Torex Buys Oxhealth.com to Develop Electronic Health Records

In the latest of a string of recent acquisitions Torex Health has announced it is to purchase Oxhealth.com Ltd, in a deal that will see Torex taking over one of the NHS ERDIP (Electronic Record Development and Implementation Programme) pilot sites.

Torex Health will pay £375,000 for Oxhealth.com, through the issue of 50,113 Torex ordinary shares.

Oxhealth.com is an Electronic Health Record (EHR) initiative started by Dr Cecilia Pyper and Dr Justin Amery of the Bury Knowle Health Centre in Oxford.

Dr Pyper said: "Over the last few years we have been frustrated by being unable to find a partner who shares our enthusiasm and focus. Now at last we have found a partner who shares our vision".

As part of the acquisition, Torex has signed a new partnership agreement with the Bury Knowle Health Centre to develop the NHS Electronic Health Record. The health centre, as one of the few NHS ERDIP pilot sites, has been piloting the concept of online electronic health records (HER).

Dr Justin Amery said: "With the support of Torex, we feel that the EHR should be attainable in the very near future. We hope that other practices will follow our lead and join in this exciting initiative to realise the EHR".

In a collaborative three-stage NHS EHR development project, Torex will initially supply software and technology to the practice.

Stage two includes the development and installation of facilities to enable the incorporation of hospital and community information about Bury Knowle’s patients. In addition, Torex will also provide software for the practice’s branch surgery at Barton as well as Helen House, the local children’s hospice and respite centre.

In stage three, local NHS staff will be able to access up to date electronic patient records. During this process, Drs Pyper and Amery will be researching the beliefs, attitudes and perceptions of patients and health professionals about the EHR. They will address such issues as consent, confidentiality and security.

In separate recent deals Torex Health in November announced the purchase of McKeown Software Limited £11.75 million. McKeown is the leading provider of financial and accounting systems to the NHS Trust market.

In September, Torex significantly strengthened its position in continental Europe with the £20.6m purchase of Hiscom, the leading supplier of hospital information systems in the Dutch healthcare market. Hiscom provides a comprehensive suite of products including systems for patient management, laboratories, radiology, finance, billing, human resources and logistics.