Australia's Chris O'Brien Lifehouse launches Expanse

Australia’s Chris O’Brien Lifehouse recently went LIVE with MEDITECH Expanse, adding yet another level of digital maturity for the world-renowned cancer centre. The Expanse launch is a major step in the hospital’s robust EMR transformation. 

As part of its digital strategy, the hospital is moving forward methodically, working in partnership with MEDITECH to leverage the system’s flexibility, especially for the management of its specialist clinics. 

The hospital has used MEDITECH’s clinically-advanced Oncology solution since 2018, enabling it to move from paper to electronic ordering for chemotherapeutic medications and treatment plans. It also set the foundation to implement MEDITECH’s advanced clinicals, including clinical decision support with evidence-based content. 

“The implementation of Expanse has created substantial benefits from both an administrative as well as a clinical perspective,” said Professor Michael Boyer, Lifehouse’s chief clinical officer and medical oncologist. “From an administrative perspective, ambulatory bookings are more efficient. We’ve also witnessed a decrease in waiting times in our chemotherapy suite — thanks to changes in administrative processes underpinned by Expanse.”

When Lifehouse introduced acute functionality on their wards for clinical documentation, it was very positively received by staff. "The ease of use and customisability have led to rapid uptake and streamlined workflows, and we’re looking forward to introducing further Expanse functionality in the coming months,” Boyer continued.

The hospital is also witnessing improvements on the financial side by automating both physician and hospital billing, including automatically generating Medicare bills for multidisciplinary teams.

Lifehouse CIO Peter Singer echoed Boyer's sentiments. “We very much look forward to seeing even more real benefits from the platform as we continue on our paperless journey with Expanse as our EMR,” stated Singer. “Over the next year, we’ll move the majority of paper-based processes over to Expanse, which is a significant enhancement for our organisation. The newly-implemented automations have already had a major impact, greatly improving the way we work.”

Chris O’Brien Lifehouse serves more than 60,000 patients every year for cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment.