Health, Health Central Norway | Proposes postponing the introduction of the Health Platform in Møre and Romsdal
It emerges from the documents to Friday’s board meeting in Helse Midt-Norge.
In less than four months, Helse Møre og Romsdal is scheduled to switch to the new record system Helseplattformen.
After the introduction at St. Olav’s hospital has caused major problems, the administration in Helse Midt-Norge is now proposing to postpone the introduction in the other health institutions in the region. This means that both Helse Nord-Trøndelag, which was supposed to start already in February, and Helse Møre og Romsdal can have their start-ups postponed.
They also propose that Helse Nord-Trøndelag will receive up to NOK 30 million and Helse Møre and Romsdal up to NOK 40 million extra, to reduce the risk during the introduction period.
Concern for patient safety
In his recommendation to the board, managing director Stig A. Slørdahl writes that problems at St. Olav’s particularly concern radiology and e-messaging.
– Something that affects most departments and has created insecurity for information when it is due.
He also writes that many have experienced a heavy workload in that several of their new workflows are not appropriate, while at the same time they have to do a lot of clean-up work.
In addition, he emphasizes both unrest among employees, that union representatives believe that further rollout of the Health Platform should be postponed and that the dialogue with the State Administrator regarding these issues has become the subject of media reports.
He writes that the management takes the concerns very seriously.
– Both union representatives and managers have commented on the challenges and expressed concern for patient safety, he writes.
Tidens Krav has written about problems at St. Olav’s hospital several times in recent weeks:
also read
The health platform causes major problems, but: – There is no going back
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Controversial health platform postponed
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Employee protesters and the board ask for a delayed start
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Must assess the timetable for the Health Platform in Møre og Romsdal after Christmas: – All available resources must now be deployed
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Several St. Olav doctors are considering quitting
Not applicable to reverse
Before Christmas, the Norwegian Medical Association asked questions whether it might be possible to go back to the old systems. To that Slørdahl replied no. He now confirms this answer. He believes that it will both be even more expensive and take even longer to get a new system up and running.
He writes that the old systems are outdated and the hospitals in central Norway are the only ones in the world that use them. Thus, there is no one to share the costs with.
– Based on the moments described above, the plan to introduce the Health Platform in the region must be introduced, he argues.
What is the Health Platform?
The health platform is a new collaboration solution for the entire health service in central Norway.
It is a large, joint project and a company owned by Helse Midt-Norge and Trondheim municipality. All municipalities in Central Norway can become co-owners if the municipal council decides so.
The aim is to collect all patient records in one system.
Trondheim municipality and a GP office in Trondheim adopted the solution in May 2022.
St Olavs introduced the system on 12 November 2022. The same was done by six municipalities in Fosen and in the Fjellregion.
According to the plans, Helse Møre og Romsdal will introduce the Health Platform in April 2023.
The technology is based on technology from American Epic Systems. In addition, many smaller companies are involved as subcontractors, both Norwegian and international.
The system costs several billions.
40,000 employees in the mid-Norwegian healthcare system will be transferred to work with the Health Platform.
All the inhabitants of Trøndelag and Møre og Romsdal will notice changes, that is 720,000 inhabitants. Citizens must get an overview of the “HelsaMi” patient portal.
Source: Helseplattformen.no
In addition to St. Olav’s hospital, six municipalities in Fosen and in the Fjell region have introduced the record system, as well as Trondheim municipality, which started already last spring. In Trondheim there have been some major challenges, but according to Slørdahl, things have gone well in the six smaller municipalities.
A further twelve municipalities in Trøndelag and Møre and Romsdal are scheduled to introduce the solution in 2023.
Short time between starts
The reason why the board recommends postponing start-ups in Nord-Trøndelag and Møre og Romsdal, in addition to the fact that stability will be achieved at St. Olav’s hospital first, is that the time set between start-ups has been reduced, after the introduction of the Health platform at St Olavs was postponed from April 2022 to November 2022.
– The time between production setting in resp. St. Olav’s hospital HF and Helse Nord-Trøndelag HF were halved compared to the original plan, he writes.
– In the current timetable, there is a short time between the introduction times in the healthcare facilities and thus limited time for critical error correction and stabilization.
He also acknowledges that there is uncertainty related to how long the implementation of the activities at St. Olav’s hospital will take, but writes that the scope is so significant that the Health Platform does not have the capacity to start preparatory activities in Health Nord-Trøndelag already now in January as planned, before introduction in February.
This is the same as the steering group for the regional introduction of the Health Platform before Christmas.
This is the proposal for a decision from the administration in Helse Midt-Norge:
1. The Board of Health Central Norway in the plan to introduce the Health Platform in the region.
2. The board of Helse Midt-Norge RHF acknowledges that the current implementation plan for Helse Nord-Trøndelag HF and Helse Møre og Romsdal HF is not feasible given the necessary optimization and error correction after the introduction at St. Olav’s hospital HF.
3. The board of Helse Midt-Norge RHF asks the managing director by 19 January to submit a revised joint regional implementation plan, including a new milestone plan.
4. The board of Helse Midt-Norge RHF assumes that the current introduction plan for the municipalities applies.
5. The board of Helse Midt-Norge RHF requests that financial consequences be presented in a separate file as soon as possible.
6. The board of Helse Midt-Norge RHF asks internal audit to carry out an advisory assignment to collect experiences around the start-up and use of the solution at St. Olav’s hospital HF, so that the experiences can be shared before start-up in Helse Nord-Trøndelag HF and Helse Møre og Romsdal HF .
7. The board of Helse Midt-Norge RHF allocates up to NOK 30 million to Helse Nord-Trøndelag HF and up to NOK 40 million to Helse Møre og Romsdal HF, to reduce risk during the introduction period.
The meeting itself is Friday the 6th. January.