Victoria’s 2018-19 budget will earmark $124 million for the rollout of electronic medical records at three health services, the state government revealed today.
The Victorian government said that the EMR rollout at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne Health and Royal Women’s Hospital will see the records linked to the currently operating EMR system at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
The rollout will reduce avoidable errors and duplications as well as help patients receive faster care, the government said. Once implemented, the measure is estimated to save $34.1 million a year.
Over a 12 month period the EMR system at the Royal Children’s Hospital cut prescribing and administration errors by 27 per cent the government said, boosted the immunisation rates of children in hospital by 4 per cent, and reduced by more than 6700 and 2400 respectively the number of pathology tests and medical imaging examinations.
“We cannot underestimate the value of getting real-time records to arm our medical professionals with the information they need,” health minister Jill Hennessy said in a statement.
“The EMR rollout is crucial to improving patient healthcare now, and boosting innovation and research for even better care in the future,” said Victoria’s special minister of state, Gavin Jennings.