Zealand.

Toniq was recently chosen as New Zealand’s first Medsafe-approved electronic controlled-drug register.

Image: Toniq senior product manager Luke Tilson (left) with Bastins Pharmacy owner Theo Hudson.

Source: Toniq media release

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SECTOR UPDATE - Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora

Health New Zealand has reached a major digital health milestone with the successful go-live of the South Island Patient Information Care System (SIPICS) on the West Coast. This final implementation completes the rollout of a single, integrated patient administration system across all of Te Waipounamu. 

SIPICS now connects every South Island district to a unified digital platform, enabling consistent, region-wide management of patient information across our hospitals and community services. The system supports standardised workflows, improved service coordination, and richer data insights that enhance patient care and outcomes. 

“This is a landmark moment for digital health in Aotearoa,” said Kirsty Martin, Health New Zealand Regional Group Manager Te Waipounamu, Integration and Delivery, Digital Services. “SIPICS is more than a system upgrade, it’s a foundation for smarter, more connected care. I want to thank every member of our digital, clinical, and operational teams who contributed to this achievement. Their dedication ensures that people across the South Island benefit from a more seamless and equitable health experience.” 

The West Coast go-live on 31 May 2025 was delivered on time and on budget, with no major issues. Over 300 staff were trained through a combination of face-to-face sessions and online learning across Greymouth, Westport, Reefton, and Hokitika. Staff described the transition as “smooth and well supported,” with many acknowledging the value of the preparation and on-site guidance during the early days of using the system. 

SIPICS works in tandem with Health Connect South, the regional clinical portal, to provide a comprehensive view of the patient journey. The system has already enabled innovations such as regional neurosurgery services with single waitlists and shared administrative resources, improving both efficiency and resilience. 

Looking ahead, Health New Zealand plans to build on this foundation with further digital enhancements. These include integration with electronic referrals, eTriage, and new functionality being introduced through the New Dunedin Hospital digital programme such as online booking and patient queue management that will be made available across the region. 

This milestone reflects Health New Zealand’s commitment to delivering connected, patient-centred care through supported by digital technology. 

Source: Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora media release

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Te Waipounamu has completed the roll-out of a fully integrated patient administration system, providing a regional view of the patient journey and enabling new functionality to be delivered more rapidly across the South Island.

The West Coast went live with the South Island Patient Information Care System (SI PICS) on 31 May 2025.

The system is already in use in the Nelson/Marlborough, Canterbury, South Canterbury and Southern districts.

Provided by McCrae Tech (previously Orion Health), SI PICS includes patient demographics, master patient index, appointment booking, waiting list management, patient transfers, records of patient activity, reporting, admission and discharges, and alerts and allergies.

Kirsty Martin, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora region group manager integration and delivery - Te Waipounamu, says the benefits of having a South Island-wide patient information system are significant. 

“SI PICS, in conjunction with Health Connect South, enables standardised workflows and service operations across the region and the efficiencies this brings,” she says. 

She provided an example of a regional service for Neurology which has been put in place with single waitlists. 

“There is a greater pool of clinical administrative staff across the region building collective expertise and operational resilience,” says Martin. 

“It enhances coordination between hospitals and communities, provides a regional view of the patient journey, and delivers richer data insights that support improved patient care and outcomes.” 

Martin says there are plans to continue building on this foundation, including integration with the single regional clinical portal to develop further clinical workflow, such as electronic referrals and eTriage.  

“It is already demonstrated that we can deliver functionality faster to the whole region by only having to integrate once with the central PAS, with the recent rollout of emailing patient appointment letters for all five South Island districts,” she explains. 

The New Dunedin Hospital digital programme will introduce new functionality integrated with SI PICS that will then be available to the other districts to implement, such as online booking and a patient queue management system. 

“SI PICS is part of a broader digital transformation strategy, with ongoing enhancements and integration with other platforms. These efforts aim to maximise the value of the system and support future digital initiatives, including capital funding proposals to further develop and connect systems,” Martin says. 

She tells eHealthNews the West Coast implementation involved a comprehensive training programme to ensure the 300 staff were well-prepared. 

Face-to-face training sessions were held from 28 April to 23 May supplemented with online learning for staff in Greymouth, Westport, Reefton and Hokitika.

Niru Rajakumar, chief executive of hospitals by McCrae Tech, says the SI PICS milestone caps a decade of sustained collaboration, and delivers real impact .

“With a single patient system now live across the South Island, we have made care safer and more seamless for over a million New Zealanders. It means fewer handoffs, faster treatment, and smoother journeys for patients, no matter where they live," he says.

"We congratulate Health NZ for their foresight and tenacity in seeing this through, it is a powerful example of public-private partnership done right. It is also a reminder that when New Zealand commits to long-term digital infrastructure, we can lead the world in joined-up, equitable care.”

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Tāmaki Health has successfully implemented a single instance of Medtech Evolution, enabling patients to access care at any of its clinics and giving clinicians visibility of their medical records, improving continuity of care and patient safety.

The digital initiative has also enabled the primary healthcare group, which operates 52 clinics nationwide, to implement and scale a number of automation initiatives, improving both clinical care and back office workflows.

A shared record

Tāmaki Health has implemented a centralised practice management system (PMS) – Medtech Evolution - across 42 of its North Island clinics. 

Chief executive Lloyd McCann says this enables a network approach to patient care, with seamless access to medical records regardless of which clinic a patient visits.

"All clinics are on the same database, so in essence we have a shared care record,” he says.

“There is a huge patient benefit in terms of continuity of care and safety, in relation to that record being accessible to authorised users right across the network, particularly where there is a presentation out of hours or a virtual presentation.

“And for our clinicians, irrespective of the setting they find themselves in, the ability to access a fulsome patient record and understand the context with which this person is presenting allows you to make much better decisions, and ultimately drives better outcomes.”

Four of Tāmaki’s six South Island clinics have also joined a separate South Island instance of Evolution since the start of the year, and the remaining two are expected to follow soon.

"I have been through a few massive IT implementations, and the way the team managed that, which is a very different way of working for those clinics, was seamless," McCann says.

A centralised approach

Chief digital officer Samir Ranchhod says Tāmaki Health has been strategically working on this digital transformation for a number of years, allowing the organisation to leverage automation and AI initiatives.

"What we have tried to build out here is a strategy around creating a network of clinics that service the patients in a different way," he explains.

The single-instance approach has enabled the healthcare provider to centralise its call centres, offering patients more flexibility when booking appointments.

"A patient might call and say, ‘I would like to book an appointment with a particular doctor’, but we are able to offer alternatives, such as being seen that morning with a clinic that is only three kilometres away,” he says.

The platform has been particularly beneficial for patients who prefer to see a specific doctor who works across multiple locations, ensuring continuity of care regardless of which clinic they visit.

Ranchhod says the centralised PMS has also enabled Tāmaki to implement and scale automation across its network. The organisation has successfully deployed 63 automation processes ranging from data transfers to patient-focused initiatives.

"The reason that we have been able to scale automation across the business so quickly is because of that centralised instance where you then are working with data that is consistent across the sites," says Ranchhod.

Enhancing patient care

One of the most clinically beneficial automations identifies patients due for preventative health measures such as immunisations, flu jabs, and mammograms. The system automatically creates recalls, sends text messages to patients, and provides links to book appointments.

"Usually, you would have a practice nurse or admin or even the doctor going through their patient list to try and identify those people or using third party tools to do that. This way we are doing it at scale across the cohort of clinics," Ranchhod says.

The system also automatically flags when patients or their family members are due for preventative care before they come in for appointments.

"When a patient presents in a clinic, we have got automation platforms running in the background to ensure that we have not missed something for that patient on that day," he says. 

For example, it might change the notes field automatically to say 'while the parent is in here, please make a note that their son is due for an immunisation’.

"That has probably been one of the most impactful automation initiatives that we have done," Ranchhod says.

For cardiovascular disease risk assessments, the system checks if necessary tests like blood pressure and lab work have been done within the required timeframe, and can automatically send test requests to patients if needed.

"We automate the lab form, send the lab form off to the labs, and send a text to the patient to say 'can you please get your blood test, we have sent the form to the lab’,'" he explains.

"The foundational piece of having the centralised Evolution instance across multiple locations means that when we develop an automation initiative like that, we can scale it out literally overnight across those sites.”
McCann says the single instance of Evolution also enables advanced population health analytics, allowing Tāmaki to identify effective interventions across its patient base.

"The analytics we are able to run across our populations are pretty advanced in terms of understanding things like cardiovascular disease or mental health risk. It is quite unique in terms of being able to identify what interventions or initiatives are working for patients," he says.

Improving ‘back office’ processes

Tāmaki Health's digital team consists of 12 people, with roles spanning PMS support, data core platform support, and clinic support.

The single-instance PMS has enabled the primary health provider to automate back-office processes including staff onboarding and offboarding, saving approximately 40 hours per month of administrative time.

"When someone is created as an employee in HR, that will automatically go and create all of the accounts to allow them to access our networks, add them to the correct distribution groups for emails, add them to the right security groups based on the type of role, and then trigger off welcome emails," says Ranchhod.

The team has also been able to reduce the processing time for new enrolments from three days to about 10 minutes.

Ranchhod says this ensures patients receive enrolled patient pricing when they visit a clinic shortly after completing online registration.

The digital team is now enhancing this system using AI technology to scan and verify identity documents uploaded during enrolment.

A technology platform for the future

Ranchhod says the team recently completed a full infrastructure refresh for the North Island clinics without any downtime for the organisation and this was made possible because of the single instance of Medtech Evolution.

McCann says the technology platform is a core component of Tāmaki’s organisational strategy: to deliver value-based care to the patients and the populations that they serve.

“It gives us the ability to innovate and automate and layer AI across that, which drives a number of clinical and administrative processes,” he says.

Jeremy van de Klundert, Medtech general manager sales and marketing, says the ability to work at pace and deliver quality implementation is a reflection of both companies working together towards a common goal.

“The relationship between Tāmaki Health and Medtech is strong and is a true partnership, delivering better healthcare to New Zealanders,” he says.

Image: Tāmaki Health chief digital officer Samir Ranchhod (left) and chief executive Lloyd McCann 

If you have any questions re the above feature article, please contact the editor Rebecca McBeth.

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In a step toward making healthcare more sustainable and whānau centric, ProCare has partnered with Heidi Health to reduce the administrative burden on GPs, helping them spend more time where it counts - with their patients.

Heidi Health is an AI medical scribe that automates clinical documentation, enabling GPs to generate accurate notes in real-time during patient consultations. It also facilitates the seamless creation of essential documents, such as referral letters and patient summaries, directly from consultation notes.

Bindi Norwell, CEO of ProCare, says: “We want to help equip doctors and nurses with the best tools to support them in their job. AI can transform the way our healthcare staff support their patients by reducing the administrative burden so they can focus on giving their patients the care and support they need.

“At the heart of this partnership is a shared commitment to making healthcare more sustainable and accessible, with a clear focus on relieving the pressures on the primary care workforce, leaving more time for our clinicians to focus on shifting the dial for better health outcomes,” concludes Norwell.

With Heidi’s ambient medical scribe taking detailed notes during the appointment, healthcare staff in the ProCare Network will experience a reduction in administrative tasks, giving them back valuable time to focus on what truly matters - caring for their patients and their communities.

Dr Karl Cole, GP at Papatoetoe Family Doctors, has been using Heidi Health in his practice for more than 12 months, saying: “As a GP, time is one of my most precious resources. The Heidi AI scribe has helped me reclaim that time, making my job more sustainable and efficient.

“I’m spending less time on my screen and more time actually engaging with my patients — it’s been a real game-changer,” says Cole.

Dr. Thomas Kelly, CEO of Heidi Health, adds: “This partnership with ProCare is a pivotal step toward making our technology widely accessible to GPs across Aotearoa, ensuring they are supported in their work while enhancing the quality of care they provide. We are proud to be part of a partnership that values clinician wellbeing and aims to create better, more equitable health outcomes for everyone.”

This partnership arrives at a time when Aotearoa’s healthcare system is facing significant challenges. Clinicians are stretched thin, and burnout is a growing concern. By streamlining the documentation process with AI-powered technology, ProCare in collaboration with Heidi Health aim to help alleviate these pressures, allowing clinicians to engage more meaningfully with patients and improve their overall work-life balance. In doing so, creating a more sustainable and supportive environment for primary care across New Zealand.

Source: ProCare media release

Sector updates are provided by organisations to eHealthNews.nz and have not necessarily been edited or checked for accuracy. Any queries should be directed to the organisation issuing the release.

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Medsafe has approved an electronic controlled drug register for use in New Zealand pharmacies, allowing them to replace their paper-based register.

The register is developed by Kiwi brand Toniq Limited, which has been testing the solution - Toniq Guard - with Medsafe oversight, as part of a controlled trial.

The company says it is now preparing to rollout the cloud-based technology to over 850 pharmacies.

Toniq senior product manager Luke Tilson says the priority in coming weeks is to assist the vast network of New Zealand pharmacies to make the digital leap forward.

“The electronic controlled-drug register is integrated with the Toniq Dispensary system currently used by 85 per cent of community pharmacies nationwide,” he explains.

Tilson says feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, showing the solution reduced the administrative burden on pharmacists. 

Announcing the Medsafe approval, associate health minister David Seymour says the register will increase efficiency by allowing pharmacists to focus on patients instead of administrative tasks like manual record-keeping.

“I’m excited to see New Zealand embrace innovative technology like this, and I look forward to seeing how it can help ease our pharmacists’ workloads,” Seymour says.

Pharmacies are required to keep detailed records of any controlled drugs in stock, such as opioids and medicinal cannabis: these are recorded in physical paper-based registers and can take considerable work to maintain.

“Electronic systems like this are the future of pharmacy, and it is fantastic to see New Zealand adopting them, especially involving a Kiwi brand,” says Mr Seymour.

“The register integrates with the Toniq dispensing system, helping maintain accurate oversight of the number and type of drugs in storage, and simplifies recording requirements through its automated processes.”

Seymour says Medsafe is assessing the abilities of other vendors and will look to make more options available if they meet their standards.

Toniq Guard was in development for several years before being formally approved for implementation by regulatory body Medsafe in March 2025.

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