Collaborative Information Sharing

Altron HealthTech signs on as the first practice management application to join CareConnect, South Africa’s first health information exchange.

Healthcare solutions provider Altron HealthTech is the newest member of CareConnect, a fast-growing health information exchange (HIE) platform that aims to foster collaboration across the healthcare sector.

Dovetailing with its pledge to transform healthcare through technology, healthcare solutions provider Altron HealthTech is proud to announce its newest role as a participating member of CareConnect, South Africa’s first health information exchange (HIE).

Following two years of collaborative development, CareConnect was launched in 2022 when six key healthcare industry stakeholders – including three leading hospital groups and three medical scheme administrators – joined forces to centralise a crucial information-sharing platform that tackles problematic data gaps prevalent in the traditionally siloed healthcare industry.

“As the first platform of its kind in South Africa, CareConnect facilitates the exchange of information and aggregates otherwise disparate data from participants,” explains Altron HealthTech Managing Director Leslie Moodley.

CareConnect comprises a network of participating healthcare service providers, funders and other members of the healthcare ecosystem, providing a platform for various parties to exchange crucial information and the mechanism to deliver up-to-date, real-time patient information.

“As the first platform of its kind in South Africa, CareConnect facilitates the exchange of information and aggregates otherwise disparate data from participants”

“This is a platform that empowers healthcare professionals by giving them access to all the data they might need to make informed decisions about their patients’ health. Moreover, because every patient should have the right to a lifelong view of their personal medical history, CareConnect seeks to provide and connect all data points throughout a patient’s lifetime. Allergies, prescriptions, procedures, consultations… Anything pertaining to an individual’s healthcare journey can now be documented and exchanged safely and securely,” says Moodley.

The MD adds that, thanks to Altron HealthTech’s capabilities in cloud based eHR, this data can also be stored safely and securely, which not only puts patients’ minds at ease, but also empowers healthcare service providers to manage their patients’ health optimally and efficiently from anywhere at any time.

As a CareConnect member, Altron HealthTech introduces a new view on patient care with a fresh lens into their primary healthcare journey. This contributes to a patient’s longitudinal health record, which ultimately provides more depth and perspective in treating a patient.

“Altron HealthTech will soon be able to exchange data with other CareConnect members, sharing information will can benefit patients. It’s a win-win solution made possible through collaborative, secure and compliant information-sharing across the healthcare ecosystem,” says Moodley.

He further highlights how proud the Altron HealthTech team is to be the first practice management application on CareConnect.

“It serves as proof that Altron HealthTech doesn’t just talk about improving South Africa’s healthcare system without doing anything about it. We are a company that acts on our commitments.”

A shared vision for the future of healthcare

Sharing CareConnect’s vision of improving the base line of healthcare in South Africa, Altron HealthTech considers it a natural next-step for the company to have joined other key industry stakeholders as a CareConnect participant.  

Much like the HIE aims to eliminate silos and foster connection in the historically fragmented healthcare sector, so too does Altron HealthTech aim to improve transparency and accessibility within the industry, for streamlined work processes that lead to optimised and efficient healthcare.

To Altron HealthTech, the future of healthcare is an ecosystem of invested parties who work together to achieve early diagnoses, take preventative measures, engage with patients, and empower them to take ownership of their healthcare journey. It’s about an intent to deliver quality, patient-centred care.

Further highlighting the synergy between Altron HealthTech and CareConnect is a shared belief in leveraging interoperability. Interoperability in healthcare – when products or systems talk to each other in a smart and intuitive way – can be used to improve the experience of both healthcare professionals and, their patients. It makes best-practice healthcare possible through the integration of information that offers a holistic view of a patient.

However, as Moodley reiterates, this can only be possible if stakeholders across the healthcare value chain commit to collaborative participation.

“We need to look at interoperability from an inclusivity point of view, and we need to find ways to bring more participants into the CareConnect network,” says Moodley, who remains encouraged by the HIE’s ability to connect valuable industry stakeholders.

“When any one of the CareConnect participants shares data, they’re doing so to improve administrative and treatment outcomes. Moreover, the HIE shares patient data, with consent…”

Safe, secure and POPIA-compliant

Online data sharing and storage is sometimes vilified by those who don’t understand how crucial it is to ensure optimised, quality healthcare (not to mention preventative healthcare).

In the fast-moving digital era, the capacity to share data securely is crucial for patient safety, and it saves lives. In fact, the type of comprehensive, real-time information exchange promoted by the CareConnect platform has become vital for optimised, quality healthcare, as well as for patient safety and health outcomes.

“When any one of the CareConnect participants shares data, they’re doing so to improve administrative and treatment outcomes. Moreover, the HIE shares patient data, with consent, it is pertinent to know that the data is secure and can only be accessed by those authorised to do so,” says Moodley.

Complying with both local and international data privacy regulations, including POPIA, the CareConnect HIE values security, confidentiality and patient privacy as the cornerstones of the platform. In addition to complying with global privacy and governance standards, all participants sign data privacy agreements that govern how the information is used.

According to CareConnect CEO Dr Rolan Christian, information shared on the platform is always protected and can only be accessed by authorised users.

“Sensitive information, such as health information, may only be accessed by medical practitioners when medically necessary, and only with a patient’s consent,” he says.

Moodley concurs, reiterating that the information shared on CareConnect is not there for exploitation. Rather, it serves to fulfil Altron HealthTech’s ambition of a comprehensive and unified patient record that provides the biggest value to healthcare professionals, their patients and the greater community.

“Our goal as an organisation has always been to streamline work processes for clinicians and healthcare workers so that they can focus on improved patient outcomes. Ultimately, this raises the base line of healthcare across South Africa,” he concludes.