GE and HP latest to clamber on e-health bandwagon

Beverley Head
Thursday, 22 September 2011 10:39

IT Industry - Strategy

The Government's e-health initiative, for which it has so far earmarked $467 million worth of investment is acting as a lure for the big names of IT with HP and GE the latest to bring new healthcare solutions to Australia.

GE this week announced that its Health Information Exchange, already being used in 17 sites in the US to allow clinical data to be stored and viewed, would be available for Australian clients early in 2012. The company has been tweaking the product for the local market including adding fields to allow management of Australia's 16 digit health identifier numbers which were introduced last year.

Blair Butterfield, international vice president of e-health solutions for GE Healthcare, who is in Melbourne for the Health Information Management System Society (HIMSS) meeting, said the GE system was compliant with the standards which have been specified for Australia's PCEHR (personally controlled electronic health record).

Mr Butterfield said that the company was currently speaking to some prospects and that the technology was available for review, although the local version would be available in Australia early in 2012.

Earlier this week HP, which announced on Tuesday that the yet to be built Royal Adelaide Hospital would use its technology platform, also unveiled a range of healthcare technologies for Australian users. Like GE, HP is participating in the Melbourne HIMSS conference.

HP's Digital Health portfolio includes HP Digital Hospital 2.0 (which is what will be installed at the Royal Adelaide) and HP V-Health which is intended to link healthcare teams providing a range of care services to patients. HP has also opened a Health Solution Centre in Texas.

Meanwhile Cisco this week started publishing a blog about healthcare solutions in Australia and New Zealand.