WDHB to go live with new patient administration computer system

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13 February 2018


Another significant piece of the regional health information computer system will soon be in place. Whanganui District Health Board (WDHB) will make their transition to a new regional patient administration computer system over the coming weekend (16-19 February).


Implementation of the regional webPAS patient administration system expands the stable of key clinical IT systems Whanganui DHB has moved onto the shared regional system over recent years.


WDHB chief executive Russell Simpson says the understanding of patients and visitors will be appreciated while the new system ‘settles in’.


“Even though extensive preparation, training and testing has occurred, it is always difficult to predict how new systems will behave with everyday busy loads,” Mr Simpson says. “We expect that some services may operate more slowly at first, but we wish to reassure the public that that we will keep disruption to minimum.”


“The system we’re replacing has been used for more than 20 years so understandably some services may operate slightly slower than normal for a week or two while staff adjust to the new system.”


Whanganui DHB and regional staff, as well as staff from vendor DXC, will be on site to provide support and assist with any issues that may arise during the transition.


MidCentral and Wairarapa DHBs went live on the regional webPAS in December 2017 and January 2018 respectively, and will be joined in time by Hawke’s Bay, Capital & Coast, Hutt Valley DHBs.


The webPAS system is part of the Regional Health Informatics Programme - a large programme of work across the Central Region DHBs – which supports the National Health IT Board’s vision of a national, shared health information model.


It will enable more efficient and safer delivery of health services through the centralisation and appropriate sharing of patient records between DHBs in the lower North Island. Through the shared system, health professionals will be able to access important patient information from any hospital in the lower North Island.