12 August 2011
Canterbury District Health Board & Orion Health Partner in Unique Relationship
Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) and Orion Health Ltd., a leading developer and supplier of healthcare software
globally, have formed a strategic partnership that will see CDHB clinicians and other staff working alongside Orion
Health’s software developers to advance healthcare technology innovation.
CDHB currently uses Orion Health’s technology to provide secure access to a single view of patient information as do
many other DHBs in New Zealand. Over time, CDHB will adopt the full suite of Orion Health’s products to provide
clinicians and caregivers across the health system with access to an integrated ‘person centred’ healthcare record.
For its part the DHB and its staff will identify areas where there is a need for new or improved software solutions. The
Orion Health team will work alongside clinicians to develop and tailor software to measure, monitor and streamline
clinical workflow for improved patient outcomes.
Chief medical officer for CDHB, Dr Nigel Millar, says Orion Health’s investment in the health system in Canterbury
showed significant recognition of the innovative work underway and changes to way health services are being provided as
part of the DHB’s recovery plan.
“We have a motivated and tech-savvy group of clinicians who can see the benefits and opportunities to improve the way
they work, and ultimately lead to improved patient safety and outcomes.
“As a result of this partnership we are now what is known as a reference site for health technology – this means the
eyes of the world will be watching with interest to see the innovative solutions that are developed in conjunction with
Orion Health.
“This collaboration gives us a unique opportunity to tailor-make tomorrow’s technology to suit our needs. Systems that
are good for patients in Christchurch can also work for clinicians and patients in other parts of the world.
“Another big plus for us is that we get preferential access to the latest and most up to date versions of Orion Health’s
software with regular updates,” Dr Millar said.
Orion Health Chief Executive, Ian McCrae, said the company’s software helped clinicians by providing secure access to a
single view of a patient’s medical record from across multiple systems. “We work alongside organisations like Canterbury
DHB to help improve patient care as well as the hospital’s own workflow. We are regarded as a world leader with our
healthcare technology and work closely alongside leading healthcare organisations. This relationship is unique in that
it is the first time we will be able to implement our complete solution set in a working environment.”
Mr McCrae said the association with Canterbury DHB, coupled with its new Christchurch development team, would provide
significant benefits for both organisations in developing and fine tuning additional health technology solutions s
across the continuum of care – from first point of contact in primary care to in-hospital settings.
“World-leading developments are taking place across the Canterbury health system and we’re very excited to be part of
the process,” Ian McCrae said.
Orion Health recently set up office in Christchurch and is expecting staffing numbers to reach 30-40 as the project
progresses.
ENDS