NT Implementation Project
Previously the Northern Territory Department of Health and Families (NTDHF) developed a Web Services Secure Messaging Application (WSMA version 1) with the assistance of NEHTA. The deployment of WSMA version 1 was limited to specific Primary Care clinical applications (Communicare & PEN) sending messages to the Northern Territory Shared Electronic Health Record (SEHR). This project went live in December 2009 and has been running in production since. The system is being monitored and the feedback is positive.
WSMA version 1 was built to NEHTA’s original Clinical Document Delivery specification (CDD). The CDD specification has since been reviewed, modified and finalised as the ATS 5822-2010 –Australian Technical Specification for E-health Secure Message Delivery (SMD).
The intention of this project is to implement a solution that conforms to the finalised SMD specification. This will include procuring a messaging product (WSMA version 2) that will be integrated into additional clinical applications in primary and acute care, including the NT Public Hospital systems. Other parts of the solution will include other functionality such as message storage and retrieval from an intermediary server and receiver delivery acknowledgement messages, in line with the SMD specification. The solution will require the provision of a shared e-address book, authentication certificate service, and endpoint location service.
WSMA version 2 will deliver interoperability with other SMD compliant messaging applications.
Beyond delivering an upgrade to the messaging technology, the intention is to deliver benefits to the business by identifying specific use cases and address the technical and business impediments to delivering a solution that will instil confidence in the NT secure electronic messaging system. This will be undertaken by DHF as a separate but related project, however, the analysis and documentation of the use cases will be included in the scope of this project.
Progress
The project continues in initiation stage (ie. the Implementation Planning Study). The draft Business Case has been finalised for approval. An initial meeting with the successful tenderer DCA, to commence the project, was held in Melbourne on the 15th of October. The next major task is the development of the functional requirements. The work to develop and document the DHF use cases has taken on added significance as it will be used to complete the functional requirements and business requirements documents. NT DHF is also engaging with VIC Health and Queensland Health regarding eReferrals.
Recent guidance from NT DHF about proposed changes to the architecture has impacted the project schedule. The impact is being assessed and the project schedule adjusted. The high level functional requirements document is expected to be completed shortly; this will be followed by low level functional requirements documents for each of the clinical system vendors. Contractual arrangements between NT DHF and DCA are being progressed. NT DHF is engaging with VIC Health to use the HSD as the shared electronic address book. An application has been made to Medicare Australia for a seed HPI-O.
NT DHF is also engaging with VIC Health and Queensland Health regarding eReferrals.
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Milestone |
Completion Date |
|---|---|
|
High Level Business Requirements |
May 2010 |
|
High Level Functional Requirements |
June 2010 |
|
Draft Project schedule |
July 2010 |
|
Estimated Project Schedule Approved |
August 2010 |
|
Final PID Approved |
September 2010 |
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Kick off meeting |
October 2010 |
|
Final Buisiness Case Approved |
TBC |