GP system supplier, Emis is supporting a key part of Wales’ Informing Healthcare programme by providing the company’s software on a ‘white label’ basis for the first time.
My Health Online – the new health website for Wales – is using software designed by Emis to facilitate the trial of new patient services such as GP appointment booking and repeat prescription ordering over the internet.
The pilot is being enabled by the Emis Access service – but as part of the ‘white label’ deal, the software has been provided to Informing Healthcare as a de-branded service rather than as an Emis product.
My Health Online is part of Informing Healthcare’s plan to give each patient in Wales an electronic individual health record. In future, the project aims to offer everyone in Wales the opportunity to view their health record online.
Emis managing director, Sean Riddell, said: “This is a significant milestone for Emis as it is the first time that our leading edge technology – already widely used in the UK – has become the foundation for a healthcare project in a ‘white label’ capacity.
“Web-based service technologies are taking patient care in a new direction and changing traditional concepts. In the future, I believe more and more healthcare providers will be looking to buy-in to this type of service architecture rather than a branded product.”
Informing Healthcare started trials of My Health Online at five GP surgeries across Wales in October 2007. The surgeries are in: Anglesey, Bridgend, Cardiff, Llandysul and Swansea.
If patients taking part in the pilots want to continue using the appointment booking and prescription request service at the close of the trial they should, with the agreement of their GP surgery, be able to do so.
Dr Martin Murphy, Informing Healthcare’s clinical director said: “We are very pleased to be working with Emis on this important project, and delighted at the pragmatic approach they have brought to it.”
At three of the surgeries – in Anglesey, Bridgend and Llandysul – chosen groups of patients have the opportunity to access their own health records online, for a limited period, as well as trialling appointment-booking and repeat prescription services.
A recent survey of internet users in Wales, conducted for Informing Healthcare, revealed a huge appetite for online health services. It found that the majority (78%) would order repeat prescriptions, book an appointment with their GP or update their details online if these services were available.
Of those taking part in the research, 66% also said they would be happy using the internet to send medical queries to their doctor.
Riddell said the project “is encouraging patients to play an active role in managing their own health and helping to make their lives easier.”
Informing Healthcare will evaluate the findings from the trials and use the information to develop My Health Online further.
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