Wales selects final three for lab system

Welsh health IT agency, Informing Healthcare, has published its final shortlist of potential providers of the new all Wales Laboratory Information Management System.

The three remaining providers are Cerner, iSoft and InterSystems. The winning supplier is expected to receive the £7.9m national contract within the next two months and to have solution available by the beginning of 2010.

Informing Healthcare said that 17 companies submitted proposals to deliver the national networked pathology system.

Currently, there are 13 computer systems operating in the 18 main pathology laboratories in Wales.

These will be replaced with one integrated system that will enable a single pathology record for each patient and support new ways of working.

Gwyn Thomas, chief executive of Informing Healthcare, told E-Health Insider: “The roll-out will be determined by the counties.

"What we’re not going to do is adopt arbitrary timescales, because the real limiting step is changing practices, engagement of people and their capacity to cope with the change.

“All the plans when we produce them will be negotiated directly by with the local communities.”

Since the short-list was announced, the suppliers have been showcasing their product at road shows across Wales.

More than 100 health staff have so far seen demonstrations of the new laboratory systems from the three different suppliers at a road shows in Bridgend, Wrexham and Builth Wells.

The event allowed those with an interest in the purchase of a new LIMS to review the systems and put forward their comments to Informing Healthcare.

Links: Informing Healthcare

Cerner

iSoft

InterSystems