eHealth NSW has kicked off the development of a prototype big data platform aimed squarely at improving the performance of the state's healthcare system, particularly how services are delivered and envisaged.
The digital arm of NSW Health is half way through a six-month proof of concept project with the Royal North Shore Hospital that it hopes will serve as the basis for an enterprise-wide solution.
NSW Health CIO and eHealth NSW CEO Zoran Bolevich revealed the platform during his keynote at a recent event hosted by the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA).
The project is expected to “establish automated, near real-time replication of operation data to a secure analytics platform”, according to eHealth NSW’s data and analytics director Lachlan Rudd.
“The PoC aims to enhance the analytics capability already embedded in the system, allowing analytics teams across the breadth of NSW Health to better serve the needs of clinicians, managers and the broader health system in delivering the best possible patient care,” he told iTnews.
Since joining the agency in March, Rudd has spent the last six months developing a roadmap to deliver the data and analytics components of the 10-year e-health strategy for NSW Health.
He considers big data “the future of government service delivery and policy development” and says the PoC will enhance NSW Health’s existing analytics capability to drive better service delivery.
“Rapid access to raw data, collected as part of the day-to-day processes of healthcare, can be leveraged into compelling analytics solutions that improve the performance of the NSW public health system,” he said.
The PoC will finish up in December, with eHealth NSW to review and consider the findings before progressing a business case for a potential future enterprise solution.
If it gets the go ahead, the agency would look to progress a market approach.
However it is yet to decide which technology will underpin the big data platform.
It is currently assessing its options for a secure analytics platform and expects a recommendation to be made after the completion of the proof of concept.
“eHealth NSW is considering platforms that can securely access large volumes of real-time clinical and corporate data,” a spokesperson said.
