Whanganui implements next generation Vensa Health mHealth

Whanganui DHB first to implement Vensa Health's next generation mHealth platform

Auckland, Friday 12 August, 2011 - Vensa Health has just released its next generation mobile health platform Vensa mHealth+ to better connect healthcare providers and patients with the aim of saving lives as well as healthcare dollars. Whanganui District Health Board is the first to implement the highly innovative cloud platform designed to allow healthcare providers to leverage mobile communications to achieve better health outcomes and business efficiencies.

Vensa mHealth+ allows primary and secondary health providers two-way mobile text messaging, email, voice and clinical vital sign messaging. It also allows mobile sites to connect health providers with patients. Vensa mHealth+ is capable of interfacing with multiple Patient Management Systems closing the communication gap particularly with high-needs groups. The platform supports multiple types of applications such as appointment reminders, lab result notifications, medication reminders, surveys and clinical vital sign type of messages collection from medical devices.

Ahmad Jubbawey, Chief Executive of Vensa Health says, "Using our system healthcare providers can better communicate with their patients which will in turn improve people's health. Currently around one in ten appointments are missed in New Zealand public hospitals costing the health system millions, and the even greater cost is that each missed appointment represents a lost opportunity for early intervention. mHealth provides a big opportunity to improve health outcomes and is a low cost solution we can use to tackle issues such as hospital outpatient missed appointments in New Zealand."

The Vensa mHealth+ platform works equally well in all healthcare settings whether it's a hospital, a GP clinic or a physiotherapy clinic. The system can be used in a very targeted way to more effectively deliver on the government's priority health targets such as immunisations for under 2's, better diabetes and cardiovascular services, smoking cessation and improved access to elective surgery.

Jan Denman & Kaye Munro, Whanganui DHB talk about reducing outpatient DNAs

Steve Rayner, Whanganui DHB, talks about the Vensa mHealth+ platform from an IT perspective

Whanganui District Health Board, the first DHB to use the Vensa mHealth+ platform, rolled out the system in mid-May across Wanganui Hospital, Taihape, Waimarino/Raetihi and Rangitikei health centres.

Dr John Rivers, Chief Medical Advisor, Whanganui District Health Board says, "It's really important people turn up to appointments so they can get the treatment they need when they need it and don't risk worsening health status. Doctors are very keen to reduce missed appointments as the loss of service is not only costly in financial terms it also means that someone else might wait longer for their appointment. If patients contacted us in advance to cancel or reschedule appointments then hospital waiting times could be significantly reduced. Text-messaging makes it far easier for patients to receive messages and change appointments which will flow on to improved health outcomes."

Jan Denman, Outpatient Manager, Whanganui District Health Board says, "We've had lots of positive feedback from people using the system. After two months we're already starting to see improvements, more people are getting in touch to reschedule appointments. As a consequence we're seeing our did not attend (DNA) rates drop. Our figures are at the lowest they have been in two years and as we continue to use the system and collect more mobile numbers we will see things drop even further."

Vensa Health received investment of $252,000 from the Ministry of Science and Innovation towards the research and development costs of the new Vensa mHealth+ platform.

ENDS

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