Waikato District Health Board Selects iSOFT Group Limited (ASX:ISF) To Deliver Modern Laboratory Solution

Sydney, June 30, 2010 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Waikato District Health Board in New Zealand has today signed a NZ$2.95 million, five-year deal with iSOFT for a laboratory information system to improve the speed, accuracy and reporting of 6.5 million test results a year.

The move provides a single solution for all of Waikato Hospital's pathology services and 190 laboratory staff, but will also be watched closely by other health authorities in New Zealand and Australia that are set to upgrade to modern laboratory systems.

Proven at over 300 laboratories across Europe and Asia, iSOFT Laboratory covers all laboratory functions including anatomical pathology. Full traceability meets all statutory regulations and provides sophisticated statistical information on the laboratory's business to enable effective decision making. Increased productivity and quicker turnaround of test results also enables faster intervention to improve patient care.

Waikato Hospital's hematologist and pathologist Dr Hugh Goodman said the laboratory's work flow will be greatly enhanced. "Clinicians need reliable, timely information from the laboratory and the system will enhance these core functions as well as preparing the ground for future initiatives such as electronic ordering," Dr Goodman said.

"This has been a clinically-led project with the primary goal of delivering genuine business transformation and world-class laboratory services," said Christopher Goldsmith, Waikato DHB's acting Chief Information Officer.

"The iSOFT laboratory solution is a critical part of our organisation's commitment to providing New Zealanders with best-of-breed clinical services. We anticipate realising the benefits of this investment through enabling our clinicians to access world-class technologies.

"This has been a partnership between clinical, medical, IT and business leaders who have worked diligently to maximise the opportunity of this investment," Goldsmith said.

"True clinical leadership has been demonstrated, where the synergy of all disciplines results in a transformation outcome that will deliver significant business benefits to patients.

"This is the model for delivering information technology from now on - strong clinical leadership, owned by everyone," he said.

"This has been a high-profile project and the first IS project to be approved by the new National Health Board," said James Rice, Managing Director of iSOFT Australia and New Zealand. "We have worked in a genuine partnership with Waikato District Health Board to define a solution to meet its current and future needs.

"It also demonstrates our commitment to laboratory services in Australia and New Zealand, which is key with a number of health authorities set to replace a host of legacy systems that are no longer supported."

The bulk of Waikato's laboratory services are based at Waikato hospital, but it also provides pathology services at the Thames, Te Kuiti, Tokoroa, and Taumarunui rural hospitals.

The Waikato DHB analyses around 600,000 specimens a year, producing 6.5 million test results.

The majority of testing is performed for Waikato Hospital's inpatients and outpatients. But a considerable number of laboratory tests are also performed on specimens from community-based patients on behalf of other providers in the Midland area.

The iSOFT contract includes support and maintenance for five years, with the solution due to be installed next year.

Contact

Gary Cohen Executive Chairman & CEO iSOFT Group Limited Tel: +61-2-8251-6700 Email: gary.cohen@isofthealth.com Stuart Kelly Director, Corporate Affairs iSOFT Group Limited Tel: +61-2-8115-6362 Email: stuart.kelly@isofthealth.com