healthAlliance project brings IS savings to DHBs

Media release 21 August 2003

healthAlliance project brings IS savings to health boards

A healthAlliance project aimed at reducing healthcare costs and improving services could save the Waitemata and Counties Manukau district health boards as much as $600,000 a year.

Project Fusion, which started in June, will align and standardise various IS (information systems) functions for the two organisations.

The project includes standardising computer logons between the two health boards, upgrading email systems and aligning email addresses, standardising desktops, upgrading servers and installing automatic maintenance tools.

It is part of a wider sharing of support services between the two health boards, run by the jointly-owned organisation healthAlliance (subs: spelling correct).

healthAlliance IS manager Joanne Bos says Project Fusion will be of particular benefit to clinical staff.

“Many doctors rotate between the two health boards and have to learn different computer logons for each. Project Fusion will standardise the logons of doctors, nurses and other healthcare personnel, giving them access to exactly the same set of computer applications at each location.

“Another benefit is merging the two DHBs’ email systems into one, which will make it easier for staff to communicate by email and schedule meetings, resulting in easier and more cost-effective management of our email system.”

Ms Bos says when the two health boards initially merged their IS departments last year, there were different infrastructures in place.

“Project Fusion will standardise and upgrade the infrastructure as well as implement a centralised management system. The maintenance of the infrastructure will become simpler, more automated and more robust, which will lead to less computer outages.”

Project Fusion is expected to be completed in late April 2004.

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