CareConnect aims to break healthcare boundaries in SA

If you’ve had to sit in a queue awaiting medical assistance, then you’ll know how difficult it can be to access reliable healthcare services.

Sounds far-fetched? Unfortunately, not – limited access to adequate healthcare is a reality for many South Africans.

Breaking barriers to medical services was the focal point of the CareConnect Health Information Exchange (HIE) Summit held on Thursday in Johannesburg.

The CareConnect HIE seeks to drive an interoperable healthcare system between public and private healthcare providers to enhance patient care, quality and overall efficiency.

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Integrated healthcare database

CareConnect HIE CEO, Dr Rolan Christian said the platform will be a hub of exchange and single integration point for all health data.

“An interoperable health system will be critical in achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) which will require the ability of patients to move seamlessly between the public and private health sectors … depending on the expertise and care they [need],” he said.

Central to CareConnect HIE is a Unified Care Record (UCR), an electronic medical record containing a patient’s medical history – which is constantly updated to give healthcare providers access to consolidated patient data.

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Solving challenges

Christian said SA’s health landscape was marred with challenges posed by siloed, often paper-based systems, and a lack of information flow between health professionals, funders and healthcare facilities.

“These barriers have significantly impacted the cost, quality, and access to healthcare for patients,” he explained.

Referring to the Competition Commission’s Health Market Inquiry (HMI) panel, Christian said it had shone a spotlight on the urgent need for solutions to bolster transparency, coordination and innovation.

Launched in 2022, CareConnect has adopted international standards, FHIR and HL7, to transfer and share data between various healthcare systems.

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Confidentiality concerns?

When it comes to protecting patient information, CareConnect HIE said it adheres to both local and international data privacy regulations to ensure that sensitive health information is safeguarded.

The information is only made accessible to healthcare providers when necessary with the patient’s concern.

“User-based access permissions are automatically regulated by the HIE, further safeguarding sensitive patient information,” Christian said.

The initiative was birthed through a collaborative partnership between private hospital groups – Life Healthcare, Mediclinic and Netcare – and medical schemes like Discovery Health, Medscheme and Momentum Health.

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