Providing technical assistance for the project "eHealth services", the consultants "Ernst & Young Baltic" deliver services in two main directions. First of all, the consultants ensure the quality control for the implementation of the hospital information systems in Kaunas University of Medicine Hospital, Klaipėda University Hospital and Vilnius University Hospital Santariškių Klinikos. At the same time, the foundations for the legal regulation and secure functioning of NESS are provided.
Methodical recommendations and model documents will be prepared for all types of future NESS users - including both small healthcare entities that don't have their own information systems, but are preparing to become direct NESS clients, as well as large hospitals and other healthcare entities that seek to integrate their own information systems and enhance them with additional NESS features. These methodical recommendations are essential for the successful functioning of NESS as a system for the unified data collection and exchange for all Lithuanian healthcare institutions.
Another important aim is to ensure that there are no essential fears among the members of society that the information collected for electronic health record (EHR) is kept secure and confidential. Based on trust, new quality relations between employees of the healthcare institutions and their patients are built to ensure better efficiency of the healthcare services. In the frame of the project "eHealth services" the existing legal acts of the Republic of Lithuania and the European Union are analysed and new documents that provide legal regulation for EHR data collection, use and exchange, are being drafted. Also, the legal regulation of the ePrescription services is being prepared.
In the future, when EHR will be fully implemented, healthcare institutions will be entitled to collect and keep data only electronically. The national eHealth system development strategy for the period 2007-2015 foresees that no less than 20% of patients' visits will be registered in the EHR until 2011.
It will also allow to get rid of the huge amounts of hand-written forms now still circulating in the healthcare institutions, which leads to tangible economic effect. According to the research carried out in Vilnius-based polyclinic Centro Poliklinika, the implementation of electronic forms instead of the ambulatory medical card (No. 025a/LK), has saved 216 thous. litas per year in a single healthcare institution.
For further information, please visit esp.sam.lt.
Related news article: Lithuanian eHealth Strategy Project Aproved
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About the project 'eHealth services' in Lithuania
The project 'eHealth services' is one of the stages in the development of the Lithuanian electronic health system. This project includes the implementation of base Hospital information system in three regional healthcare institutions (in Kaunas, Klaipėda and Vilnius) and integration of these systems to the National electronic health system. The project aims to implement Hospital information systems as part of National electronic health system corresponding to the all international standards and covering the whole territory of Lithuania. The National electronic health system will enable faster exchange of the data on the patients' treatment services, procedures and lab tests results among healthcare institutions. Hospital information systems will be installed in Kaunas University of Medicine Hospital, Klaipėda University Hospital and Vilnius University Hospital Santariškių Klinikos during the implementation of the project. These systems are oriented towards improvement of healthcare services' quality as well as management of the healthcare institutions. The granted financial assistance for the project is 15.195 m Litas. The project is supported by the Republic of Lithuania (6.617 m Litas) and partly financed by the European Union (8.578 m Litas).
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Quelle/Source: eHealthNews, 27.08.2008
