The companies – Celo, Vensa and Orion Health – have been named finalists in the New Zealand Health IT (NZHIT) annual innovation awards to be announced at the HiNZ Conference in Rotorua, said NZ Health IT chief executive Scott Arrol.
In addition, three final-year Bachelor of Health Science degree students – David Leong, Salome Lennon and Kirstin Lloyd – are finalists in the Sysmex Award for Health Informatics, which is open to University of Auckland students and will also be announced at the HiNZ conference.
Celo uses healthcare-grade and industry-compliant encrypted technology to provide secure and real-time mobile and desktop messaging for health care. It has been developed by healthcare professionals from the ground up and has been specially designed to ensure ease of use in a clinical setting.
Vensa Health is a mobile health solutions company providing information technology solutions for improved health information flow and communication between medical providers and their patients. Around 70 per cent of general practices use Vensa technology.
Orion Health has developed an innovative interface solution and partnered with Canterbury Health to enable a number of technology solutions that support the delivery of care closer to home and integrate health services for better outcomes.
Student finalist David Leong proposed a national rheumatic fever registry to increase the quality of statistical data on rheumatic fever, improve patient management between DHBs and assist with the compliance of required long-term treatment plans.
Second finalist Salome Lennon outlined a business case for a radiation therapy smartphone app, which offers patients more control over their treatment, including appointment scheduling and side-effect management, thereby improving adherence to care plans.
Third student finalist Kirstin Lloyd has looked to technology for a home-based healthcare solution for medically well neonates offering a long-term, cost-saving alternative to expensive neonatal care in hospital.
