Montserrat to implement the Heron Technology Integrated Disease Surveillance and Patient Administration System.

Media Release: June 1, 2004, Markham, Ontario

Heron Technology Corporation (HTC) announces that the Ministry of Health (MOH) of the Government of Montserrat, West Indies, has contracted with HTC to start the computerization of their health care system. Montserrat is a member of CARICOM, and is located in the Eastern Caribbean [co-ordinates: 16 45N, 62 12W].

The MOH of Montserrat, in March of 2003, sent two senior health sector officials to Jamaica, where they were part of a larger 8-person PAHO-led delegation. PAHO (Pan American Health Organization) is the Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO). The nature of the one-week trip was to review, in detail, the successful operation of the HTC Integrated Injury/Disease Surveillance System and the PAS (Patient Administration System) implementation, now operational in 11 of the largest hospitals in Jamaica, representing over 70 % of the country's 4,000 hospital beds.

The PAS implementation in Jamaica was started in 1997, and the Jamaica Injury Surveillance System [JISS] was implemented in 1998/99. The collection of disease data in e-format, or data on any health condition that needs to be monitored, at the point of care, permits such data to be converted to meaningful information in the pursuit of being better able to provide enhanced health services. PAHO supports Member countries in computerization, and in 1999 PAHO issued a 700-page book on health care computerization, which sets out guidelines to encourage countries in this matter.

Montserrat, which has undergone significant environmental challenges since the volcanic eruptions started in 1995, will base the new computerized PAS at the Landon Hospital, in the northern part of the country. The modules within the PAS include: Central Patient Index; Admission, Discharge and Transfer; Outpatients Registration; Accident & Emergency; Patient Billing and Accounts Receivable; Insurance Claims Processing; Workman's Compensation; Health Records Abstracting; Report Writer; Government Statistical Reporting; Agency Reporting; and Integrated Disease Surveillance Reporting.

A major regional consideration is to have a standardized electronic Surveillance [Injury, SARS, HIV/AIDS, OHS, TB, etc.] System operational throughout the Caribbean and this remains an increasing possibility now with the involvement of Montserrat. Within the 12 - country CARICOM group, in terms of population, Montserrat is the smallest country, and Jamaica is the largest, and both countries will now have exactly the same PAS and Surveillance systems. This makes e-health communications technically feasible, and now probable, since the IT systems are fully compatible in terms of data design, and all communications are totally inter-country-capable. This is a very important paradigm.

Many other regional countries have indicated their interest in the HTC Integrated Disease Surveillance and Patient Administration System.

Heron Technology can be contacted at; by email ronh@herontech.com; website www.herontech.com, by phone at (905) 475-8050, or by fax at (905) 475-5842.

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