South Australian hospitals forced to use IT system beyond use-by date
MORE than 60 South Australian hospitals are using software which dates back to the 1980s and is scheduled to be decommissioned in March.
South Australia is the last remaining user of the outdated technology, known as CHIRON, but Health Minister Jack Snelling has asked its developer, Victorian company Global Health Ltd, to continue supporting its use here past the March 31 cut off.
The State Government intends to move to a newer system later in 2015.
Global Health is urging the Government to upgrade because having only one customer for CHIRON is not commercially sustainable.
The looming issue comes as an Auditor-General’s report reveals SA Health is preparing contingency plans for the new Royal Adelaide Hospital in case a new electronic patient records system intended for use there is not ready in time for the 2016 opening.
The report, released last week, said alternatives to the troubled $422 million Enterprise Patient Administration System, designed to switch hospitals from paper to electronic records, were being explored for the new RAH.
They would require “modified processes and manual workarounds” but the impact these would have on patient care was “unknown”.
The report said the EPAS system was supposed to save $11 million over 10 years but would now be $87 million in the red, not including $49 million in contingency funding.
The system is planned to be rolled out to 12 of the state’s largest hospitals.
The Government is considering a different system for upgrading record keeping at 64 rural hospitals.
Until that is finalised, those sites will remain on the CHIRON system, developed in the 1980s and introduced to SA’s health system in 1991-93.
CHIRON was superseded by Global Health’s MasterCare electronic patient administration system more than a decade ago.
SA Health has been the sole customer for CHIRON since 2008.
In a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange on November 21 Global Health chief executive Mathew Cherian announced the ‘impending retirement’ of the CHIRON system, after Mr Snelling declined to upgrade to the company’s newest system.
The statement notes having a single customer for CHIRON is not a sustainable commercial option given the rate of technology innovation.
Within a week the company made a second announcement to the Stock Exchange saying Mr Snelling had asked it to keep supporting CHIRON in SA beyond March 31.
Negotiations are underway but continued support may not be possible beyond the short term as virtually all Global Health staff have moved on to working with more modern software.
In answer to a detailed series of questions from The Advertiser SA Health released a statement saying it was in negotiations to ensure CHIRON “continues to be supported in country South Australia hospitals and healthcare centres past March 2015”.
“An alternative … system is expected to be selected during 2015 which will continue to provide country South Australians with high quality health care,” it said.
A history of problems
The State Government delayed rolling out the Enterprise Patient Administration System (EPAS) to the state’s 12 largest hospitals due to a major problem with the operating system.
EPAS was supposed to be rolled out across the state by July this year.
So far, it has been rolled out to for use in parts of Noarlunga, Port Augusta and the Repatriation General hospitals.
The Government has “paused” the rollout but says it will be ready for the new RAH in 2016.