Strategy Development

One of my strengths is being able to extrapolate high level strategy from a morasse of detail.  This is particularly challenging when dealing with information systems.

I develop information systems strategy by:

• understanding the goals of the business
• continually staying up to date with leading edge technology and how it can be used to achieve business goals
• addressing the information challenges faced by a business
• communicating a clear set of steps required to move the organisation towards its information goals.

ProCare (my former employer) has now achieved many of the goals set out in the Information Management Plan I developed for them.  This includes:

• significant adoption of technology by general practice
• implementation of communications technology for messaging and internet access
• collection of population health data to understand the health needs of the population
• infrastructure that provides for current and future operational needs.

For the Ministry of Health:

A significant amount of effort has been expended worldwide on achieving integration of medical information within hospital-based systems, predominantly using technologies such as HL7 standards and integration engines (such as “Concerto”).  Hospitals that are prepared to make the appropriate investment can ensure that all clinicians within their domain have access to common information about their patients regardless of the operational system used to manage the particular service.

Yet there are few examples, if any, where this level of integration and interoperability has been achieved between primary and secondary care.  Although electronic referrals and discharge summaries are increasingly common, most examples of information “integration” are of one-way information transfer associated with the transfer of medical care from one provider to another, rather than a true sense of shared care where health providers care for the patient using a common information base.

For the Ministry of Health, we provided a consulting report on the opportunities, benefits, barriers, issues, and risks of achieving true integration of information between primary and secondary care, informed by consultation with a wide range of stakeholders from primary and secondary care.

For Manaia PHO:

Manaia PHO has been implementing information systems within the organisation in a reactive rather than planned manner and without the benefit of an information systems strategy.

This has resulted in:

• systems that are not meeting requirements
• information silos
• multiple systems that are not integrated with associated support and maintenance costs
• GPs who are frustrated with the need to interact with multiple systems and interfaces to deliver the services managed by the PHO.

Additionally, Manaia PHO wanted to consider a more centralised approach to the delivery of practice management software to reduce administration and support costs for the General Practitioners.

Procon provided Manaia PHO with a “Quality Framework for Information Systems” to help them achieve their information goals using systems and technology.

For Well Dunedin PHO:

I developed an ICT Strategy for Well Dunedin PHO to address all of the aspects of running a PHO.  The strategy addressed the questions:

• where are we now?
• where do we need to be?
• how do we get there?