Vic HealthSmart IT chief quits

By: Karen Dearne

THE director of Victoria's $427 million HealthSmart IT rollout, Fiona Wilson, has resigned from the Office of Health Information Systems for personal reasons.

"Ms Wilson will be relocating to be closer to her partner in Auckland, and I can confirm she will be leaving the Department of Human Services towards the end of October," a DHS spokesman said.

"For quite a while now, Fiona has been travelling across the Tasman to do her work here, and also continue her relationship with her partner in New Zealand."

The spokesman said there had been no decision made on an interim or permanent replacement for Ms Wilson but her departure was a big loss to the organisation.

"She has been a big driver in health ICT reform, and she has been critical to all the achievements to date," he said.

Ms Wilson was appointed to lead the OHIS when it was established in mid-2003 to manage the department's HealthSmart program - a four-year $323 million ICT refresh and rebuild across the state's public health hospitals, rural alliances and community-based health providers.

The project was originally due for completion in 2007. It remains unclear when the project would be completely rolled out.

Meanwhile the first implementation of the long-awaited Cerner clinical system "will formally commence" next month, Victorian Human Services secretary Fran Thorn recently told the Health-e-Nation conference in Melbourne.

Cerner's Millennium suite provides e-health records, appointments scheduling, diagnostic services, results reporting and e-prescribing applications.

"Engagement with the next round of health services is underway in anticipation of rolling out to agencies over the next two years," Ms Thorn said.

Last month, the Victorian Government allocated a further $104 million for the HealthSmart program in its budget for 2008-2009.

At the same time, the Human Services Department began consultations over a new whole-of-health ICT strategy for 2009-2013.

Meanwhile, Andrew Howard, who has been acting chief executive of the National E-Health Transition Authority, is set to return to the DHS following the appointment of Peter Fleming as NEHTA's CEO.

Mr Howard is the department's chief information officer.