Development of a new IT system to support family-centred care underway

‘Our challenge is about creating a single view of a patient’s information across our organisation’

Auckland-based healthcare provider The Fono is developing an integrated IT system, which will be made available to other Pacific providers. 

Chief executive Fiugalu Tevita Funaki says the COVID-19 response shift has driven the organisation to become more data-driven. 

“A review of that time showed us that our integrated model of care, a holistic solution for families, is the right and only way we should deliver care for our communities,” Mr Funaki says.

“But for now, it is working with a siloed mentality, so our challenge is about creating a single view of a patient’s information across our organisation.” 

He says a budget for the Care, Connect, Wellbeing (CCW) programme is yet to be set, but it will come from The Fono’s provider development fund.

The most important phase is assessing what issues need addressing and what is needed at a staff and organisational level, which is underway, Mr Funaki says.

“Technology is always secondary. It is the enabler, and we are not rushing to the point where we discuss what technology we require. 

“But once it is in place, we want the data to provide insight and intelligence that will influence policy at a governmental and agency level.” 

The CCW platform will integrate the 17 IT systems currently operated by The Fono across its nine services, which range from primary care and dental to a training academy and social service support. 

Once completed, the system will be made available to other providers with significant enrolled Pacific populations.

The Fono operates four practices and three family care centres across Auckland. 

Mr Funaki says its enrolled population of 16,000, including 600 families, includes many “frequent flyers” who engage with multiple services, with each engagement currently logged onto a different system.

The plan is for the new system to feature a single entry for everyone, regardless of the service used. This will be connected to the individual’s wider family so the provider can better understand where and how services are used and simplify the process of internal referrals. 

Mr Funaki says these interconnections will enhance the provider’s family-centred “for Pacific, by Pacific” model of care. 

The CCW system will also connect to the soon-to-be-launched online registration platform and be available to call centre staff, who can see all the services the individual and their family use. 

Automating many jobs currently done manually will also be a time-saver, he says, citing the processing of Whānau Ora allocations. When done on paper, these take three to four hours but could be completed in 15 minutes digitally. 

The Fono manager of community connections, marketing and communications, Frank Koloi, says a consultant is two weeks away from completing the initial discovery process, with a decision on the technology required likely in February next year. 

“The board has agreed on feasibility. This is the way to go, so once that process is complete, we will begin working on a development strategy.”