Health minister launches roll-out of eLab

8 September 2011

Launch of eLab gives direct medical data entry

Thursday, 8 September 2011

Alison Paterson, Virginia Hope, Hon Tony Ryall, Karen Wood, Colin Jackson

 

Debbie Chin, Hon Tony Ryall, Karen Wood, Tom Bowden

Minister of Health Tony Ryall today launched eLab -- our online tool for test ordering and information sharing with our referring doctors.

The tool lets doctors enter information directly into an online form that our laboratory systems can read and instantly make available to all our staff. Direct data entry into our systems greatly reduces the risk of human error from manual data entry.

The tool also lets doctors access relevant test information from Aotea Pathology.

For patients, eLab will mean more peace of mind that we have the correct information from their doctors and that they are properly prepared for specimen collection.

If ever required, the data can also easily be used by other service providers such as other laboratories. This is a planned fit with the government's move to by 2014 have patients' medical information available in a standardised data set that can be used in a range of electronic systems – where-ever a patient needs to access it.

Over time, we think the majority of laboratory requests from primary care will be made using electronic ordering.

Future plans for eLab include taking it across specialist referrals and for interlab referrals.

Guests at the launch

Amongst guests at the launch were:

• Dr Virginia Hope, Hutt Valley and Capital Coast District Health Boards chair
• Debbie Chin, Standards NZ Chief Executive and crown monitor on the Hutt Valley and Capital Coast District Health Boards
• Alison Paterson, Abano chair
• Danny Chan, Abano board member
• Colin Jackson, Sonic Healthcare (Australia) board member
• Alan Clarke, Abano Managing Director
• Richard Keys, Abano Chief Financial Officer
• Tom Bowden, Healthlink CEO
• Graeme Stretch, Healthlink General Manager
• Edwin Ng, Healthlink Chief Technology Officer

Video: eLab features and functions

A video highlighting how eLab works, and featuring Aotea Pathology Chief Executive Karen Wood and General Manager Keiry Belton, is here on the HealthLink web site.