NSW implements $100m project

The New South Wales Department of Health says it plans to spend AU$100 million (R655.4 million) over the next two years to create a state-wide electronic health system that will replace paper-based health records in 188 public hospitals, reports Computerworld.

The minister of health, John Della Bosca, claims the e-health system should be fully implemented by the end of 2010 to improve the efficiency of hospital care.

Electronic medical record projects are already under way in the states of Tasmania and South Australia.

Communication Intelligence Corporation (CIC), a supplier of electronic signature solutions, is collaborating with Striata, a North American provider of e-mail bill payment, to develop an integrated solution for the financial services industry, states PR Newswire.

The combined offering adds electronic signature capabilities to Striata's platform to market the product into new areas of investment and insurance products.

Garin Toren, COO of Striata, says: "Incorporating CIC's electronic signature technology into our product offering enhances our initiative for providing solutions that reduce costs, increase document security and integrity as well as providing the final and essential step for our customers to easily migrate to a truly paperless environment."

A 2009 Deloitte healthcare survey discovered that with the $19 billion allocated in the stimulus package to help jumpstart advances in health information technology, consumer appetite for electronic health records is also growing, says Docuticker.

More than 4 000 US consumers were surveyed at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society annual conference held in Chicago.

According to Deloitte, technologies that can facilitate consumer transactions with providers and health plans, like integrated billing systems that make bill payment faster and more convenient, are appealing to nearly half (47%) of consumers surveyed.