Gina Kerley
Executive Director, International, MEDITECH
Nikki Kane
COO, Mater Private Network
Ireland’s push toward digitisation is accelerating, with electronic health records (EHRs) forming the backbone of community-focused care.
While technology adoption might feel like a step away from human-led care, Ireland’s Digital Health Strategy places people firmly at the heart of its transformation.
Digitisation is expected to eliminate the delays and duplication caused by patient records being held across multiple locations. In the longer term, sharing data seamlessly between acute hospitals, primary care and community services can be essential to the Health Service Executive’s (HSE) shift toward more community-based care.
The Strategy is guided by a roadmap running from 2024 to 2030, with much of its success dependent on EHRs, a secure digital version of a patient’s health record.
Decades of groundwork toward digitisation shift
The shift towards digitisation may feel like a leap, but organisations like MEDITECH have been laying the groundwork for decades.
MEDITECH Executive Director, International, Gina Kerley explains, “We began work in Ireland back in 2002 when patient records were stored in filing cabinets and departments had little to do with each other. Over time, the sector has moved towards end-to-end EHRs that span the entire continuum of care.”
MEDITECH has developed tools such as its Expanse platform — a web-based EHR that brings patient information into a single longitudinal record. Today, it’s the EHR supplier to more than 80% of the private healthcare market in Ireland.
Unified records shape patient care
Among the first to adopt EHRs is Mater Private Network, which provides care in 12 locations in Ireland. They took an all-or-nothing approach, implementing MEDITECH’s Expanse platform in 2024 in two phases, with less than three months between phases .
The move from manual documentation to a single unified patient record started years earlier and involved training around 2,500 staff, from finance and administration to nurses and independent consultants.
But, as Nikki Kane, Chief Operating Officer of Mater Private Network, explains, the benefits are already evident. “From a patient point of view, it has definitely improved safety, because you have all the information there when it’s needed.”
sharing data seamlessly between acute hospitals, primary care and community services can be essential to the Health Service Executive’s (HSE) shift toward more community-based care.
EHRs’ real-time data and ability to access information instantaneously can enable teams to respond in emergencies, track referrals and monitor clinical outcomes.
“In terms of what we can do with that data from a patient-experience perspective, that can ultimately transform healthcare,” concludes Kane, who views this as just the start of a digital journey. With the EHR in place, the scope for future integrations such as AI-driven tools is huge.
Kerley continues, “We have a genomics solution that continues to evolve. For example, if a patient has a genetic factor, there may be specific medications that work more effectively for them, or others that should be avoided and that will be flagged. This enables physicians to identify the best medication and dosage based on a patient’s genetic information, which ultimately leads to better outcomes and fewer side effects.”
Integrated AI-enabled analytics can help predict patient no-shows and streamline appointment scheduling. AI technologies are also improving the clinician experience, reducing administrative burden and giving time back to patient care.
As the HSE aims to shift care from hospital settings to community-based support, joined-up services and interoperability become more critical. Adopting standardisation among EHRs will be key to ensuring a connected healthcare system with patient needs at the heart. It will also open opportunities for greater transparency and autonomy via the HSE Health App — dubbed the ‘Digital Front Door.’ Having worked on implementing EHRs in healthcare settings worldwide, Kerley believes Ireland is poised to reap the benefits. “The foundation is just getting the right EHR in. The journey really begins once the platform is in place and its tools, data and interoperability come together to support better decisions and improve care.”
