Digital Health News: November 2024

This week, Western Health achieved a major milestone as Bacchus Marsh and Melton clinical areas transitioned to the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and digital applications, transforming clinical workflows, communication, and patient care across our network. 

Thanks to months of detailed planning and the dedication of Bacchus Marsh and Melton teams, this transition marks a significant step forward in delivering clinical care for the community.   

As part of the project, the Bacchus Marsh Medical Surgical Unit is piloting the Connect Nursing app – a Western Health first. The app enables EMR functionality that streamlines nursing and midwifery workflows and enhances patient care.  

Highlights: 

• 92% of BMM staff trained prior to Go-Live. 

• 159 training sessions delivering 600+ hours across BMM sites. 

• Successful transitions of the following clinical areas:

• • Urgent Care Centres (Melton & Bacchus Marsh) 

• • Medical Surgical Unit 

• • Maternity and Maternity Assessment Clinic (MAC)  

• • Theatre (Bacchus Marsh) 

• • Medical Day Unit (Melton) 

• 24/7 Go-Live Support: Over 100 local Super Users, on-site clinicians and floor walkers, and virtual troubleshooting ensured smooth operations and patient care during the transition.  

What’s Next? 

In the coming week, the Go-Live will extend to Non-Specialist Clinics, and Community areas across Bacchus Marsh, Melton, and Caroline Springs.

A huge thank you to everyone involved! Together, we’re transforming care and improving health outcomes for the community in Melbourne’s West. 

For updates on the Bacchus Marsh and Melton Digital Health Transition, read the Operations Bulletins on the WH intranet and visit the Digital Health site.  

On 15 October, Western Health transitioned to HealthLink, as its sole Secure Messaging Delivery (SMD) provider. Since the change, over 138,000 clinical documents have been securely sent via HealthLink, including:

• Clinician letters
• Cancer multi-disciplinary meeting notes
• Discharge summaries (inpatient/emergency)
• Pharmacy discharge medication lists
• Referral outcomes
• Outpatient appointments
• Inpatient admissions/discharges
• Death notifications

Clinics without Practice Management Software (PMS) or incomplete/incorrect provider details in the National Health Services Directory (NHSD) will continue to receive correspondence from Western Health via electronic fax.

Western Health’s General Practice Integration Unit has launched the Transition to HealthLink Improvement Project, with Support Officers providing practical assistance to over 170 GPs and Practice Managers since mid-October. This includes troubleshooting support for clinic setup to enable the receipt of clinical correspondence via HealthLink, as well as providing guidance on other issues related to an effective transition.

Certain documents, such as mother/baby discharge summaries, endoscopy reports, and cardiology investigations, will move to HealthLink by early 2025. Until then, these documents will continue to be sent via email or fax.

As the transition continues, GPs and/or Practice managers are encouraged to keep their National Health Services Directory (NHSD) and HealthLink Directory listings up to date to support seamless transmission of clinical correspondence.

For more details on Western Health’s communications with GPs, visit the website.

The Bacchus Marsh Medical Surgical Unit (MSU) has become the first site at Western Health to pilot the Connect Nursing app – an extension of our EMR on the Go mobility suite.

About Connect Nursing

The Connect Nursing app enhances patient care, by enabling nurses and midwives to:

• Access important information instantly: Enabling documentation within the EMR at the point of care.
• Simplified routine clinical processes: Saving time and reducing manual tasks.
• Improve efficiency and care quality: Spend more time focusing on patient needs.

The pilot represents a major step forward in integrating digital solutions to support Western Health clinicians and reinforces our commitment to exceptional patient care.

Western Health, in collaboration with Oracle Health is making great strides with Western Health Care Connect (WHCC), a platform designed to give clinicians and healthcare providers a unified view of patient information.

WHCC will simplify care co-ordination, support informed decision-making, and enhance patient outcomes, by integrating clinical data from multiple sources. It will deliver critical health information directly to clinicians at the point of care.

The first phase of WHCC is complete, with the technical Go-Live completed this week. We’re now planning for the clinical Go-Live, to enable data from Western Health’s Electronic Medical Record (EMR) to flow into an integrated page and web portal.  Future integration with OKTA will further streamline access.

Once implemented, WHCC will provide clinicians access to key patient information, including:

• Inpatient, Emergency and Urgent Care, Pharmacy and Allied Health discharge summaries.
• Vital signs and measurements.
• Allergies, alerts, and diagnosis.

WHCC aims to support a more seamless patient experience, fostering a connected network that prioritises patient safety and enhanced care.

The second phase, already underway, will extend WHCC access to Western Health clinicians and selected external healthcare providers. A clinical reference group, comprising Western Health clinicians and external care teams, will provide guidance on future design decisions.

The Digital Health team is collaborating with providers and Western Health teams to integrate digital applications and systems into the New Footscray Hospital (NFH).

One area of focus is connecting the Monash and Alfred Shared Pathology Laboratory Information System (LIS) to Western Health’s Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system.

A great onsite update video is now available, featuring footage from a drone fly-over, a site orientation from the central green space, new artist impressions and a first look inside the new ED.  Watch this short 4-minute video here

Learn More About NFH

For more information about the NFH project, visit the dedicated site on Western Health’s intranet.

Following the EMR code upgrade in early November 2024, several enhancements have been implemented to improve system performance and user experience.

Stay informed by visiting the EMR Updates page on the Digital Health site to review recent improvements.

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