Chairman John I. Cline said the new Health Information System must get done and it will get done so it’s better to get on board with it than to try to fight it, because we’re not easy to fight. Photo:VINO

When the BVIHSA held a press conference yesterday, January 7, 2013 at the Peebles Hospital to announce the introduction of its new information management system, Chairman Cline told the gathering, “I don’t really have a fear, I have hope… I am very hopeful, I’m excited.”

The new system was being implemented by a UK-based group, RioMed, and was scheduled to be completed in phases by April, 2013.

“I know there is going to be a learning curve and I know there are going to be some people who might be a little resistant,” the Chairman added, “but it’s a must… it must get done and it will get done so it’s better to get on board with it than to try to fight it, because we’re not easy to fight.”

Mr Cline expressed that earlier last year when he took over as Chairman and the new board took over the Health Services Authority, they had to identify some things that they had to get done in the term that they’d been given. One of the things that was identified to be fixed was the Health Information Management System.

“Upon that hinges so much of all of the other problems we were facing,” he said. Two of the problems he identified included admitting billing and patient records.

While reasoning that in this technological age that we live, he didn’t know how we existed really without it, Chairman Cline expressed happiness that the Authority had passed that era in the history of the Virgin Islands [without the support of technology] and looked forward to the good things that the implementation of the new system would offer.

“We’ve done good… but we’re not about good, we’re about excellence.” Mr Cline said in what appeared to be a reference to the Authority’s motto of ‘Only Excellence Counts’.

According to the BVIHSA Chairman, the success of the software and system were not an option but rather a ‘must’ and he encouraged doctors, nurses and all others having anything to do with the system to fully embrace it.

Meanwhile, Chairman Cline, while offering that the cost of implementation of the new system, including training and equipment was $1.7M, expressed some hesitation in giving a projected figure of its cost over time, declaring "Over time, I don't know [what this figure would be]".

He also stated, “When I took over the Board and being in technology myself, and knowing the journey that it took to get here… the various proposals that I myself as an independent contractor had presented to the Health Services Authority to get us to this point, and with no success, I am quite excited that we have now been able to do this.”

“We have to embrace technology… so I don’t have a fear, I’m excited about what’s going on, there’s no fear at all,” the Chairman reiterated.