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The use of data provides SWSPHN with an evidence-based understanding of our community’s health needs and is vital to our work commissioning services to address the gaps and inequalities in service provision in our region.
In early 2020, we became a pilot PHN for Primary Health Insights (PHI), a project led by the Western Australian Primary Health Alliance and built by Aginic, to develop a platform PHNs can use to secure, store, manage and analyse their healthcare data.
What is PHI?
The PHI platform is a cloud-based solution which will provide participating PHNs with a ‘secure box’ to store their data and to control who has access to that data.
PHI will also provide a ‘common zone’ with restricted access which will allow PHNs to collaborate – sharing data, resources and skills. The common zone will also provide a secure and efficient environment for external data sources such as the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the Australian Bureau of Statistics to share their data.
What is SWSPHN’s role in the development of PHI?
SWSPHN’s participation in the project has provided an opportunity for input into how the platform is being built and to aid in quality assurance as each element of the platform is built. During the past six months we have been testing PHI and providing feedback on behalf of other PHNs. On 30 September we also participated in a PHN CEO Showcase to outline the benefits of PHI we’ve seen as the platform was being built.
Why is PHI important?
PHI will provide PHNs with access to a sophisticated data storage and analytical solution which wouldn’t have been possible without the benefit of having multiple parties contribute to the costs.
It will improve collaboration between PHNs and may assist in access to important deidentified data from external data sources because of increased confidence in data security.
Internally, our participation in the PHI project has also provided an opportunity for a review of our data governance processes and for our staff to be trained in building those processes.
PHI will mean our data processes are far more automated, ensuring if an error occurs it can be systematically retraced. These efficiencies will also allow our staff more time and resources to develop insights for data-driven decisions.
How will PHI benefit our community?
The benefits of PHI to our community are three-fold.
PHI will assist in identifying specific health needs in our region, ensuring a more targeted approach to commissioning services. It will enhance our population health planning, facilitating integrated care by showing a clearer picture of the health system and what’s currently missing. PHI will support service providers, specifically primary care, to better understand the needs of their community.
Where is it at?
After six months of rigorous testing, the core functionality of PHI is complete. We will continue testing throughout the next month to add extra value to the platform before other PHNs are onboarded. During the past week, 25 PHNs have signed onto PHI.
Where to from here?
PHNs will be onboarded over the next six months. The onboarding process includes a data governance audit at each PHN with a minimum data governance level required before data is moved across to the platform. Staff upskilling activities are also part of the onboarding process. PHN staff will have access to a learning management system which has a variety of different off-the-shelf training modules from Microsoft and other customised training modules specific to the PHI platform.
SWSPHN will continue to keep you updated on PHI and how we’re using the platform to improve the health outcomes of our community.
To find out more about the project, email Luke.Arnold@swsphn.com.au