SA Govt to review EPAS system

The South Australian Government has launched a review of the state’s controversial Enterprise Patient Administration System (EPAS), following a series of cost overruns and complaints from users.

The government has convened an expert panel led by independent chair Shane Solomon to review the usability, value for money and security of the EPAS system.

The review will also look at the impact of EPAS on productivity in hospitals. The review is expected to be complete within nine months.

The EPAS system, conceived under the previous Labor government, has repeatedly come under fire due to claims the system represents a threat to patient safety and that the implementation has been mismanaged.

An audit from State Ombudsman Wayne Lines published earlier this month found “cumulative procedural errors” in SA Health's procurement of the system, but cleared the department and its executive of any charges of maladministration or misconduct.

“EPAS has been an enormous frustration for many clinicians and a rolling disaster for South Australian taxpayers,” Minister for Health and Wellbeing Stephen Wade said.

“We need to understand whether the continued rollout of the EPAS is in the best interests of South Australian patients and taxpayers. I’m confident the panel has the expertise to deliver that advice. “Mr Solomon has a long and distinguished career in health management, working on the integration of technology within the healthcare sector for many years.”

Image credit: ©iStockphoto.com/Thomas Maier

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