WSS signs e-health agreement with Merck Sharp & Dohme

Stan Beer
Wednesday, 23 February 2005 09:30

IT Industry - Development

E-health provider, Working Systems Solutions Ltd, (ASX:WSS) has signed an agreement agreement with Australian pharmaceutical company Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSDA) involving groundbreaking use of the Internet.

The agreement follows a pilot begun in 2003 by doctors and their patients across Australia. In the trial, a group of doctors were introduced to the notion of on-line patient records.

The idea is to build up a life long electronic medical record which could be accessed any time, anywhere in the world, on line.

It will be the first time electronic health records are used to share information between doctors and patients in Australia. The next step would be to stretch beyond the GP to include specialists, pharmacists and other health providers.

In the trial, using the doctors’ websites, patients and doctors kept track of what medications were prescribed, how patients were coping with medication, medical events and any other health information. Patients could also access information about management of illness, their pregnancy and any other medical concerns.

The information held in the electronic health records could only be accessed by the patient and doctor.

The website was provided to the doctors by Merck Sharp & Dohme via familyGP.com.au. The patient records and health information were accessed, using WSS’s Internet application, HotHealth.

Managing director of WSS, Mathew Cherian said, “We suspected there could be some initial resistance from GPs. But six months of GP field
trials, followed by intense focus groups has proved wide acceptance by doctors, who also report they perceive this Internet health care system as a valuable resource for their patients.”