Alfred Health, a healthcare network in Victoria, Australia, has expanded its use of Oracle Health's electronic health record (EHR) solutions, focusing on oncology, to enhance the care of cancer patients.
This digital transformation allows clinicians across Alfred Health’s various facilities to access a unified view of a patient's medical history, which is expected to save time and improve the safety and quality of care.
Alfred Health chief pharmacy information officer Erica Tong said, “Completely digitising and making cancer treatment information easily available in our EHR makes guiding the overall treatment plan for patients more efficient.”
The move from paper-based processes to digital records is a significant step towards streamlining cancer care.
With the integration of Oracle EHR, Alfred Health is connecting patients with more cancer clinical trial opportunities, directly viewable in the EHR.
This enables clinicians to identify potential therapies and trial eligibility for patients, while also keeping track of those already participating in trials. Furthermore, pharmacist processes have been optimised, allowing for the preparation of cancer treatment plans more promptly, with orders being pushed directly from the EHR into the pharmacy management system.
Barcode technology has been implemented to ensure the accuracy of medication dispensing. Nurses can scan barcodes to confirm that the right patient receives the prescribed medication in the correct dose. This system builds on Alfred Health’s earlier adoption of electronic prescriptions, which allows patients to receive prescriptions via SMS or email for dispensing at community pharmacies.
Oracle Health and Life Sciences executive vice president and general manager Seema Verma stated, “Alfred Health has long been at the forefront of innovation in adopting technologies that break down the barriers to safer and more efficient care.
“This recent implementation is especially unique and special as it not only helps caregivers more effectively treat cancer patients and manage medications over time through better access to information but also helps them find and enroll in new, potentially life-saving therapies all within the EHR.”
In addition to these advancements, Alfred Health has collaborated with Oracle to support the national Safescript programme, integrating real-time transmission of prescribing and dispensing records for high-risk medicines into the Oracle EHR. This allows clinicians to view prescription histories within their existing workflows, aiding in the early identification and support of patients at risk of dependence.
Alfred Health is also among the first in Australia to digitise immunisation record sharing with the national registry via the Oracle EHR, ensuring accurate and consistent vaccination tracking across all care venues.
Alfred Health delivers a wide range of healthcare services in Victoria through three hospital campuses, a large network of community programmes and several statewide services.
In June, the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) widened its partnership with Oracle Health, awarding the second option period for the Federal EHR modernisation contract.
