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 Sign up&nbsp;to our  FREE eNewsletter  to receive weekly news updates in your inbox.   SEARCH TIPS:    Filter by topic category using the dropdown list above  Go to the  SECTOR UPDATES  page to see a list of all press releases  Go to the  VIEWS &nbsp;page to see a list of links for all opinion columns published in eHealthNews  Go to the  FEATURES &nbsp;page to see a list of all articles published in eHealthNews  Enter a key word into the search box on any hinz webpage (click on search icon - find it on top right above menu bar)  Browse the latest articles on the  eHealthNews.nz  home page  ]]></description>
<lastBuildDate>Tue, 16 Jun 2026 23:57:12 GMT</lastBuildDate>
<pubDate>Sun, 14 Jun 2026 23:16:00 GMT</pubDate>
<copyright>Copyright &#xA9; 2026 Health Informatics New Zealand</copyright>
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<title>Webtools and Green Cross Health Deliver Digital Infrastructure for the Future of Community Pharmacy</title>
<link>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=729258</link>
<guid>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=729258</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p><em><span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong><span style="color: #666666;">SECTOR UPDATE - Centrik</span></strong></span></em></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong><img src="https://www.hinz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/ehealthnews/editorial10/2026.06.15-Unichem_&amp;_Life_Ap.png" style="border:5px solid #ffffff;width: 350px; float: right; margin: 1px;    height: 208px;" alt="2 screenshots showing Centrik app. One shows the homepage, the other shows prescription information." />Partnership supports expanded pharmacy services, connecting medications, service bookings, rewards, and patient engagement through the Centrik platform.</strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong></strong></span><span style="color: #666666;">Building on a longstanding partnership, Webtools and Green Cross Health are expanding their digital health collaboration into community pharmacy through a connected digital platform supporting pharmacy services, medications, and patient engagement across the Unichem and Life Pharmacy network.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The partnership comes as community pharmacy takes on an expanded role in healthcare delivery, following recent Government investment in pharmacist-led services and the establishment of the Extended Pharmacy Services Fund to improve access to care through pharmacies nationwide.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Representing more than 300 pharmacies across New Zealand, Green Cross Health pharmacists dispense more than 36 million prescription items annually and provide a growing range of health and wellness services in communities throughout the country.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Available across web, iOS, and Android, and powered by the Centrik platform, the Unichem and Life Pharmacy app enables customers to access healthcare services, manage medications, request prescription repeats, receive notifications, and engage with the Living Rewards loyalty programme through a single digital experience.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">With more than two million Living Rewards members, the platform brings together pharmacy services, medications, rewards, and customer engagement through a single digital front door. Pharmacy medication connections continue to be rolled out across the network as participating pharmacies are onboarded.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The platform supports Green Cross Health’s Care + Advice Health Hub strategy by making it easier for customers to discover and access care, while providing pharmacies with the digital tools needed to manage appointments, communications, service delivery, and patient engagement.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Rachael Newfield, Chief Executive Officer of Green Cross Health, said:</strong><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“Community pharmacy is playing an increasingly important role in how healthcare is delivered in New Zealand. As pharmacists take on a broader role in supporting patients and delivering funded services, it’s important that we make those services easy to access and easy to navigate.”<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“Digital is now a critical part of that experience. Whether it’s booking a service, managing medications, or connecting with your local pharmacy, our focus is on making healthcare simpler and more accessible for the people we serve.”<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The Centrik platform already supports more than 200 pharmacy locations across New Zealand and has facilitated more than 70,000 healthcare appointments. More than 11,000 pharmacy app users have been onboarded since launch, demonstrating growing demand for digital access to pharmacy services.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Al Duncan, Chief Growth Officer of Webtools, said:</strong><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“We’re excited to be partnering with Green Cross Health to help build the digital foundations for the next generation of pharmacy services.”<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“Our vision for Centrik has always been to provide patients with a single digital front door to their healthcare. Whether that’s pharmacy, general practice, or community care, the experience should feel connected and seamless.”<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“With more than two million Living Rewards members and over 200 pharmacy locations already supported through the platform, we’re seeing that vision begin to reach real scale.”<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The partnership represents a significant expansion of the Centrik platform beyond general practice and demonstrates how connected digital experiences can support healthcare delivery across pharmacy, primary care, and community health settings.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">As community pharmacy continues to evolve, Webtools and Green Cross Health believe digital infrastructure will play an increasingly important role in improving access to care, supporting service delivery, and creating a more connected healthcare experience for New Zealanders.</span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 700; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">Source: Centrik&nbsp;media release</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">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.</span><br /></p><div><hr /></div><p><span style="color: #666666;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Do you have an item to add to sector updates?</span></b><br /></span></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"></span></span></b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span></span></b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Email your information to us at </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:updates@hinz.org.nz">updates@hinz.org.nz</a></span></span></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: red;">Return to </span></b><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ehealthnews.nz/" target="_blank">eHealthNews.nz home page</a></span></b></p>]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:16:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Just a Thought launches two new wellbeing courses focused on early intervention</title>
<link>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=729191</link>
<guid>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=729191</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p><em><span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong><span style="color: #666666;">SECTOR UPDATE - Just a Thought&nbsp;</span></strong></span></em></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong><img src="https://www.hinz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/ehealthnews/editorial10/2026.06.12-Mindfulness-phone.png" style="border:5px solid #ffffff;width: 250px; float: right; margin: 1px;    height: 167px;" alt="Hands holding a white iPhone which has the image of a cartoon woman practicing mindfulness." />Online therapy platform, Just a Thought, is making it easier for Kiwis to look after their mental health, with the launch of two new free courses: Coping with Stress and Just a Pause – Intro to Mindfulness.</strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong></strong></span><span style="color: #666666;">Developed with subject-matter experts and whānau with lived experience, both courses offer a practical, accessible option for early-intervention support, helping people build resilience and strengthen wellbeing before things get harder.&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong><em>Coping with Stress</em></strong> is a four-lesson course grounded in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) principles. It helps tāngata whai ora understand their own stress responses and build resilience, through practical, evidence-based techniques.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“The course recognises that while stress is unavoidable, how we respond to it is within our control,” says Just a Thought communications and engagement lead, Kimberley de Jardine.&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong><em>Just a Pause – Intro to Mindfulness</em></strong> is a four-lesson course that supports tāngata whai ora to feel more grounded and calm. It teaches practical mindfulness skills to help&nbsp; connect to the present moment, rather than getting caught up in worries and unhelpful thoughts.&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Both courses are free to access and have been made possible through funding from Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora’s Mental Health Innovation Fund.&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>How to access the free courses</strong><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The Coping with Stress course is available at <a href="https://www.justathought.co.nz/stress" target="_blank">justathought.co.nz/stress</a>.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The Intro to Mindfulness course is available at <a href="https://www.justathought.co.nz/mindfulness" target="_blank">justathought.co.nz/mindfulness</a>.<br /></span></p><div>&nbsp;</div><p><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://www.justathought.co.nz/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.hinz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/logos/Just-a-Thought-logo.jpg" alt="Just a Thought logo" style="width: 250px;" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 700; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">Source: Just a Thought media release</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">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.</span><br /></p><div><hr /></div><p><span style="color: #666666;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Do you have an item to add to sector updates?</span></b><br /></span></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"></span></span></b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span></span></b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Email your information to us at </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:updates@hinz.org.nz">updates@hinz.org.nz</a></span></span></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: red;">Return to </span></b><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ehealthnews.nz/" target="_blank">eHealthNews.nz home page</a></span></b></p>]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2026 01:36:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Valentia Technologies Launches Patient-Controlled Multi-Part Dispensing and Pharmacy Integration</title>
<link>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=729010</link>
<guid>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=729010</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p><em><span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong><span style="color: #666666;">SECTOR UPDATE - Valentia Technologies</span></strong></span></em></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Valentia Technologies today announced a major enhancement to its indici platform: a fully integrated, patient-controlled dispensing and pharmacy fulfilment workflow designed to support modern telehealth services and specialist prescribing models, with real-time medication safety verification built into every step.</strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong></strong></span><span style="color: #666666;">As telehealth adoption continues to grow, healthcare providers face an increasingly common challenge. A patient may be prescribed a total quantity of medication that is clinically appropriate, yet only wish or be able to obtain part of that prescription at a given time. Affordability, personal preference, treatment adherence, delivery timing and safe dispensing practice often mean patients prefer to receive their medication across multiple dispensing episodes rather than in a single supply.<br /></span><span style="color: #666666;">The new indici functionality lets patients, clinicians and pharmacies take part in a single digital workflow that supports safe, compliant and flexible multi-part dispensing of prescribed medicines, including those commonly prescribed through telehealth services. By connecting steps that were previously coordinated by hand, it reduces administrative effort, avoids unnecessary repeat consultations, and removes the manual back-and-forth between prescribers, patients and pharmacies.</span></p><p style="margin-left: 40px;"><span style="color: #666666;"><em>“Patients have told us for years that they want more control over how and when they receive their medication - but that flexibility cannot come at the expense of safety. By building real-time verification into every step, we have made multi-part dispensing something clinicians and pharmacists can trust, not just something that is convenient for patients. That balance is what makes this clinically sound rather than simply easier.”</em>&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #666666;">-</span>&nbsp;<span style="color: #666666;">Sufian Mehmood, indiciLite Product Lead, Valentia Technologies</span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Real-time safety through MDR and NZePS integration</strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>&nbsp;</strong>A cornerstone of the new functionality is its deep integration with New Zealand’s national medicines infrastructure. Prescriptions flow through the New Zealand ePrescription Service (NZePS), while the Medication Data Repository (MDR) provides the source of truth for what remains available to dispense.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Before a patient is permitted to place an order, indici verifies in real time against MDR records how much medication remains available under the prescription. The same check is repeated before a pharmacy dispenses. This two-point verification is designed to prevent over-supply and ensure that every dispensing episode stays within the limits set by the prescriber.</span></p><p style="margin-left: 40px;"><span style="color: #666666;"><em>“</em></span><em style="color: #666666;">Staged or partial dispensing has always been clinically valuable, but the coordination has historically been manual and error-prone. Having the available balance checked automatically at both ordering and dispensing gives prescribers and pharmacists real confidence that supply matches the original prescribing intent.”</em><span style="color: #666666;"> - Brendon Ogilvy, NZ Managing Director, Alternaleaf NZ Clinic&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Availability</strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The new dispensing and pharmacy integration capabilities are available now to eligible indici customers and service providers. By bringing teleconsultation, prescribing, payment, dispensing, delivery and medication-safety verification into one connected workflow, indici extends its role as a core health technology platform for New Zealand primary care and telehealth.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;"></span><img alt="" src="https://www.hinz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/ehealthnews/editorial10/2026.10.06-Val-tech.png" style="border: 5px solid #ffffff; width: 600px; margin: 1px; height: 336px; vertical-align: middle;" /></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">To learn more or arrange a demonstration, contact the Valentia Technologies team.</span></p><div>&nbsp;</div><p><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://valentiatech.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.hinz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/logos/Valentia-Technologies-new-lo.jpg" alt="Valentia Technologies logo" style="width: 250px;" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 700; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">Source: Valentia Technologies media release</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">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.</span><br /></p><div><hr /></div><p><span style="color: #666666;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Do you have an item to add to sector updates?</span></b><br /></span></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"></span></span></b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span></span></b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Email your information to us at </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:updates@hinz.org.nz">updates@hinz.org.nz</a></span></span></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: red;">Return to </span></b><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ehealthnews.nz/" target="_blank">eHealthNews.nz home page</a></span></b></p>]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 10 Jun 2026 05:34:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Kiwis increasingly turn to AI for health advice, but trust remains low</title>
<link>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=729008</link>
<guid>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=729008</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p><em><span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong><span style="color: #666666;">FEATURE - <em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; background-color: #ffffff;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666;">eHealthNews editor Rebecca McBeth</span></span></span></em></span></strong></span></em></p><p><strong style="color: #666666;"><img src="https://www.hinz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/ehealthnews/editorial10/2026.06.10-patient_using_AI.png" alt="Illustration of a woman sitting at a desk looking at her laptop. Laptop has the word AI on the screen." style="border: 5px solid #ffffff; width: 250px; float: right; margin: 1px; height: 188px;" />One in five New Zealanders now turns to artificial intelligence platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude as their first port of call for health information, according to Stuff's inaugural Health of the Nation study.</strong></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The figure rises to 25 percent for those aged 18-44, but trust in AI-generated health advice remains low at just 28 percent.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/health/360982684/health-nation-90-kiwis-sound-alarm-over-broken-healthcare-system" target="_blank">study of 1,480 New Zealanders</a> reveals 63 percent of Kiwis turning to Google or similar search engines for health-related information. This is higher than those who go to an actual doctor (56 percent) or health websites hosted by organisations like the Ministry of Health or WebMD (35 percent).<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Tania Moerenhout, a GP and senior lecturer at Otago University’s Bioethics Department, says the findings reflect broader international trends.&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"I am not surprised that people turn to it for health information, you see AI now entering all aspects of life" she says.&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Moerenhout says that AI has become increasingly difficult to avoid, as these days if you run a search on Google, the first thing that pops up is the AI response.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">However, the low trust levels may indicate a “healthy scepticism”.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"I think that could be a good sign that people are not just taking it at face value, but really questioning it," she says.&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"People are aware that it comes with the risk of hallucinations: generative AI can tell you things that are wrong."<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>The human touch</strong><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Despite the digital shift, the survey shows medical professionals maintain overwhelming trust among New Zealanders. Doctors come out on top with 89 percent trusting them for health information, followed by nurses at 86 percent and pharmacists at 83 percent. Search engines achieve 52 percent trust, with social media at just 18 percent.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Chris Paton, associate professor at the Liggins Institute and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Auckland University, says there is growing use of consumer AI chatbots by people looking for information about health, rather than directly visiting websites that have reliable information or talking with a healthcare professional.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"There are still considerable concerns with privacy, security, and inaccurate information produced by consumer AI chatbots," he says.&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"The low level of trust in AI shown by the survey demonstrates that most people have already experienced AI making errors so are rightly cautious."<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Rosie Dobson, associate professor at Auckland University’s School of Population Health, says the results are not surprising and reflect what researchers are seeing in their work.&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“People are trying AI because it is accessible, but when it comes to their healthcare, they still want a human to be the one responsible for their care,” she says,<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“Trust in health services and health professionals directly impacts patient engagement with health services and patient health outcomes. Current low levels of trust in AI further highlight the need for a careful approach to the use of AI in healthcare to ensure patient trust is not harmed, and the benefits of AI in healthcare can be realised.”<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Enter Dr ChatGPT</strong><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Moerenhout says ‘Dr ChatGPT’ has already entered the clinic room. She recently had a very young patient who had clearly been interacting with an AI platform and came in with certain ideas about what was wrong.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">She says this experience is similar to the earlier emergence of ‘Dr Google,’ but with additional complexities in terms of hallucinations and some people going down rabbit holes.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"The sycophancy problem is something we encounter as AI wants to please the user and so it is not going to tell you that you are wrong usually,” Moerenhout explains.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">She says that for healthcare providers, these developments create both opportunities and challenges and she welcomes open discussion about AI-generated information.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"If you have got a shared decision making process going with your patient and a good relationship with your patient, I think you can have a conversation about that,” she tells eHealthNews.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"But the more we have this conversation, the more time it takes and we already work in a health system, especially in primary care, that is really time poor."<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Current and future state</strong><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Paton says things may improve in the future as it is likely that soon free consumer-facing AI chatbots will be able to deliver reliable health information for the public which will help people find health information more easily.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"In the meantime, I would recommend that people continue to use the existing verifiable websites from the government and healthcare providers when trying to find information about healthcare conditions," he says.&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"If their concern is serious or urgent, then they should phone 111, Healthline, or book an appointment with a healthcare professional rather than using an AI chatbot."<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"></span><strong style="color: #666666;"><em>If you have any questions re the above feature article, please contact the editor <a href="mailto:ehealthnewsnz@gmail.com?subject=Feature%20Feedback" style="color: #ffcc00; text-decoration-line: none;">Rebecca McBeth</a>.</em></strong></p><p><i style="color: #666666;"></i><br /><b style="color: #666666;">Read more <a href="https://www.hinz.org.nz/page/eHN-Features" target="_blank">FEATURES</a></b></p><hr style="color: #333333;" /><p style="color: #333333;"><a href="https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/528059/How-digital-systems-are-essential-in-navigating-a-healthcare-crisis.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: #666666;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18px; color: #ff0000;"><strong style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #ff0000;">Return to&nbsp;</span></strong><strong style="color: #666666;"></strong></span></strong></span></a>&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px;"><strong><strong style="color: #666666;"><a href="http://www.ehealthnews.nz/" target="_self">eHealthNews.nz home page</a></strong></strong></span></p>]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 10 Jun 2026 02:02:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>CareHQ adds an advanced bowel screening service to support early detection in younger New Zealanders</title>
<link>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=728396</link>
<guid>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=728396</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p><em><span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong><span style="color: #666666;">SECTOR UPDATE - CareHQ&nbsp;</span></strong></span></em></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>National telehealth provider CareHQ has expanded its offering to include bowel screening, in collaboration with accredited clinical laboratory IGENZ.</strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong></strong></span><span style="color: #666666;">Launched to coincide with Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, CareHQ CEO Brett Butler says the new service provides New Zealanders with an option to proactively check their bowel health before becoming eligible for the national screening programme.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">For New Zealanders in their 30s and 40s, bowel cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths, and our rates are increasing faster than most other places in the world¹.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“Our screening test is non-invasive, convenient, and highly accurate. When bowel changes are detected early, treatment outcomes and survival rates improve significantly1,” says Butler.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Unlike traditional faecal immunochemical tests (FIT) that primarily look for traces of blood in the stool, the CareHQ screening kit utilises advanced molecular technology to identify early biological changes. The test detects specific markers in cells naturally shed from the lining of the bowel, which can indicate the presence of precancerous polyps or early-stage cancer - often before any physical symptoms or bleeding occur.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">CareHQ Clinical Director Dr Firdaus Aziz emphasises this technology is a tool for proactive health management rather than a replacement for diagnostic procedures.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“This service is specifically designed for asymptomatic individuals - those who feel well but want to be proactive about their health or have reached a milestone age where they want extra peace of mind,” says Dr. Aziz.&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“It is not intended for people currently experiencing symptoms, who should consult a GP immediately. Because CareHQ is a national telehealth provider, we offer wraparound services to everyone across New Zealand. We work closely with patients and their regular GPs to ensure any positive results are followed up with the appropriate clinical pathways, including referrals for colonoscopies where necessary.”<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The bowel screening service is now available to the public. It can be purchased directly via <strong>carehq.co.nz</strong> or through the <strong>MySouthernCross</strong> app for eligible members.</span></p><div>&nbsp;</div><p><span style="color: #666666;"></span><span style="font-weight: 700; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">Source: CareHQ&nbsp;media release</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">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.</span><br /></p><div><hr /></div><p><span style="color: #666666;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Do you have an item to add to sector updates?</span></b><br /></span></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"></span></span></b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span></span></b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Email your information to us at </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:updates@hinz.org.nz">updates@hinz.org.nz</a></span></span></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: red;">Return to </span></b><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ehealthnews.nz/" target="_blank">eHealthNews.nz home page</a></span></b></p>]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 2 Jun 2026 04:24:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>When Distance Becomes a Welfare Problem</title>
<link>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=727875</link>
<guid>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=727875</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p><em><span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong><span style="color: #666666;">SECTOR UPDATE - Avian Empire</span></strong></span></em></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Birds sit at an important interface between animal, human, and environmental health. Backyard flocks, aviary birds, and some companion birds can be a vector for zoonotic disease risks.&nbsp; These include: salmonellosis, psittacosis, campylobacteriosis, and avian influenza-related concerns. While the absolute risk varies by species and setting, the public health dimension is real. Poor access to knowledgeable avian care does not just affect the individual bird; it can also reduce early recognition of risks to households, flocks, and the wider community.</strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong></strong></span><span style="color: #666666;">Distance compounds all of this. New Zealand’s geography, rural client base, and limited number of veterinarians with extensive avian expertise means that many owners face long travel times or no practical access at all. Yet even if a veterinary clinic is available, transport itself can be a welfare problem. For sick birds, capture, handling, confinement, temperature changes, and prolonged travel may significantly worsen clinical condition. In some cases, the journey may be more dangerous than the initial disease process.&nbsp; Biosecurity also needs to be considered.&nbsp; Sick birds with potential zoonotic diseases should not be transported to help minimise risk of disease transfer to the general public.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Therefore, a more flexible model of care matters. Telehealth, when used appropriately, can help bridge the gap between owners and knowledgeable avian veterinarians. It allows earlier triage, detailed history-taking, review of husbandry, visual assessment, follow-up, and guidance on whether transport is truly necessary. It is not a replacement for all in-person care, but it is an important tool for reducing unnecessary stress and bringing more bird owners into a responsible veterinary framework rather than leaving them outside it.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Lee’s story with Griffin shows exactly why access to knowledgeable avian care matters.&nbsp; Unable to get assistance for her beloved pet chicken from local veterinary clinics, Lee was able to arrange a telehealth consultation with Avian Empire, a veterinary clinic with extensive expertise in avian medicine.&nbsp; Griffin had become critically unwell with suspected botulism and was, by Lee’s account, fully paralysed, able to do little more than breathe. What followed was not a quick fix but weeks of intensive supportive care: constant nursing, assisted feeding and hydration, close monitoring, and ongoing guidance through a long recovery. For Lee, the challenge was not simply finding any veterinary contact, but being connected through telemedicine to people with the right avian expertise who could help her make sense of the case, support her practically and emotionally, and stay involved across the full course of recovery. Publicly, Lee has credited Avian Empire with helping her get Griffin through that paralysis, and Griffin has since gone on to live a happy life and even have chicks of her own — a powerful example of how timely remote access to the right expertise can change an outcome completely.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">As in human health care, the problem for bird owners in New Zealand is often not simply accessing a veterinarian. It is accessing a veterinarian with the knowledge, confidence, and practical experience to manage avian cases well.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">In practical terms, this model is built around simple, familiar technology: phones, photographs/videos, Zoom consultations, digital history forms, and owner-recorded observations from the home environment. It can also include home sensors such as temperature and humidity monitors, digital scales for body weight trends, and coop or pen cameras. Avian Empire is now looking at a web camera service that would allow better visualisation of bird patients recovering at home in dedicated "hospital pens", as well as an app that lets flock owners track key health indicators such as vaccination history, appetite, water intake, droppings, egg production, mortality, behaviour, weight, and treatment responses, giving the veterinary team better longitudinal data between consultations.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Bird medicine is not just small animal medicine applied to a different species. Birds have unique anatomy, physiology, behaviour, husbandry needs, and disease patterns. They mask illness, deteriorate rapidly, and can be highly vulnerable to stress during handling and transport. Clinical decisions that may seem straightforward in dogs and cats can be quite different in birds.&nbsp; A general practice veterinarian may be highly competent in companion animal medicine and still have limited capabilities for avian patients. That is not a criticism of general practice; it is simply the reality of a field that requires particular experiences and clinical infrastructure.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">This distinction matters because poor experiences have consequences. When bird owners feel dismissed, receive advice that does not fit the species, or are told to transport fragile birds long distances for issues that might have been assessed remotely, trust is eroded. Some owners then delay seeking care, rely on online forums, attempt treatment themselves, or stay entirely outside the veterinary system until a case becomes severe. In effect, they are pushed underground. That is bad for welfare, bad for antimicrobial stewardship, and bad for disease surveillance.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Telehealth can also contribute meaningfully to public health where avian patients are concerned. Backyard poultry and other birds may carry infections that have relevance beyond the individual animal or flock, including organisms such as Salmonella, while avian influenza viruses remain an ongoing One Health concern internationally. Remote access to knowledgeable avian advice allows early questioning around symptoms, exposure history, household risk and creates an opportunity to give immediate guidance on isolation and interventions as well as to determine when urgent escalation is needed. In that sense, telehealth is not only a welfare tool, but also a practical way of reducing avoidable human exposure and improving biosecurity behaviour at the earliest stage.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Just as importantly, telehealth can function as an early warning layer within a broader veterinary and public health system. In New Zealand, suspected avian influenza has clear reporting implications, and internationally the risk of human infection is closely linked to contact with infected birds and contaminated environments. When owners can connect quickly with avian expertise, unusual illness is less likely to be dismissed, delayed, or handled in isolation. Instead, the case can be triaged appropriately, documented well, and moved into the right in-person, laboratory, or regulatory pathway. Used properly, telehealth helps bridge the gap between the backyard coop or aviary and the formal surveillance system, which is exactly where many public health failures begin.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">If we want better welfare outcomes for birds in New Zealand, we need to define the problem correctly. It is not just access to any veterinarian. It is timely access to knowledgeable avian veterinary care, delivered in a way that respects both the biology of the patient and the realities of distance. When that does not exist animal welfare suffers, public health risks are harder to detect, and owners are more likely to disappear from the system altogether.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">A modern avian care model should recognise all three realities: birds are different, expertise matters, and distance can itself become a welfare issue. In that model, telehealth is the practical bridge that brings expert avian care to the birds and owners before distance turns a manageable problem into a crisis.<br /><br /><em><span style="font-size: 12px;">*Names (of person/birds) have been changed.</span></em><br /></span></p><div>&nbsp;</div><p><span style="color: #666666;"></span><span style="font-weight: 700; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">Source: Avian Empire media release</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">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.</span><br /></p><div><hr /></div><p><span style="color: #666666;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Do you have an item to add to sector updates?</span></b><br /></span></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"></span></span></b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span></span></b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Email your information to us at </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:updates@hinz.org.nz">updates@hinz.org.nz</a></span></span></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: red;">Return to </span></b><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ehealthnews.nz/" target="_blank">eHealthNews.nz home page</a></span></b></p>]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 May 2026 01:23:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>CardioNexus launches new clinician app, built with New Zealand tech partner Webtools</title>
<link>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=727489</link>
<guid>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=727489</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p><em><span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong><span style="color: #666666;">SECTOR UPDATE - CardioNexus</span></strong></span></em></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>CardioNexus today announced the launch of its new Clinician App, a mobile companion to the CardioNexus remote cardiac monitoring portal, developed in partnership with New Zealand technology company Webtools.</strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong></strong></span><span style="color: #666666;">The app is rolling out across Australia, where CardioNexus already supports cardiology services with triaged remote monitoring of implanted cardiac devices.</span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Designed for cardiologists on the move</strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Cardiologists rarely spend their day at a desk. They move between clinics, wards, cath labs and hospitals, where access to a laptop is limited but their phone is always within reach. The CardioNexus Clinician App is built for exactly those moments.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Today, monitoring patients with implanted cardiac devices typically means logging into a separate portal for every device manufacturer. Each portal has its own interface, its own login and its own alerts.</span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The CardioNexus Clinician App removes that burden. Every alert, from every device manufacturer, is brought into a single view on the clinician’s phone. Critically, each alert has already been triaged based on the Cardiologist’s alert preferences reviewed and summarised by a CardioNexus cardiac physiologist. That means cardiologists see only the alerts they have asked to see, presented with the clinical context that matters and with the noise already filtered out.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">From the phone, clinicians can:</span></p><ul><li><span style="color: #666666;">Read a clear summary of the alert and why it was escalated<br /></span></li><li><span style="color: #666666;">Open the full device manufacturer report when they want the underlying detail<br /></span></li><li><span style="color: #666666;">Request adjustments to alert parameters, so monitoring is tuned to each patient<br /></span></li><li><span style="color: #666666;">Acknowledge alerts and close the loop<br /></span></li><li><span style="color: #666666;">Assign follow up tasks to their support team directly from the alert<br /></span></li></ul><p><span style="color: #666666;">The result is a digital experience that fits the way cardiologists work.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Built in partnership with Webtools</strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The app was developed jointly with Webtools, a New Zealand based technology company with deep<br />experience in clinical and enterprise software. The partnership pairs CardioNexus’ clinical and<br />cardiac physiology expertise with Webtools’ engineering and digital product capability.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><em>“Cardiologists told us they were tired of logging into four or five different manufacturer portals just to stay on top of their patients. Our cardiac physiologists already do the clinical heavy lifting, reviewing and summarising every alert before it reaches the cardiologist. The app simply puts that trusted, prefiltered view in their pocket. Working with Webtools, we have built a product that respects their time, their workflow, and the clinical seriousness of every alert.”&nbsp;</em></span><span style="color: #666666;">CardioNexus spokesperson</span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><em>“This is a great example of trans-Tasman collaboration in health technology. We are proud to have helped bring this product to market.”</em> Webtools spokesperson<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Talking to New Zealand cardiologists</strong><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The CardioNexus service is currently delivered in Australia. With Webtools as a New Zealand partner,<br />CardioNexus is keen to hear from New Zealand cardiologists who would be interested in exploring<br />how the service could support cardiac care locally. Interested clinicians are warmly invited to get in<br />touch</span></p><div>&nbsp;</div><p><span style="color: #666666;"></span><span style="font-weight: 700; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">Source: CardioNexus&nbsp;media release</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">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.</span><br /></p><div><hr /></div><p><span style="color: #666666;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Do you have an item to add to sector updates?</span></b><br /></span></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"></span></span></b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span></span></b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Email your information to us at </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:updates@hinz.org.nz">updates@hinz.org.nz</a></span></span></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: red;">Return to </span></b><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ehealthnews.nz/" target="_blank">eHealthNews.nz home page</a></span></b></p>]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 18 May 2026 23:51:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>My View - Hospital in the home is not the model we should be scaling</title>
<link>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=727422</link>
<guid>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=727422</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p><b style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><i>VIEW -&nbsp;Karl Cole, Fellow of HiNZ&nbsp;</i></b></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><img alt="Karl Cole, Fellow of HiNZ" src="https://www.hinz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/ehealthnews/editorial10/View-Karl-Cole.png" style="border: 5px solid #ffffff; width: 250px; float: right; margin: 1px; height: 172px;" /><strong>A few weeks ago I posted on LinkedIn that I was sick — not as a patient, but as a GP — of watching AI and digital health being used to make the old hospital model run faster. The post struck a nerve. The reaction told me what I already suspected: a lot of people in digital health quietly disagree with the direction we are heading.&nbsp;</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>The wrong unit of care&nbsp;</strong><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Every week another announcement: virtual wards, hospital in the home, remote monitoring “replacing admissions.” These are framed as transformation, but they are not. They take the most expensive, most clinician-intensive, least patient-controlled unit of care we have - the hospital - and re-export it into people’s homes via apps and sensors.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">And they will inevitably re-export the hospital’s organisational shape with it. Hospitals are organised by organ system: cardiology, renal, psychiatric, surgery. A hospital-led virtual ward will be a cardiology virtual ward or a renal virtual ward and inherit the constraints, each running its own monitoring stream into the same patient’s home, blind to the others.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Compare that with how a blood test or an X-ray works, they are services organised around the patient’s need, not around a hospitals department’s territory. Primary care is built on the same patient-centric logic: the integrating layer that already holds the whole patient. Putting RPM only in the hospital reproduces the silo. Putting it in primary care does not.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Hospitalisation is what happens when life has broken down enough that autonomy disappears. It is sometimes necessary, but is never the goal. We should be aspiring to a system in which it is needed less often, not delivering more of it more efficiently in more places.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>The leverage is on the other side&nbsp;</strong><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Vote Health for 2024/25 is around $29.6 billion or roughly $5,500 per New Zealander per year. Of that, only $300 to $500 reaches primary care. We spend five to nine percent of the per-person health dollar on the part of the system that keeps people well, and the rest on what happens when that fails. Hospital in the home does not move that ratio, it just changes the address at which the ninety percent is delivered.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Take blood pressure as the worked example. Around a million New Zealanders live with hypertension. Lifting national control rates from 10 percent would put 100,000 more people in target range, most concentrated where the inequity sits. Māori carry 1.5 times and Pacific peoples 2 times the stroke risk of NZ Europeans, and <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanwpc/article/PIIS2666-6065(25)00048-3/fulltext" target="_blank">present at mean ages of 60 and 62</a> against 75. The Ettehad meta-analysis (<a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanwpc/article/PIIS2666-6065(25)00045-8/fulltext" target="_blank">pooling trials</a> with mean follow-up of around 4 years) found that a sustained 10 mmHg drop in systolic BP delivers, over that period, a 27 percent reduction in stroke risk and 13 percent <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)01225-8/fulltext" target="_blank">reduction in all-cause mortality</a>. Applied to the 100,000 cohort over five years, that implies of the order of 1,000 to 1,500 cardiovascular hospitalisations and 200 deaths averted.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Compare the two paths. A reactive Hospital-in-the-Home model wraps acute services around the 1,500 patients who event, at a cost of roughly $35,000 to $40,000 each, after the damage is done. A preventive primary-care model touches all 100,000 with a three-month intensive programme at around $500 to $700 per patient. The five-year programme cost is similar in both, between $50 to $70 million, but one model manages disease the system has already failed to prevent, and the other reaches the populations carrying one-and-a-half to two times the risk before the event. Beyond five years, the preventive path compounds across CVD, CKD, diabetes and dementia. The reactive path does not.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>A familiar referral, brought into the present&nbsp;</strong><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">What is being described here is what would be possible as “Better healthcare in the home”, brought into the present: a cuffless device worn for three months, the patient seeing their own data shift in response to sleep, salt, stress, exercise and medication. The 24-hour ABPM is a measurement. Three months of engaged monitoring is a behaviour-change programme that happens to start with BP, is proactive and evidence based.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">And it does not stop at BP. Combine continuous BP with continuous ECG, movement, sleep and weight, and the model stops being disease management. It becomes proactive risk detection across the patient as a whole - atrial fibrillation found before the stroke, deconditioning found before the fall, sleep apnoea found before the cardiac event. One platform, several pathways, and the underlying logic is anticipation rather than reaction. Not stopping an organ getting sick, but keeping the person well.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Patients who learn to interpret their own data and adjust their habits do not unlearn those skills when the device comes off; they redeploy them, to glucose, weight, medication adherence, and the next chronic disease conversation. Heart rate variability is a good example: a single reading in clinic tells you very little, but a personal baseline trended over months, and then available the day someone presents unwell, turns the same data into a genuinely informative health measure.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>Prevention is currently a luxury good&nbsp;</strong><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">People with discretionary income already buy prevention: they wear the Garmin, they pay for the gym, they take half a day off for the ABPM, they have the kitchen and the time and the health literacy to act on the results. The existing paradigm quietly assumes all of these things and the people without discretionary income end up presenting at ED with the disease the discretionary-income population prevented years earlier.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The equity case for primary-care RPM is that it turns prevention from a luxury good into a public good. There is no version of “close the equity gap” that does not run through structured, publicly funded, primary-care-delivered prevention.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>Four things have to change&nbsp;</strong><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>Move the unit of measurement upstream. </strong>Bed days avoided is the wrong KPI when the goal is fewer bed days needed. Population-level BP control by ethnicity, ED avoidance and continuity of care should sit alongside HitH bed-day numbers in any digital health dashboard.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>Move the money with the work. </strong>If primary care is to absorb monitoring at scale (and it should), the capitation envelope has to reflect it. RPM-enabled targeted titration of interventions and self management should be funded as a distinct activity. The 1 July 2026 capitation reweighting is the obvious moment.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>Move the data with the patient.</strong> A virtual ward without the primary care AND consumers trend of data is just an inpatient unit with a longer cable. The Shared Digital Health Record is a start; bidirectional flow is the play.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>Move the time horizon. </strong>Today’s ED presentations are not failures of last month’s primary care funding, they are failures of the prevention investment we did not make a decade ago. We have to fund both the strokes happening now and the prevention that bends the curve in 2031. Different time horizons need different funding streams.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>Where this lands&nbsp;</strong><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Digital health has a once-in-a-generation chance to redesign the system. We will waste it if we use AI and remote monitoring to make a 1950s hospital model run faster. The future we should be scaling is not hospital in the home, it is life in the home - supported by primary care, enabled by good technology, with hospitalisation reserved for the moments when everything else has genuinely failed. That is the harder system change. It is also the only one that meaningfully closes the equity gap.</span></span></p><div><em style="color: #666666;">If you want to contact eHealthNews.nz regarding this View, please email the editor <a href="mailto:ehealthnewsnz@gmail.com">Rebecca McBeth</a>.</em></div><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><b>Read more <a href="https://www.hinz.org.nz/page/eHN-views" target="_blank">VIEWS</a></b></span></p><div><hr style="color: #333333;" /></div><p><strong><strong style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 18px; color: #ff0000;">Return to </span></strong><strong style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="http://www.ehealthnews.nz/" target="_self">eHealthNews.nz home page</a></span></strong></strong></p>]]></description>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 May 2026 22:21:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Health NZ merges multiple websites into single accessible platform </title>
<link>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=726936</link>
<guid>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=726936</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p><strong style="color: #666666;"><img alt="" src="https://www.hinz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/ehealthnews/editorial10/2026.05.11-healthnz.png" style="border: 5px solid #ffffff; width: 250px; float: right; margin: 1px; height: 174px;" />Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora has saved $22 million over three years through a website consolidation programme that has merged 130 websites into a single digital platform. &nbsp;</strong></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The programme began three years ago to address a fragmented digital landscape inherited from the 29 former health entities that formed Health NZ.  &nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Josh Mens, digital lead for national platforms at Health NZ, says that at its peak, the organisation managed 350 public-facing websites, creating confusion for users and inefficiencies for staff. &nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"The web environment we inherited was very, very fragmented," he says.  &nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"There were multiple websites covering the same health topic, inconsistent branding, navigation, terminology, and varying degrees of publishing and content standards. &nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"For the public it was just messy and confusing." &nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Benefits of consolidation &nbsp;</strong><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The consolidation programme initially focused on the 20 former district health board websites and shared service agencies. This has expanded to include recruitment websites, creating a single national recruitment channel, and now consolidating mental health websites. &nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Mens says the programme was not originally designed as a cost-saving initiative but rather to reflect the single organisation Health NZ had become. However, the financial benefits have enabled reinvestment in higher-quality digital services. &nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"We are able to spend that money more wisely so we can engage different development vendors to help us produce a higher quality result," he explains. &nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>The consumer experience &nbsp;<br /></strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">For the public, the changes mean simplified access to health information through a single, authoritative source.  &nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The new Health NZ website won the Best Public Sector Website award at the Plain Language Awards in 2025, reflecting improved quality content in accessible language. &nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"Having a single place where people know they can go and feel confident in the information they are receiving is a massive booster for trust and confidence in Health New Zealand," Mens says. &nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“Many households have that single person who is responsible for the health of the household. &nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"By having all of these different health topics in one place, presented with a consistent interface, it just makes it a lot less stressful." &nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Enhanced accessibility compliance with New Zealand government web standards means websites work with assistive technologies like screen readers for users with disabilities or impaired vision. &nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>A trusted source &nbsp;<br /></strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The consolidation has also improved search engine performance, with Health NZ no longer competing against itself for Google rankings. It optimises content for traditional search engines and artificial intelligence-powered search tools, including ChatGPT and Microsoft's AI search functions. &nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">During health emergencies or outbreaks affecting multiple regions, Health NZ can publish consistent messaging once and deploy it across relevant areas of the site, ensuring all audiences receive the same information. &nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Analytics data shows increased user engagement with the consolidated content, and user testing confirms improved experiences compared to the previous fragmented system. &nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"People generally only engage with us when they have to," Mens says.  &nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“It is often a high stress time where they access our services, so presenting it all in a way that is well tested, well written and very easy to navigate just makes it easier." &nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Future plans &nbsp;</strong><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The next phase will address remaining website categories such as pregnancy and maternity services, smoking cessation, vaping information, and cancer services.  &nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Mens says future developments may also include AI-driven search capabilities and chatbots to connect users with appropriate services, as well as integration with services like My Health Record and Book My Vaccine. &nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"We want to create an experience where people can come to our website, find the right information the first time, get directed to the correct service the first time, rather than trying and failing and potentially giving up," Mens says. &nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The programme supports Health NZ's broader digital strategy of directing patients to appropriate care settings, including an online GP service &nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">With 220 websites still needing to be consolidated Mens expects the programme to continue delivering cost savings while improving user experience and organisational efficiency. &nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"></span><strong style="color: #666666;"><em>If you have any questions re the above feature article, please contact the editor&nbsp;<a href="mailto:ehealthnewsnz@gmail.com?subject=Feature%20Feedback" style="color: #ffcc00; text-decoration-line: none;">Rebecca McBeth</a>.</em></strong></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><b><i>Developed in partnership with Health New Zealand</i></b></span></p><p><i style="color: #666666;"></i><br /><b style="color: #666666;">Read more&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hinz.org.nz/page/eHN-Features" target="_blank">FEATURES</a></b></p><hr style="color: #333333;" /><p style="color: #333333;"><a href="https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/528059/How-digital-systems-are-essential-in-navigating-a-healthcare-crisis.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: #666666;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18px; color: #ff0000;"><strong style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #ff0000;">Return to&nbsp;</span></strong><strong style="color: #666666;"></strong></span></strong></span></a>&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px;"><strong><strong style="color: #666666;"><a href="http://www.ehealthnews.nz/" target="_self">eHealthNews.nz home page</a></strong></strong></span></p>]]></description>
<pubDate>Sun, 10 May 2026 22:47:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Remote Patient Monitoring expands through HealthX</title>
<link>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=726612</link>
<guid>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=726612</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;"><em><em style="color: #666666;"><em><span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"><em style="color: #333333;">NEWS&nbsp;&nbsp;- eHealthNews editor Rebecca McBeth</em></span></strong></span></em></em></em></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><img alt="Daman Kaur presenting on the Hawke’s Bay virtual care project at HiNZ event - From IT to Digital and AI in Health – March 2026" src="https://www.hinz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/ehealthnews/editorial10/2026.05.05-Daman-Kaur.jpeg" style="border: 5px solid #ffffff; width: 250px; height: 167px; float: right; margin: 1px;" /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Health New Zealand's HealthX programme is rolling out 100 remote patient monitoring kits (RPM) to six hospitals across Wellington, Waikato, Tairāwhiti, and Whangārei, cutting the time needed to stabilise heart failure patients on medication from six months to six weeks.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The expansion follows a successful regional trial using Spritely in the Hawke’s Bay that showed 80 percent of heart failure patients reached recommended medication levels within six weeks using remote monitoring, compared to five to six months under traditional care models.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Health Minister Simeon Brown, writing in a <a href="https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/726518/My-View---Keeping-patients-connected.htm" target="_blank">column for eHealthNews</a>, says remote monitoring devices and virtual check-ins allow clinicians to track patient conditions and respond early if something changes.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">One hundred RPM kits have been approved and are now being introduced in stages across Wellington, Waikato, Tairāwhiti, and Whangārei.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“Each monitoring kit can also be reused, making it a practical way to extend specialist care and manage demand,” says Brown.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Sonny Taite, director of innovation and AI at Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora, said at the recent AI in Clinical Practice conference in Auckland that the programme enables care across rural locations, addressing one of HealthX's three core pressure areas alongside workforce challenges and clinical inefficiencies.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">A recent example from Kaitaia showed the system's flexibility when a rural cardiology nurse needed to take a holiday and the team was able to redirect weekly patient consultations to Whāngerei Hospital without interruption to the patient’s care, he said.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">At a recent HiNZ workshop in Auckland – From IT to Digital and AI in Health – the Health New Zealand Hawke's Bay team presented on the heart failure project and said it is saving approximately $10,000 per patient while delivering faster care to rural and underserved communities.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu-UijZhAPE" target="_blank">virtual care programme is supported by Spritely</a> and provides patients with blood pressure monitors, oximeters and tablets for remote monitoring. Patients receive daily questionnaires and observation monitoring, with weekly consultations conducted remotely and the programme runs for 90 days before discharge.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Nurse practitioner Daman Kaur said it achieves shorter time frames, quicker time slots, frequent appointments, no patient or clinician travel, no readmissions and no DNAs.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"This is a win win situation for patients, clinicians, the health dollar, equity, access and models of care,” she told the Auckland audience.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">HealthX launched in September 2025. The RPM solution is <a href="https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/726427/HealthX-delivering-five-AI-and-innovation-initiatives.htm" target="_blank">one of five initiatives</a> being delivered as part of its monthly rollout programme designed to rapidly deploy AI and innovative solutions across the public health system.</span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><em><span style="font-size: 12px;">Image: Daman Kaur presenting on the Hawke’s Bay virtual care project at HiNZ event - From IT to Digital and AI in Health – March 2026</span></em></span></p><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><i style="color: #666666;">If you would like to provide feedback on this news story, please contact the editor&nbsp;<a href="mailto:mailto:ehealthnewsnz@gmail.com">Rebecca McBeth</a>.</i></div><p><span style="color: #666666;"><i>&nbsp;</i></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><i>You’ve read this article for free, but good journalism takes time and resource to produce. Please consider supporting eHealthNews by becoming a member of HiNZ, for just $17 a month.</i></span></p><p><b><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/?id=16117">Read more Digital Patient news</a></span></b></p><hr style="color: #333333;" /><p style="color: #333333;"><span style="color: #666666;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18px; color: #ff0000;">Return to&nbsp;</span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="http://www.ehealthnews.nz/" target="_self">eHealthNews.nz home page</a></span></strong></span></p>]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 4 May 2026 21:20:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>My View - Keeping patients connected</title>
<link>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=726518</link>
<guid>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=726518</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p><b style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><i>VIEW -&nbsp;Minister of Health Simeon Brown</i></b></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><img alt="Minister of Health Simeon Brown" src="https://www.hinz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/ehealthnews/editorial10/View-Simeon-Brown.png" style="border: 5px solid #ffffff; width: 250px; float: right; margin: 1px; height: 172px;" /><strong>As Minister of Health, I get the opportunity to regularly visit emergency departments, clinics, and community health services across New Zealand, speaking with patients and clinicians about the pressures winter brings. The message has been consistent: demand rises quickly, and the system needs to be ready to respond.<br /></strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>Virtual care</strong><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">One of the clearest shifts I have seen in response is the growing role of virtual care. It is helping services stay connected with patients when demand is high or travel is difficult, particularly in parts of the country where distances are long or weather can disrupt access. In doing so, it supports continuity of care and reduces unnecessary pressure on emergency departments.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Hospital in the Home is a strong example of how this is working in practice. Across New Zealand, patients who would otherwise remain in hospital are receiving hospital-level care in their own homes, supported by regular clinical reviews, remote monitoring, and clear pathways back to hospital if their condition changes. For many patients, this is not just clinically appropriate, but preferable.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Patients often say they recover better at home when it is safe to do so, able to sleep in their own bed, make a cup of tea when they feel like it, and stay connected to their community. Clinicians see the benefits as well. Monitoring patients at home allows for earlier intervention and helps reduce avoidable hospital admissions, while every patient safely cared for at home frees up a hospital bed for someone else. This becomes especially important over the winter months.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>Scaling up</strong><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">To support this kind of care at scale, the right digital tools are essential. Remote monitoring devices and virtual check-ins allow clinicians to track a patient’s condition and respond early if something changes, supporting faster decision-making while maintaining clear clinical oversight.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">This approach is already being put into practice through Health New Zealand’s HealthX programme, which is rolling out remote monitoring and virtual follow-up for people with heart conditions. Following a successful regional trial, 100 monitoring kits have been approved and are now being introduced in stages across Wellington, Waikato, Tairāwhiti, and Whangārei.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Early feedback from clinicians has been encouraging. Remote monitoring allows medications to be adjusted more quickly, reducing the time it takes to stabilise patients. What previously required multiple in-person visits over several months can now often be managed within weeks, with patients safely supported at home. Each monitoring kit can also be reused, making it a practical way to extend specialist care and manage demand.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>Digital primary care</strong><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The same principles apply in primary care, where virtual services are improving access for patients who cannot see their usual GP or need care outside normal clinic hours. This is particularly important in rural and remote communities, where distance, weather, and transport can make access more difficult.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">In response, a national <a href="https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/704848/Online-GP-Care-launched.htm" target="_blank">24/7 digital primary care service was launched last year</a>, giving people access to virtual consultations with New Zealand-registered doctors and nurse practitioners at any time. Clinicians can assess symptoms, provide treatment, prescribe medications, and make referrals when patients cannot access their usual GP or need after-hours care. Early access to clinical advice can prevent conditions from worsening and reduce avoidable presentations to emergency departments.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>A Shared Digital Health Record</strong><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Underpinning all of this is the need for better access to patient information. Health New Zealand’s Shared Digital Health Record is being developed to expand the information available to authorised healthcare providers, building on systems already in place in parts of the country. Its purpose is to ensure key patient information can be accessed wherever care is delivered.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">This includes details such as allergies, medications, and existing conditions, supporting faster and safer clinical decision-making, including prescribing. It also enables information to be shared back to a patient’s regular GP, strengthening continuity of care. Strong privacy and security protections are central to this work, with access strictly controlled and monitored.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">These tools are also making a difference in aged residential care, where timely access to clinical advice can prevent unnecessary hospital transfers and reduce pressure during periods of high demand. Facilities and retirement villages are using virtual nursing services, or implementing their own, to provide enhanced care.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">As we head into winter, these changes show how virtual care is helping the health system prepare for winter. It is supporting more patients to receive care at home, improving access to services, and ensuring hospital capacity is focused where it is needed most. Led by frontline staff, it is an important part of how we are building the future of the healthcare system, with patients at the centre.</span></span></p><div>&nbsp;</div><div><em style="color: #666666;">If you want to contact eHealthNews.nz regarding this View, please email the editor&nbsp;<a href="mailto:ehealthnewsnz@gmail.com">Rebecca McBeth</a>.</em></div><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><b>Read more&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hinz.org.nz/page/eHN-views" target="_blank">VIEWS</a></b></span></p><div><hr style="color: #333333;" /></div><p><strong><strong style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 18px; color: #ff0000;">Return to&nbsp;</span></strong><strong style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="http://www.ehealthnews.nz/" target="_self">eHealthNews.nz home page</a></span></strong></strong></p>]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 4 May 2026 01:04:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Grants for online GP consult spaces offered as GenPro says national telehealth service falling short</title>
<link>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=725368</link>
<guid>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=725368</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;"><em><em style="color: #666666;"><em><span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"><em style="color: #333333;">NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth</em></span></strong></span></em></em></em></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><img alt="" src="https://www.hinz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/ehealthnews/editorial9/2025.07.02-online-gp.png" style="border: 5px solid #ffffff; width: 250px; height: 167px; float: right; margin: 1px;" /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is offering one-off infrastructure grants of up to $10,000 to create private digital spaces for online GP consultations at urgent care services, after hours facilities, rural hospitals, and integrated health services.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The funding initiative comes as the government's 24/7 Online GP Care service falls short of expectations, delivering 60,600 consultations between May 2025 and mid-January 2026 against projected annual targets of 410,000 subsidised consultations, the General Practice Owners' Association (GenPro) says.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">An <a href="https://www.gets.govt.nz/HEALTHNZ/ExternalTenderDetails.htm?id=33771564" target="_blank">ROI </a>released by Health NZ says selected services will receive funding to create private, digitally enabled spaces onsite where patients can do online GP consultations.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"This initiative is designed to improve access to primary care by enabling people to complete an Online GP consultation at trusted points of care, particularly for individuals who face challenges accessing or enrolling with a general practice," the documentation says.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The funding covers laptops or screens, audio hardware and headphones, digital connectivity, and booths or fit-out of private consultation spaces.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Up to 20 services may also receive ongoing support for subscriptions to basic remote examination devices such as TytoCare.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The documents say funding will be prioritised for services based on access and community need, with preference given to services supporting rural or remote communities, areas of high deprivation, and locations with limited access to general practice.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Meanwhile, GenPro chair Angus Chambers says the government's broader telehealth investment is failing to meet its objectives.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The government launched a 24/7 telehealth service called <a href="https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=704848" target="_blank">Online GP Care</a> in mid-2025, as a convenient alternative for lower-acuity care and a way to reduce demand on emergency departments.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">GenPro says emergency department demand continues to rise despite the telehealth rollout. Between October and December 2025, 340,967 patients attended EDs, compared with 332,110 in the same period in 2024.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"Telehealth was meant to ease pressure on our Emergency Departments. Clearly it isn't achieving that,” Chambers says.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"The government should redirect its $165 million investment in telehealth to what patients actually want: accessible, face-to-face care in their communities.”<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">A GenPro survey of 1,798 patients found that 87 per cent prefer in-person consultations with their regular GP.&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"Telehealth can play a role in healthcare, but it should complement, not replace, traditional general practice,” he says.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Expressions of interest for the Health NZ funding can be submitted until 23 April 2026.</span></p><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><i style="color: #666666;">If you would like to provide feedback on this news story, please contact the editor&nbsp;<a href="mailto:mailto:ehealthnewsnz@gmail.com">Rebecca McBeth</a>.</i></div><p><span style="color: #666666;"><i>&nbsp;</i></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><i>You’ve read this article for free, but good journalism takes time and resource to produce. Please consider supporting eHealthNews by becoming a member of HiNZ, for just $17 a month.</i></span></p><p><b><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/Default.asp?id=16117">Read more Digital Patient news</a></span></b></p><hr style="color: #333333;" /><p style="color: #333333;"><span style="color: #666666;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18px; color: #ff0000;">Return to&nbsp;</span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="http://www.ehealthnews.nz/" target="_self">eHealthNews.nz home page</a></span></strong></span></p>]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Apr 2026 02:24:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Telehealth Failing to Meet Expectations, Not Reducing Pressure on Emergency Departments – GenPro</title>
<link>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=725231</link>
<guid>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=725231</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p><em><span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong><span style="color: #666666;">SECTOR UPDATE - General Practice Owners’ Association</span></strong></span></em></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Telehealth is falling far short of expectations, with fewer patients using the service than predicted— and it’s not easing pressure on New Zealand’s emergency departments, says Dr Angus Chambers, Chair of the General Practice Owners’ Association (GenPro).</strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“The government should redirect its $165 million investment in telehealth to what patients actually want: accessible, face-to-face care in their communities. Additional funding support would also help general practices keep fee increases to a minimum this year,” says Dr Chambers.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">When the Government launched 24/7 telehealth services in mid-2025, it promised a convenient alternative for lower-acuity care and a way to reduce demand on emergency departments. But the latest figures reveal the initiative is struggling to deliver.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">A Government business case projected 410,000 subsidised telehealth consultations annually, yet only 60,600 consultations were delivered between May 2025 and mid-January 2026.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Meanwhile, emergency department demand continues to rise. Between October and December 2025, 340,967 patients attended EDs, compared with 332,110 in the same period in 2024, despite a slight increase in throughput.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“Telehealth was meant to ease pressure on our Emergency Departments. Clearly it isn’t achieving that,” Chambers says.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“Patients are still presenting to emergency departments in large numbers. The service is nowhere near as popular as predicted, and it’s therefore not achieving its core objective.”<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Chambers says the reasons are clear. “A GenPro survey of 1,798 patients found that 87 percent prefer in-person consultations with their regular GP. People want continuity, trust, and face-to-face care. Telehealth is largely a second-best option for most patients.”<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Compounding the issue, telehealth is mostly being used by urban, employed, young adults – people least likely to present at emergency departments. This limit’s the service’s ability to reduce ED demand.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“These figures expose fundamental flaws in the telehealth policy,” Chambers says.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“This was a significant public investment, yet it is not delivering value where it is most needed.&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #666666;">Uptake is low, it is not evidence-based, and it’s failing to support the health system as intended.”</span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Ahead of the 2026 Budget, GenPro is urging the government to redirect funding into strengthening community-based general practice.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“At a time when GPs are under enormous pressure, investing in in-person care would improve access, support continuity, and help reduce cost pressures on patients—while more directly addressing the drivers of emergency department demand,” Chambers says.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“Telehealth can play a role in healthcare, but it should complement—not replace—traditional general practice.”</span></p><div>&nbsp;</div><p><span style="font-weight: 700; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">Source: General Practice Owners’ Association media release</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">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.</span><br /></p><div><hr /></div><p><span style="color: #666666;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Do you have an item to add to sector updates?</span></b><br /></span></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"></span></span></b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span></span></b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Email your information to us at&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:updates@hinz.org.nz">updates@hinz.org.nz</a></span></span></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: red;">Return to&nbsp;</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ehealthnews.nz/" target="_blank">eHealthNews.nz home page</a></span></b></p>]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:55:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>My View - Telehealth is not the point </title>
<link>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=724693</link>
<guid>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=724693</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p><b style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><i>VIEW -&nbsp;Ruth Large, Fellow of HiNZ and chair of the NZ Telehealth Forum</i></b></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><img alt="Ruth Large" src="https://www.hinz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/ehealthnews/editorial8/eHN_tiles_2024_330x227_ruth_.png" style="border: 5px solid #ffffff; width: 250px; float: right; margin: 1px; height: 172px;" /><strong>New Zealand’s next leap in digital health is about models of care, not technology&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /></strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">For more than two decades, New Zealand has been experimenting with telehealth -&nbsp;Plunketline, Healthline, telepaediatrics, regional stroke services - none of this is new. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">We did not begin the Covid19 pandemic as a digitally naive system, even if at times it felt that way.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">And yet, despite this long history, we are still prone to having the same conversation - does telehealth work?&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">That question is now largely the wrong one. The more useful, and more uncomfortable question is this: what happens when we try to use telehealth without changing how care is organised?&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>Telehealth does not clone people&nbsp;</strong><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">One of the most persistent myths in digital health is that technology, by itself, creates capacity. That a video consultation somehow bends the laws of workforce physics when it does not.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Traditional hospital care is constrained by two things, clinician time and physical infrastructure. Telehealth as straight substitution - a clinician on a screen instead of in a room - changes the location of care, but not the constraint. One clinician still delivers care to one patient at a time.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">This is why many clinicians emerged from Covid feeling bruised rather than liberated. Telehealth was layered onto already stretched workflows, often without administrative support, redesigned triage, or clear escalation pathways. The benefits accrued largely to patients - less travel, less waiting - while the cognitive and operational burden landed squarely on staff.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Technology enabled continuity, but did not transform the system.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>When capacity does appear&nbsp;</strong><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Capacity gains begin to appear only when telehealth is paired with new models of care; deliberate triage, delegation and role redesign, team based escalation,&nbsp; protocolised pathways and clarity about who is responsible for what, and when.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">In other words, telehealth becomes a force multiplier only when it is coupled with service redesign.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">This distinction matters, because it shifts the conversation away from platforms and towards clinical governance, workforce design, and flow. It also helps explain why some virtual services scale safely and others simply create more work.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>Enter the virtual hospital</strong>&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Internationally, there is increasing clarity about what a Virtual Hospital actually means and it is not a collection of video clinics.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The literature describes virtual hospitals as centralised, multidisciplinary hubs delivering continuous, hospital level care remotely. They are designed for defined populations - particularly people with chronic disease, frailty, or high risk of admission - and they operate proactively, not episodically.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Telehealth is part of the toolkit, but it is not the organising principle. This framing aligns closely with the consensus reached at New Zealand’s Virtual Hospital Symposium in early 2026, where clinicians, system leaders, and digital health experts converged on a pragmatic view:&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">“A virtual hospital is not a building, not an app, and not a bolt on service, it is a hybrid model of care, intentionally integrating virtual and in person services under clear clinical governance.”&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Notably, the symposium placed equity, workforce sustainability, and interoperability at the centre of design, rather than assuming these would emerge later as ‘benefits’.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>Hospital in the Home and the discipline of definition&nbsp;</strong><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Hospital in the Home (HiTH) is often cited as evidence that virtual models “work”. The evidence does support this, but only when HiTH genuinely substitutes for a hospital bed.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">When HiTH is tightly defined, clinically governed by hospital services, and resourced appropriately, outcomes are comparable or better for selected patients, with reduced bed days and pressure on acute services.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">When definitions loosen, and HiTH becomes a relabelled community service or a monitoring overlay, both evidence and credibility erode.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">This definitional discipline is not pedantry, it is what protects clinicians from being asked to deliver hospital-level responsibility without hospital-level support.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>Remote Patient Monitoring</strong><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) does not treat patients: it does not replace clinical judgement and on its own, it does not reliably reduce admissions or costs.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The literature, and lived experience, suggest a blunt truth: RPM amplifies the quality of the system it sits in. In a well-designed pathway, it supports early intervention and confidence. In a fragmented one, it generates alerts, workload, and frustration.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">RPM works best when treated as infrastructure, embedded in Virtual Hospital or HiTH pathways with defined thresholds, escalation authority, and workforce capacity to respond. Otherwise, it risks becoming very expensive reassurance.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>Is virtual care the panacea?&nbsp;</strong><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">No, and it never was, but governed well, virtual care enables something genuinely important: care without walls. This is care that is not constrained by geography, buildings, or historical service silos.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Achieving this is not primarily a technological challenge. It is definitional, organisational, cultural and clinical.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Which is why this conversation belongs not just in IT forums, but in Clinical Senates, governance rooms, and workforce planning discussions.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">If telehealth were a pill, we would not prescribe it indiscriminately. We would ask about indication, dose, combination, and monitoring. Digital health deserves the same clinical discipline.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The next leap for New Zealand will not come from better platforms alone. It will come from clarity about models of care, and the courage to redesign them.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /><em>Author note:&nbsp;</em><br />This piece draws directly on insights presented to the New Zealand Clinical Senate and discussions from the Virtual Hospital Symposium, reflecting both international evidence and New Zealand clinical consensus.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><div>&nbsp;</div><div><em style="color: #666666;">If you want to contact eHealthNews.nz regarding this View, please email the editor&nbsp;<a href="mailto:ehealthnewsnz@gmail.com">Rebecca McBeth</a>.</em></div><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><b>Read more&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hinz.org.nz/page/eHN-views" target="_blank">VIEWS</a></b></span></p><div><hr style="color: #333333;" /></div><p><strong><strong style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 18px; color: #ff0000;">Return to&nbsp;</span></strong><strong style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="http://www.ehealthnews.nz/" target="_self">eHealthNews.nz home page</a></span></strong></strong></p>]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 2 Apr 2026 00:16:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Northern Region Hospital at Home reaches 120 daily patients</title>
<link>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=724080</link>
<guid>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=724080</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;"><em><em style="color: #666666;"><em><span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"><em style="color: #333333;">NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth</em></span></strong></span></em></em></em></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><img alt="Erik McClain, clinical lead Northern Region H@H" src="https://www.hinz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/ehealthnews/editorial10/2026.03.26-Erik-McClain.jpg" style="border: 5px solid #ffffff; width: 250px; height: 167px; float: right; margin: 1px;" /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The Northern Region's Hospital at Home (H@H) programme is supporting around120 patients daily, with plans to expand to 200 patients by the end of the next financial year.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The service is having a significant impact on hospital capacity by effectively freeing up around 80 beds daily across the region's hospitals.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The home-based service combines continuous remote monitoring using wearable devices, intermittent monitoring devices, virtual ward rounds and in-person interventions, with 60 percent of patients on any day receiving in-person interventions and 40 percent of patients receiving virtual care as an alternative.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Erik McClain, clinical lead Northern Region H@H, says that since launching at Auckland Hospital they have seen a reduction in general medicine length of stay by one day.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">With those wards seeing up to 220 patients daily, shaving a day off length of stay has a massive impact, he says.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Counties Manukau was the first to develop and implement H@H pathways supporting admission directly from the Emergency Department (ED) Medical Assessment Unit. Half of all patients admitted to H@H in Counties Manukau now come directly from the ED, avoiding a hospital admission altogether.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Other sites are planning to implement similar direct admission routes within the next few months.&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">As the three Metro Auckland districts, H@H services were developed rapidly in response to the challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic and in 2023 the Northern Regional Provider Group tasked the region as a whole with expanding H@H services.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Te Tai Tokerau went live with their first patients in March 2024, completing the regional rollout.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Penny Magud, interim regional operational lead for Northern Region H@H, says a key component of the regional service is the 24/7 virtual coordination hub staffed by virtual care nurses who monitor patients using remote wearable devices and intermittent monitoring equipment.&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The digital technology enables the service to support more patients, including those with higher acuity, through 24 hour oversight and virtual vital sign monitoring.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The wearable currently being used by H@H allows the team to monitor six different vital signs (HR, BP, RR, SPO2, Temperature and ECG), along with cardiac algorithms. A virtual care dashboard operates 24/7, prioritising patients based on early warning scores generated from their vital signs data.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"All patients receive virtual care as part of the hybrid model of care, as each patient is reviewed in a virtual ward round each afternoon, which are led by our H@H clinicians (SMO/Nurse Practitioners) ” Magud explains.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“This winter we are aiming for 150 patients at any given time to be supported in H@H across the region, with a vision that by end of the 2026-2027 financial year we will be supporting around 200 patients on any given day of the week”.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">McClain says the programme has expanded beyond general medicine to include post-operative cardiothoracic surgery patients, with plans to add pre and post-operative vascular patients. New pathways from the ED for cardiology and general medicine patients admitted directly to H@H go live next month.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Future developments include bringing patients from Northland and Waitematā to Auckland for surgery, with pre and post-operative care provided through H@H.&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Caroline Ogilvie, project manager for digital delivery Northern Region Digital Services, says the team is working on sponsored data arrangements to ensure patients can access the service without the cost of data being a barrier.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"The patient can directly text or call the virtual care hub and also the virtual care hub can directly contact the patient by video call/ SMS/ in app messaging and push educational materials and patient questionnaires," she says.&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Patient satisfaction is high, with net promoter scores reaching 98-99 percent against a target of 90 percent, Ogilvie adds.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The Northern Region has had more than 7,000 admissions to Hi@H over the 12 months with nearly two thirds of patients over 70-years-old.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Magud says the programme reflects the area’s diverse patient population. Around 18 percent of H@H patients identify as Māori, 33 percent as Pacific peoples and 18 percent as Asian.</span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"></span><em style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 11px;">Image: Erik McClain, clinical lead Northern Region H@H</span></em></p><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><i style="color: #666666;">If you would like to provide feedback on this news story, please contact the editor&nbsp;<a href="mailto:mailto:ehealthnewsnz@gmail.com">Rebecca McBeth</a>.</i></div><p><span style="color: #666666;"><i>&nbsp;</i></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><i>You’ve read this article for free, but good journalism takes time and resource to produce. Please consider supporting eHealthNews by becoming a member of HiNZ, for just $17 a month.</i></span></p><p><b><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/Default.asp?id=16117">Read more Digital Patient news</a></span></b></p><hr style="color: #333333;" /><p style="color: #333333;"><span style="color: #666666;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18px; color: #ff0000;">Return to&nbsp;</span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="http://www.ehealthnews.nz/" target="_self">eHealthNews.nz home page</a></span></strong></span></p>]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 23:15:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Virtual consultations fill critical workforce gaps in rural Taranaki</title>
<link>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=722350</link>
<guid>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=722350</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;"><em><em style="color: #666666;"><em><span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"><em style="color: #333333;">NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth</em></span></strong></span></em></em></em></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><img alt="South Taranaki Rural Health Practice manager Lisa Zame" src="https://www.hinz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/ehealthnews/editorial10/2026.03.17-Lisa-Zame-2.jpg" style="border: 5px solid #ffffff; width: 250px; height: 167px; float: right; margin: 1px;" /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">South Taranaki Rural Health has implemented virtual consults using locum doctors to address staff shortages and maintain patient access to care.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The hybrid model, launched in December 2025, involves patients getting in-person nursing assessments before connecting with remote doctors who have full access to the practice's patient management system.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Practice manager Lisa Zame says this means the practice can continue to provide appointments for routine and acute care without having to cancel appointments or extend wait times.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The system reduces pressure on GPs as virtual locum doctors also support administrative tasks like managing patient inboxes and reviewing laboratory results.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"This means the clinicians on the ground can focus on patients that need to have physical exams or procedures done," Zame explains.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Patients generally attend the practice rather than connecting from home. They arrive 15 minutes before their scheduled appointment to see a nurse who does vital sign assessments, including blood pressure, height, and weight measurements and any other tests that are needed.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Nursing staff also photograph skin conditions or other visible symptoms to share with the remote doctor.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"That nurse is trying to be the ears and the eyes for the doctor at the other end, and trying to capture as much information as possible," she says.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Initially some patients were hesitant and nervous, particularly elderly patients who worried about managing the technology, but they have grown in confidence after becoming familiar with the system.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Zame says that without virtual consultations, the practice would face significant challenges managing patient demand and wait times would create additional pressure on staff and potentially drive patients to emergency departments.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The hybrid model also creates opportunities for preventive care screening with nurses identifying patients overdue for cervical screening and other testing during the same visit.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Both clinical and administrative staff needed time to understand which conditions could be managed virtually versus those needing in-person examination.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"We just learned as we went and we got good feedback from the locum doctor at the other end about what they could and what they could not manage virtually," Zame says.</span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><em><span style="font-size: 11px;">Image:&nbsp;South Taranaki Rural Health Practice Manager, Lisa Zame</span></em></span></p><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><i style="color: #666666;">If you would like to provide feedback on this news story, please contact the editor&nbsp;<a href="mailto:mailto:ehealthnewsnz@gmail.com">Rebecca McBeth</a>.</i></div><p><span style="color: #666666;"><i>&nbsp;</i></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><i>You’ve read this article for free, but good journalism takes time and resource to produce. Please consider supporting eHealthNews by becoming a member of HiNZ, for just $17 a month.</i></span></p><p><b><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/Default.asp?id=16117">Read more Digital Patient news</a></span></b></p><hr style="color: #333333;" /><p style="color: #333333;"><span style="color: #666666;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18px; color: #ff0000;">Return to&nbsp;</span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="http://www.ehealthnews.nz/" target="_self">eHealthNews.nz home page</a></span></strong></span></p>]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2026 00:11:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Gold Coast Health Miya Precision Remote Patient Monitoring Deal Signed</title>
<link>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=722245</link>
<guid>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=722245</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p><em><span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong><span style="color: #666666;">SECTOR UPDATE - Alcidion</span></strong></span></em></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Alcidion has signed a contract with Gold Coast Health to implement its Miya Precision platform to support remote patient monitoring (RPM).</strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The agreement will see Alcidion deliver an end-to-end remote patient monitoring solution, enabling the health service to extend virtual care into patients' homes. The initiative is designed to support patients who can be safely monitored outside the hospital, reducing unnecessary admissions and freeing up capacity for those who need it most.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Gold Coast Health operates three hospitals and a network of community health facilities, serving one of Australia’s fastest-growing regions. With demand for healthcare services continuing to rise, the health service has been at the forefront of exploring virtual care models - recognising that the future of healthcare isn’t just about building more beds, but about delivering care in smarter, more flexible ways.&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Virtual care approaches that gained traction during the pandemic are now maturing into core components of how health services operate, and Gold Coast Health is building them into its long-term care model. It’s an approach that aligns with the health service’s “Always Care” philosophy, which places person-centred care at the heart of everything it does.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The Miya Precision platform will integrate with Gold Coast Health's existing electronic medical record system to provide clinicians with real-time access to patient data captured through remote monitoring devices. Built to scale, the platform can grow alongside Gold Coast Health's needs and connect with existing and future systems as they evolve. The solution supports a range of devices, including third-party options and patients' own devices, capturing vital signs and biometric data that feed directly into clinical workflows.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Beyond data collection, the platform provides clinical decision support and configurable care pathways, enabling clinicians to spot early warning signs before they escalate to empower patients to take an active role in managing their health from the comfort of home. Initial applications are expected to focus on areas such as post-acute care and chronic condition management, where remote monitoring can have the greatest impact.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Dom Girolamo, Executive Director of Digital and Innovation at Gold Coast Health, said: “Digital‑enabled virtual care is a core enabler of the next generation of person‑centred models under development.&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“The ongoing enhancement of traditional hospital-based services into the home and community, is supporting a broader transformation of care delivery - creating a smarter, more flexible and digitally connected health service for the future.”<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Alcidion CEO Kate Quirke said: “Remote patient monitoring is transforming the way health services think about capacity - it’s no longer just about hospital beds, but about meeting patients where they are. We’re proud to partner with Gold Coast Health on this initiative, which reflects a growing momentum across the sector toward virtual care models that are better for patients and more sustainable for health systems.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“With Miya Precision, we’re giving clinicians the visibility they need to intervene early and keep patients safely on track - turning data from the home into real-time, actionable insights at the point of care.”</span></p><div>&nbsp;</div><p><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://www.alcidion.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.hinz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/logos/Alcidion-logo.jpg" alt="Alcidion logo" style="width: 250px;" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 700; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">Source: Alcidion media release</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">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.</span><br /></p><div><hr /></div><p><span style="color: #666666;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Do you have an item to add to sector updates?</span></b><br /></span></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"></span></span></b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span></span></b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Email your information to us at&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:updates@hinz.org.nz">updates@hinz.org.nz</a></span></span></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: red;">Return to&nbsp;</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ehealthnews.nz/" target="_blank">eHealthNews.nz home page</a></span></b></p>]]></description>
<pubDate>Sun, 15 Mar 2026 23:52:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Healthpoint &amp; Whakarongorau Aotearoa formalise partnership to support health navigation and access</title>
<link>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=721239</link>
<guid>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=721239</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p><em><span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong><span style="color: #666666;">SECTOR UPDATE - Healthpoint &amp; Whakarongorau Aotearoa</span></strong></span></em></p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Healthpoint and Whakarongorau Aotearoa have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), formalising a long-standing relationship that sets a shared direction for how the two organisations will continue to supportnwhānau to find the right care, at the right time, in an increasingly complex health system.<br /></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;">The MoU reflects more than a decade of collaboration across national telehealth, after-hours care, mental health, sexual harm services, and crisis response. It provides a clear framework for how Healthpoint and Whakarongorau will work together - <strong>not as owners of pathways, but as trusted stewards within a wider health and social services ecosystem</strong>, supporting access, navigation, and trusted information across the system.<br /></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;">Healthpoint Chief Executive Officer Kate Rhind says this formalised partnership will help to strengthen triage and navigation across all health and social services.<br /></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;">“Sometimes, systems become harder to navigate as new services and tools are added. This partnership is<br />intentionally working toward the opposite future.<br /></span></p>

<p><span style="color: #666666;">“As services change and new ways of accessing care emerge, we will not lose sight of the human relationships at the centre of care. We want people to encounter clearer information, fewer obstacles, and less repetition. Navigation is never static. And it’s there to improve access not just for those who already know how the system works, but especially for people who have historically faced barriers.<br /></span></p>

<p><span style="color: #666666;">“Whether someone starts with a google search that points them to a phone call to Healthline about an unwell tamaiti, a text for help to a 1737 counsellor, or a webchat, they are supported by a system that is increasingly joined-up,” says Ms Rhind.<br /></span></p>

<p><span style="color: #666666;">At a time when health system integration and trusted navigation are increasingly critical, this agreement provides clarity and continuity for partners across the sector.<br /></span></p>

<p><span style="color: #666666;">Whakarongorau Aotearoa Chief Executive Officer Glynis Sandland says the MoU is a moment to honour what has already been built, and a commitment to strengthening the relationship with intent.<br /></span></p>

<p><span style="color: #666666;">“Together, we are focused on providing equitable access, supporting trusted navigation, and ensuring whānau can move through the health system with confidence, dignity, and trust.<br /></span></p>

<p><span style="color: #666666;">“Healthline and Whakarongorau support millions of interactions each year. Our services are designed to help people from first contact, seamlessly through to trusted local care when required, in a way that fits their needs and their circumstances easily and safely — without being left to navigate complex pathways on their own.<br /></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;">“Wherever people begin, together with Healthpoint, we’re continuously improving a health system that grows with their needs,” she says.<br /></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;">At the heart of the partnership is a values-led approach for equity, cultural safety, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, recognising that whānau experience the health system in different ways and that access must be designed to meet people where they are. Both organisations act as trusted kaitiaki, holding information and relationships with care, independence, and integrity, and enabling collaboration across government, community, iwi and sector partners.<br /></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;">The MoU recognises that <strong>any door is the right door</strong> - whether people seek support through telehealth, digital tools, community services, or frontline providers. Healthpoint and Whakarongorau will continue to support a diverse ecosystem of providers, technologies, and partners, <strong>prioritising interoperability, openness, and choice</strong>, and ensuring navigation pathways remain open, adaptable, and responsive to local and national needs.<br /></span></p>

<p><span style="color: #666666;">It creates space for ongoing discovery, reflection, and responsible innovation across health and social services, informed by real-world delivery and system insight.<br /></span></p>

<p><span style="color: #666666;">The partnership complements existing operational and contractual arrangements and provides a shared<br />foundation for future collaboration that supports <strong>public sector priorities, community-and wellness-led models of care, and a resilient, connected health ecosystem</strong> that can continue to evolve alongside the needs of whānau.<br /></span>
   
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<p><span style="font-weight: 700; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">Source: Healthpoint &amp; Whakarongorau Aotearoa&nbsp;media release</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">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.</span><br /></p>
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<p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Email your information to us at&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:updates@hinz.org.nz">updates@hinz.org.nz</a></span></span>
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<p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: red;">Return to&nbsp;</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ehealthnews.nz/" target="_blank">eHealthNews.nz home page</a></span></b></p>]]></description>
<pubDate>Sun, 1 Mar 2026 21:21:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Three quarters patient bookings made online at Southern Cross Healthcare</title>
<link>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=720022</link>
<guid>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=720022</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;"><em><em style="color: #666666;"><em><span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"><em style="color: #333333;">NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth</em></span></strong></span></em></em></em></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><img alt="" src="https://www.hinz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/ehealthnews/editorial9/2026.02.11-DSC_0153.JPG" style="border: 5px solid #ffffff; width: 250px; height: 167px; float: right; margin: 1px;" /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Three quarters of bookings at Southern Cross Healthcare are being made electronically across 11 hospitals through its eAdmissions platform, with 70 percent of surgeons now using the digital system.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Wendy Matthews and Ginna Bradbury from Southern Cross presented on the eAdmissions project at Digital Health Week NZ in November 2025<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">They told attendees the platform creates a connected digital journey that starts at specialist rooms where booking requests are created within Clinical Workstation, the organisation's electronic health record.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Patients then get email and text alerts inviting them to register for MyHealthcare , the patient portal, where they complete admission forms, health questionnaires and treatment agreements electronically.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"We have 70 percent of our surgeons now using eAdmissions which has resulted in 74 percent of our bookings received electronically by our hospitals," said Matthews.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Over the last six months, the digital transformation has eliminated around 115,000 pieces of paper that would have been used for traditional booking paper packs and comes with associated cost savings.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The system allows hospital bookings teams to track form completion in real time through Clinical Workstation, with completed forms immediately available to hospital staff, clinical teams and medical specialists.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">She said the project has also challenged assumptions about digital adoption.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"Data analysis comparing form completions with patient demographic information has dispelled the myth that the ageing population will not engage in digital forms. In fact, our more mature patients are much more likely to complete their forms in a timely fashion than the younger population," Matthews said.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Bradbury explained that the rollout of the platform was paused due to overwhelming feedback from end users and relaunched after identifying a hospital where nearly all practices and most patients were engaged with the system, which they used as a benchmark to learn from.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"This hospital became our gold standard and along with constructive feedback from other hospitals and the first patient feedback survey, the project team was well prepared with product improvements and a new direction for the relaunch," she said.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Electronic system signatures were added to agreement treatment forms, mobile access was introduced and patient health questionnaires were integrated to allow auto-population of conditions, alerts, allergies and adverse reactions.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">"The strong collaboration between the hospital teams, medical specialists and their practices was a key success factor,” she said.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The latest patient survey showed a satisfaction score of over 90 percent..<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The eAdmissions platform is due to roll-out to a further six hospitals in the Southern Cross Healthcare network, with the project team planning to address further improvements once the full rollout is complete.<br /></span></p><div>&nbsp;</div><div><i style="color: #666666;">If you would like to provide feedback on this news story, please contact the editor&nbsp;<a href="mailto:mailto:ehealthnewsnz@gmail.com">Rebecca McBeth</a>.</i></div><p><span style="color: #666666;"><i>&nbsp;</i></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><i>You’ve read this article for free, but good journalism takes time and resource to produce. Please consider supporting eHealthNews by becoming a member of HiNZ, for just $17 a month.</i></span></p><p><b><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/Default.asp?id=16117">Read more Digital Patient news</a></span></b></p><hr style="color: #333333;" /><p style="color: #333333;"><span style="color: #666666;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18px; color: #ff0000;">Return to&nbsp;</span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="http://www.ehealthnews.nz/" target="_self">eHealthNews.nz home page</a></span></strong></span></p>]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 10 Feb 2026 23:51:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>CareHQ celebrates five years of transforming primary healthcare in New Zealand</title>
<link>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=714455</link>
<guid>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=714455</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p><em><span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong><span style="color: #666666;"><em><strong><span style="color: #666666;"><em style="text-align: justify;"><em><em><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"><em style="color: #333333;"><em><em style="color: #666666;"><em><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"><em style="color: #333333;"><a href="https://hinz.eventsair.com/dhwnz2025/pricing" target="_blank" style="color: #ffcc00; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="" src="https://www.hinz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/conference_2025/DHW_Banners_728x90_last_chan.png" style="border:5px solid #ffffff;   width: 650px; vertical-align: top; margin: 1px; height: 78px;" /></a></em></span></strong></em></em></em></em></span></strong></em></em></em></span></strong></em></span></strong></span></em></p><p><em><span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong><span style="color: #666666;">SECTOR UPDATE - CareHQ</span></strong></span></em></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Virtual general practice CareHQ marks its five-year anniversary this month (November), celebrating a legacy of innovation, collaboration, and unwavering support for primary healthcare across the country.</strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Since its inception, CareHQ has delivered over 170,000 consults, including more than 70,000 in the past year alone, providing accessible, high-quality care to tens of thousands of New Zealanders.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">At the heart of CareHQ’s mission is a commitment to strengthening and complementing the work of general practices. As CEO Brett Butler explains, “Our patients are seen by expert doctors who are Fellows of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP), ensuring the highest standards of care.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“We’re proud that CareHQ does not enrol patients or claw back capitation, so enrolling general practices are not charged for CareHQ visits. This means we work alongside practices, not in competition with them. CareHQ’s Practice Nurse team plays a vital role in supporting unenrolled patients, actively assisting them to find a physical practice for ongoing care,” says Butler.&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Butler says CareHQ GPs are embracing new technologies such as digital scribe services.&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“To allow our GPs to focus on the patient, not the notes, we are funding Heidi for our entire clinical team. Heidi transcribes the consultation, and robust, clinically checked notes are then securely passed to the patient’s own GP, reflecting our ongoing collaboration with general practices to strengthen continuity of care.”<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Access to CareHQ is designed to be as simple as possible. Patients can book appointments via ManageMyHealth and MyIndici apps when their practice is closed, ensuring help is always at hand. Practices can also book overflow appointments directly through CareHQ, so if a GP is away, their patients can still be seen on the day.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">CareHQ’s commitment to equity and collaboration is reflected in its partnerships and accreditations.&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“We’re proud to be an accredited Te Whatu Ora provider since July 2025, offering subsidised consults to eligible patients,” says Butler. “Our partnership with Asthma New Zealand is helping unenrolled patients in the Rotorua region access the care they need, and our collaboration with Whakarongorau (Healthline) means their teams can book a CareHQ GP directly on a patient’s behalf, passing through information for truly connected care.”<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">CareHQ is also dedicated to supporting GPs and keeping them in the workforce.&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“We know that flexibility is key,” says Butler. “Our model allows NZ Registered Fellows living or travelling overseas to continue supporting New Zealand patients, rather than being lost to the system. GPs with young families can choose shifts that suit their lifestyle, promoting work-life balance and retention in the profession.&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Reflecting on CareHQ’s five year journey, Butler concludes: “Five years ago, we set out to make high-quality healthcare accessible to all New Zealanders, wherever they are. Today, CareHQ stands as a testament to what can be achieved through innovation, collaboration, and a focus on delivering the right care for each patient, every time. We are proud to support general practices, empower GPs, and deliver care that makes a real difference in people’s lives.”<br /></span></p><div>&nbsp;</div><div><span style="font-weight: 700; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;"></span></div><p><span style="font-weight: 700; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;"></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 700; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">Source: CareHQ media release</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">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.</span><br /></p><p>&nbsp;</p><div><hr /></div><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Do you have an item to add to sector updates?</span></b><br /></span></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"></span></span></b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span></span></b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Email your information to us at&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:updates@hinz.org.nz">updates@hinz.org.nz</a></span></span></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: red;">Return to&nbsp;</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ehealthnews.nz/" target="_blank">eHealthNews.nz home page</a></span></b></p>]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 12 Nov 2025 23:34:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>My View - digital accessibility that works</title>
<link>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=713902</link>
<guid>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=713902</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p><b style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><i>VIEW -&nbsp;Andrea Midgen, Chief Executive, Blind Low Vision NZ</i></b></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" src="https://www.hinz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/ehealthnews/editorial9/2025.11.05-Andrea-Midgen.png" style="border: 5px solid #ffffff; width: 250px; float: right; margin: 1px; height: 172px;" /><strong>One of the most consistent messages we hear from our community at Blind Low Vision is about the need for digital accessibility that truly works for them. Accessing everyday essentials – from paying a bill to booking a doctor’s appointment – should be simple, intuitive, and equitable. It's about dignity and fairness.&nbsp;</strong></span></span>
</p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;">I recently had the privilege of speaking at a breakfast event hosted by Hon Louise Upston for Blind Low Vision NZ at Parliament. The event was to promote requirements for digital accessibility, both in the public and private sector. It was a positive event with lots of discussion happening between key people, including MPs, Ministry representatives and heads of adjacent organisations.<br /></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;">At Blind Low Vision NZ, our purpose is simple, yet powerful: to empower people who are blind, deafblind, or have low vision to live the life they choose. We currently support around 16,000 clients, but we know the community we represent is much larger. We estimate around 193,000 New Zealanders live with vision loss today. That number is expected to grow to 225,000 by 2028, especially as we have an aging population.<br /></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>The digital opportunity&nbsp;</strong><br /></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;">The most common eye conditions, such as Age-related Macular Degeneration, Diabetic Retinopathy, Glaucoma and Cataracts, affect thousands of people every year. And behind each number is a person who wants the same thing we all do: to connect, to contribute, and to live independently.<br /></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;">When discussing healthcare especially, accessibility has a huge impact on someone’s life. If a form is inaccessible, it could lead to privacy breaches as people have to list their conditions out loud; important information about one’s condition can go unread; and letters informing patients of doctor’s appointments could be missed entirely.&nbsp;<br /></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;">Digital health has the possibility of greatly improving the system for members of the blind, deafblind and low vision community, but only if accessibility is considered from the outset of design.</span></p>
<hr />
<p><b style="font-size: 12px; color: #666666;"><i><em style="text-align: justify;"><em><em><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"><em style="color: #333333;"><span style="color: #666666;"><strong><span style="color: #666666;"><em><em><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"><em style="color: #333333;"><em><em style="color: #666666;"><em><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"><em style="color: #333333;"><a href="https://hinz.eventsair.com/dhwnz2025/pricing" target="_blank" style="color: #ffcc00; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="" src="https://www.hinz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/conference_2025/DHW_Banners_728x90_last_chan.png" style="border: 5px solid #ffffff; width: 650px; vertical-align: top; margin: 1px;" /></a></em></span></strong></em></em></em></em></span></strong></em></em></span></strong></span></em></span></strong></em></em></em></i></b></p>
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<p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Getting accessibility right</strong><br /></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;">Part of patient care, and treating the whole person, means considering accessibility needs, not just the details of their medical condition. A diagnosis by itself doesn’t tell you a person’s level of functional vision and what format they will need information in. In order to achieve a consistent and equitable quality of healthcare, accessibility needs must be a part of a person’s patient profile, not just their medical history.<br /></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;">Disability-specific training must not be skimped on in the healthcare sector. Disabled people across the board interact with the healthcare system twice as much as non-disabled people. Such an important area of people’s lives requires extra attention into getting accessibility right.<br /></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;">Additionally, accessibility needs to be considered as an employer. Disabled people, including those who are blind, deafblind or have low vision, are more than capable of working in many areas of healthcare. Too often we forget about disability in conversations around hiring practices.&nbsp;<br /></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>The importance of representation</strong><br /></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;">The lack of blind and low vision representation in healthcare means that misunderstandings surrounding blindness and reasonable accommodations continue to be pervasive in the healthcare sector.<br /></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;">In the European Union, accessibility compliance is already standard practice, and that’s the level of excellence we should strive for here in Aotearoa New Zealand.<br /></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;">From new AI technology, to better data collection, to the simple accessible Word document instead of a print letter, digital health opens up many opportunities for improving the landscape for blind, deafblind and low vision people.&nbsp;<br /></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;">We at Blind Low Vision NZ urge you to look towards the future of digital health and consider what changes you could implement to improve accessibility in your area of work.<br /></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;">We have collaborated with HiNZ in 2025 on a podcast series highlighting the issues discussion. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.<br /></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1717287/episodes/18102133" target="_blank">Strengths, not deficits: A blind low vision perspective on working in healthcare</a><br /></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1717287/episodes/17941180" target="_blank">How to be an accessibility winner: a Blind Low Vision perspective</a><br /></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1717287/episodes/17707440" target="_blank">Accessing healthcare: a Blind Low Vision perspective</a><br /></span></p>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<p><em style="color: #666666;">If you want to contact eHealthNews.nz regarding this View, please email the editor&nbsp;<a href="mailto:ehealthnewsnz@gmail.com">Rebecca McBeth</a>.</em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;"><b>Read more&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hinz.org.nz/page/eHN-views" target="_blank">VIEWS</a></b></span></p>
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<p><strong><strong style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 18px; color: #ff0000;">Return to&nbsp;</span></strong><strong style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="http://www.ehealthnews.nz/" target="_self">eHealthNews.nz home page</a></span></strong></strong>
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<pubDate>Wed, 5 Nov 2025 02:40:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Awanui proudly launches BODYiQ  </title>
<link>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=711385</link>
<guid>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=711385</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p><em><span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong><span style="color: #666666;"><em><span style="color: #666666;">SECTOR UPDATE -&nbsp;<em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; background-color: #ffffff;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666;">Awanui Group</span></span></span></em></span></em></span></strong></span></em></p><p><strong style="color: #666666;">“Awanui is proud to introduce BODYiQ, an enhanced self-requested testing service supporting people to take a proactive role in managing their health and wellbeing.&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Chief Commercial Officer Scott Bishop says BODYiQ replaces the MyTests service as the next evolution of direct-access testing in Aotearoa, and part of a global shift toward greater personal involvement in health.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“Awanui has been providing New Zealanders with a safe, clinically supported way to access trusted health information on their own terms for the past five years, underpinned by our IANZ-accredited laboratories.&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“We have built on this success and foundation to bring our BODYiQ platform to market which complements, rather than replaces, primary care.”&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Scott Bishop says people choose self-requested testing for accessibility and to proactively manage their wellbeing whether to establish a baseline for health and fitness, monitor a known condition, or have a more informed conversation with their GP.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“Clinical governance is central to the service and our pathologists have contributed to the selection, design, commentary, and educational content for each test. Critical results are reviewed by pathologists with direct follow-up them or a GP from <a href="https://www.thedoctorsonline.co.nz/home/gad_source/1/gad_campaignid/20354685981/gbraid/0aaaaabyyftxwp7q0y_w-whg4cyfnxia2l?gclid=cj0kcqjw58pgbhckarisadbdilzkyddzi2mpvdbaxjyhkevboy6ugieqzrfhmsoyqkami-xmvn3smpmaat_2ealw_wcb" target="_blank">The Doctors Online</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“If results fall outside the normal range, they have the option of a follow-up directly through our partner, The Doctors Online with our Results Protection service. If results are critical, they are followed up directly by our clinical team or The Doctors Online regardless of whether the customer has opted into our Results Protection service.”&nbsp; &nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>What’s new with BODYiQ&nbsp;</strong><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Building on five years of experience, BODYiQ introduces several important enhancements:&nbsp;<br /></span></p><ul><li><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Improved result visualisation</strong> with clearer digital reporting, making it easier for people to understand their health data.</span></li><li><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Expert commentary</strong> from the clinical team at Awanui on every test, providing context and insights beyond just the results.&nbsp;</span></li><li><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Results Protection service</strong> with direct access to a New Zealand-based GP through The Doctors Online if results fall outside the normal range.&nbsp;</span></li><li><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Stronger education and guidance</strong>, with pathologist-designed panels and commentary to support preventative and lifestyle-related testing choices.&nbsp;</span></li><li><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Empowerment to take action</strong> – giving people information they can use in meaningful conversations with their GP or to guide lifestyle decisions.&nbsp;</span></li></ul><p><span style="color: #666666;">Dr Kim Hurst, Clinical Director at Green Cross Health &amp; <a href="https://www.thedoctorsonline.co.nz/home/gad_source/1/gad_campaignid/20354685981/gbraid/0aaaaabyyftxwp7q0y_w-whg4cyfnxia2l?gclid=cj0kcqjw58pgbhckarisadbdilzkyddzi2mpvdbaxjyhkevboy6ugieqzrfhmsoyqkami-xmvn3smpmaat_2ealw_wcb" target="_blank">The Doctors Online</a> – a BODYiQ partner - says “people want to act before symptoms appear, track their health over time, and access testing which reflects their personal concerns whether it is fatigue, hormone balance, or heart health.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“This is not about replacing the GP model. Instead, BODYiQ is clinically supported service giving people additional tools, data, and insights they can use as part of meaningful conversations with their healthcare providers.”&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“BODYiQ supports the health system with a service which is safe, accessible, and clinically governed delivering clear, accurate and transparent information and contact with clinicians when needed,” says Scott Bishop.&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“This service also reinforces the role of Awanui as a trusted partner in the New Zealand healthcare system and the organisation’s goal to deliver greater customer experience, proactive health management and reduce pressure on primary care.”&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">For more information, and to experience BODYiQ firsthand, go to the BODYiQ <a href="https://bodyiq.co.nz/nz" target="_blank">website – click here</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /></span></p><div>&nbsp;</div><div><strong style="color: #666666;"><em></em></strong></div><p><a href="https://awanuigroup.co.nz/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.hinz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/logos/Awanui-Group-logo.png" alt="Awanui Group logo" style="width: 250px;" /></a><br /></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"></span><span style="font-weight: 700; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">Source:&nbsp;<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">Awanui Group</span>&nbsp;media release</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">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.</span></p><hr style="color: #333333;" /><p style="color: #333333;"><a href="https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/528059/How-digital-systems-are-essential-in-navigating-a-healthcare-crisis.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: #666666;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18px; color: #ff0000;"><strong style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #ff0000;">Return to&nbsp;</span></strong><strong style="color: #666666;"></strong></span></strong></span></a>&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px;"><strong><strong style="color: #666666;"><a href="http://www.ehealthnews.nz/" target="_self">eHealthNews.nz home page</a></strong></strong></span></p>]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Sep 2025 23:23:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Retaining trust in the future of digital primary care</title>
<link>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=710968</link>
<guid>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=710968</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p><em style="text-align: justify;"><em style="color: #666666;"><em><span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"><em style="color: #333333;">NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth&nbsp;</em></span></strong></span></em></em></em></p><p><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666;"><img alt="" src="https://www.hinz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/ehealthnews/editorial9/2025.09.26--Luke-Bradford-33.png" style="border: 5px solid #ffffff; width: 250px; float: right; margin: 1px; left: 377.93px; height: 172px;" />It is critical to maintain strong patient-provider relationships as technology rapidly evolves, says Luke Bradford, president of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners.&nbsp;<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666;">“How do we deliver technologies and tools so that the patient feels supported in a relationship with their primary care provider as opposed to transacting with a machine and depersonalising care, which we know actually leads to worse outcomes and splintered care?” he asks.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666;">Bradford will be speaking at <a href="https://hinz.eventsair.com/dhwnz2025/" target="_blank">Digital Health Week 2025</a> this November 24-27 in Ōtautahi Christchurch and says technology is essential to improve the current situation of disconnected care and lack of timely communications.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666;">"We need to shift our systems so we can save time, but we must ensure we do not end up in a situation where the human element, the contact, and the trust are lost when it really matters" he says.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666;">Bradford believes the implementation of change has to include rapid and open three-way sharing of information between primary and secondary care, and with patients.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666;">"People think giving patients more access to their information increases our workload, but it actually decreases it," he says.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666;">He wants to ensure tech developers and policymakers remember primary care's central position when rolling out new technologies.</span></span></p><div><hr /></div><p><a href="https://hinz.eventsair.com/dhwnz2025/pricing" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="https://www.hinz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/conference_2025/DHW_25_634x76_eb_closes.png" style="border:5px solid #ffffff;   width: 650px; vertical-align: middle; margin: 1px; height: 78px;" /></a></p><hr /><p><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666;">"Around 90 percent of ongoing care happens in primary care: that is where patients spend most of their time," he notes.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666;">"Let's move away from typing letters to each other for answers. We need to share this information smartly, not clog up everyone's inboxes with unnecessary stuff. It is about getting the right balance and pace.”<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666;">Bradford believes that artificial intelligence and other digital tools could streamline processes and improve patient care, but says AI raises many concerns about equity and continuity of care.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666;">"AI is definitely at the forefront, but it hinges on two things: equity - how do we avoid creating a two-tier healthcare system or worse? And then, how do we apply the growing evidence that shows continuity of&nbsp;</span></span><span style="text-align: justify; color: #666666;">care is what really works?" he explains.</span></p><p><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666;">Bradford also believes the system need to do a much better job at training the workforce of the future, as it is not done properly at the moment.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666;">“We train future clinicians with the tools in front of them, rather than the tools that are coming to them,” he says.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://hinz.eventsair.com/dhwnz2025/pricing" target="_blank">Register now</a>&nbsp;to attend Digital Health Week 2025 and hear more from Luke Bradford and other inspiring healthcare leaders.</span></span></p><p><em style="color: #666666; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">&nbsp;</span></em></p><p><em style="color: #666666; text-align: justify;">To comment on or discuss this news story, go to the eHealthNews category on the&nbsp;<a href="https://forum.hinz.org.nz/c/general/news/140" target="_blank">HiNZ eHealth Forum</a></em></p><p><b><span style="color: #666666;"><em style="text-align: justify;"></em></span></b></p><p><b><span style="color: #666666;"><em style="text-align: justify;"></em></span></b></p><p><b><span style="color: #666666;"><em style="text-align: justify;"></em></span></b></p><p><b><span style="color: #666666;"><em style="text-align: justify;"></em></span></b></p><br /><p><b><span style="color: #666666;"><em style="text-align: justify;">You’ve read this article for free, but good journalism takes time and resource to produce. Please consider supporting eHealthNews by becoming a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hinz.org.nz/general/register_member_type.asp" target="_blank">member of HiNZ</a>, for just $17 a month</em></span></b></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><i style="color: #666666;"></i></p><p><b><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/Default.asp?id=16117">Read more Digital Patient news</a></span></b></p><hr style="color: #333333;" /><p style="color: #333333;"><span style="color: #666666;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18px; color: #ff0000;">Return to&nbsp;</span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="http://www.ehealthnews.nz/" target="_self">eHealthNews.nz home page</a></span></strong></span></p>]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 25 Sep 2025 23:59:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Digital health service delivering faster access to primary care</title>
<link>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=709771</link>
<guid>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=709771</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p><em><span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong><span style="color: #666666;"><em><strong><span style="color: #666666;"><em style="text-align: justify;"><em><em><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"><em style="color: #333333;"><em><em style="color: #666666;"><em><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;"><em style="color: #333333;"><a href="https://hinz.eventsair.com/dhwnz2025/pricing" target="_blank" style="color: #ffcc00; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="" src="https://cdn.ymaws.com/hinz.site-ym.com/resource/resmgr/conference_2025/dhw_25_634x76_ss_closes.png" style="border:5px solid #ffffff;   width: 650px; vertical-align: top; margin: 1px;" /></a></em></span></strong></em></em></em></em></span></strong></em></em></em></span></strong></em></span></strong></span></em></p><p><em><span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong><span style="color: #666666;">SECTOR UPDATE - Hon Simeon Brown, Minister of Health</span></strong></span></em></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>More than 21,000 consultations have already been delivered through the Government’s new 24/7 digital health service launched in July, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.</strong><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“This service is giving New Zealanders faster access to care when they can’t see their usual GP, helping them get the support they need, when they need it,” Mr Brown says.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">In its first months, the service has:<br /></span></p><ul><li><span style="color: #666666;">Delivered 21,740 consultations to 19,331 people across New Zealand.</span></li><li><span style="color: #666666;">Been used most often when a timely GP appointment wasn’t available (71.6 per cent of bookings).</span></li><li><span style="color: #666666;">Provided treatment for 83.5 per cent of patients, without needing an in-person GP follow-up.<br /></span></li></ul><p><span style="color: #666666;">“Most people were able to get answers and treatment straight away, easing pressure on emergency departments by addressing non-urgent issues earlier and in the right setting.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“This service is reaching people in every corner of the country, from our busiest cities to our smallest rural towns. That shows it is making a real difference for those who might otherwise face long waits or long drives just to see a doctor.”<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Working-age adults and parents are the biggest users, with strong uptake among 20–39-year-olds and children under 10. It’s also being used across all communities, with every ethnicity well represented.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“This digital service provides easily accessible healthcare when it’s needed, bridging the gap when people might otherwise be left waiting, worrying, or unsure where to turn. For many families, that makes a real difference in their daily lives.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“Our Government is committed to ensuring every New Zealander can access timely, quality healthcare. Digital health solutions are a key part of delivering that,” Mr Brown says.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"></span><br /></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"></span><span style="font-weight: 700; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">Source: Hon Simeon Brown, Minister of Health&nbsp;media release</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">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.</span><br /></p><p>&nbsp;</p><div><hr /></div><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Do you have an item to add to sector updates?</span></b><br /></span></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"></span></span></b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span></span></b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Email your information to us at&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:updates@hinz.org.nz">updates@hinz.org.nz</a></span></span></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: red;">Return to&nbsp;</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ehealthnews.nz/" target="_blank">eHealthNews.nz home page</a></span></b></p>]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 10 Sep 2025 01:19:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Forte Health Deploys Patients-Centric Digital Pathway to Transform the Surgical Experience</title>
<link>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=709369</link>
<guid>https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/news.asp?id=709369</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<p><em><span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong><span style="color: #666666;">SECTOR UPDATE - Personify Care</span></strong></span></em></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong><a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sonosite.com%2F&amp;esheet=54295459&amp;newsitemid=20250724253826&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=FUJIFILM+Sonosite%2C+Inc.&amp;index=1&amp;md5=12875066eb7c5960e67fa9330b9c46ba" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="https://www.hinz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/ehealthnews/editorial9/2025.09.04-Forte_Health_Pati.gif" style="border:5px solid #ffffff;   width: 150px; float: right; margin: 1px; height: 267px;" /></a>Forte Health, a leading private surgical hospital in New Zealand, has announced the development of a new digital patient pathway designed to improve surgical readiness, reduce cancellations, and deliver a more personalised care experience for patients undergoing short-stay surgery.</strong><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The initiative, in partnership with Personify Care, is part of Forte Health’s broader commitment to consumer-centred innovation. The hospital is addressing long-standing challenges caused by manual, paper-based processes and inconsistent communication, which often leave patients feeling unprepared and anxious before their procedures.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“Too often, hospitals communicate around the patient, not with them,” said Matt Devonald, Patient Services Manager at Forte Health. “We’re changing that by delivering accessible information at the right time - directly to patients' - whether that's to their mobile device at home, or in the clinic supported by their health practitioner”.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Designed With Patients and Staff in Mind</strong></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The digital pathway will deliver procedure-specific instructions, pre-admission requirements, and day-of-surgery details via SMS and secure mobile web links. Co-designed with input from both consumers and clinical and administrative teams, the system integrates seamlessly with existing workflows, supporting staff while improving the experience for patients.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The first phase of the rollout began in July with 4 specialist rooms - including Urology and Gynaecology, enabling iterative learning, staff feedback, and refinements before expanding across all Medical Specialist rooms by the end of the year.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong><img alt="" src="https://www.hinz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/ehealthnews/editorial9/2025.09.04-Forte_Health_NZ.png" style="border:5px solid #ffffff;width: 250px; float: right; margin: 1px;" />Redefining Patient Preparedness and Operational Efficiency</strong><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Forte Health aims to significantly enhance patient confidence, satisfaction, and engagement by empowering them with on-demand access to tailored, easy-to-understand guidance. By shifting away from paper-heavy administration, the hospital also expects to reduce manual workload and lower operational costs.</span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Key success metrics include:</span></p><ul><li><span style="color: #666666;">Improved patient satisfaction and preparedness</span></li><li><span style="color: #666666;">Fewer day-of-surgery cancellations</span></li><li><span style="color: #666666;">Enhanced ability to identify clinical risks early</span></li><li><span style="color: #666666;">Improve environmental footprint by reducing printed materials and postage</span></li></ul><p><span style="color: #666666;">“This isn’t about digitising for the sake of it,” added Matt Devonald. “It’s about making sure every patient has the right information, at the right time - so they feel supported and prepared, not overwhelmed.”<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">“We aim for technology to be an enabler, breaking down barriers and promoting health literacy, ultimately putting the patient in control of their healthcare journey.”<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Leading the Way in Culturally Sensitive Digital Health</strong><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">Recognising the importance of inclusivity and cultural safety, Forte Health has embedded cultural sensitivity into the pathway’s design. This includes ensuring language, tone, and delivery channels are appropriate for the hospital’s diverse patient population.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">The hospital believes this approach offers a repeatable model for other private surgical providers across New Zealand and beyond, demonstrating how thoughtful digital transformation can uplift both clinical outcomes and patient experience.</span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"></span><a href="https://personifycare.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.hinz.org.nz/resource/resmgr/ehealthnews/editorial8/2024.06.18-Personify-logo2.png" alt="Personify Care logo" style="width: 250px;" /></a><br /></p><p><span style="color: #666666;"></span><span style="font-weight: 700; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">Source: Personify Care media release</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Garamond; color: #666666;">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.</span><br /></p><p>&nbsp;</p><div><hr /></div><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span style="color: #666666;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Do you have an item to add to sector updates?</span></b><br /></span></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"></span></span></b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span></span></b></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Email your information to us at&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:updates@hinz.org.nz">updates@hinz.org.nz</a></span></span></p><p style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: red;">Return to&nbsp;</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ehealthnews.nz/" target="_blank">eHealthNews.nz home page</a></span></b></p>]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 4 Sep 2025 04:21:00 GMT</pubDate>
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