eHRSS - A Breakthrough in e-Government Initiatives

Mr Victor Lam,
Acting Government Chief Information Officer

"The successful launch of the Electronic Health Record Sharing System (eHRSS) will be a breakthrough in Hong Kong. Using a centralised database built by the Government, eHRSS will join up the public and the private sectors in delivering healthcare services.”

Developing a territory-wide Electronic Health Record Sharing System (eHRSS) is one of the key initiatives of the Govern-ment's "2008 Digital 21 Strategy". The purpose of the System is to provide continuity of care for patients in different healthcare sectors. Mr Victor Lam, Acting Government Chief Information Officer, said it is challenging to put in place such a system for eHealth Record sharing.

A One-stop Joined-up Service

"We have had joined-up services within the Government, but the eHRSS is different, as a large percentage of healthcare services in Hong Kong is provided by separate entities such as private hospitals and private clinics," said Mr Lam.

"The eHRSS is a large-scale one-stop joined-up service, covering the Department of Health (DH), the Hospital Authority (HA), private hospitals and private clinics. Given the magnitude of the eHR Programme, I would say Hong Kong is a pioneer in this respect," he added.

eHRSS is a large-scale one-stop joined-up service.

OGCIO Plays an Important Role in the eHRSS

The eHRSS will be rolled out upon the passage of the eHRSS Bill. The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO), which provides information technology (IT) services and technical support within the Government, has been heavily involved in the system development.

"Apart from giving technical support, advice and resources, the OGCIO provides Government commonly-shared IT services for implementing these joined-up services," said Mr Lam.

Government Commonly-Shared IT Services Used in eHRSS

	Smart Identity Card Electronic Authentication System for Patient registration and e-authentication.
	The e-Government Infrastructure Service (EGIS) to offer a shared infrastructure platform for online patient pre-registration.
	Shared Services of the EGIS to support the eHRSS to send notifications to patients and users via Internet email and Short Message Service (SMS).
	Address Data Infrastructure (ADI) for address data standardisation and validation of patients' address data.
	Web hosting through the Government Cloud Services to provide a reliable and secure platform for the eHR Office website and other related websites.

"Having said that, the HA's expertise and know-how in its Electronic Patient Record (ePR) infrastructure provides the backbone for the eHRSS," Mr Lam remarked.

Paramount Concern on Security and Privacy

Addressing the challenge on system security and data privacy surrounding the eHRSS, Mr Lam pointed out that it is a paramount concern of the Government as it involves different levels of usage and a huge amount of patient-centric data.

Measures have been devised to safeguard security and privacy.

He said protective measures have been devised at both front and back ends to safeguard system security and data privacy. "One important element is to bring in third-party assessments and audits," he said, adding that the eHRSS is also included in the regular cyber security drills within the Government.

On top of these measures, Mr Lam stressed that it is important to educate eHRSS users on information security.

Key Measures on System Security and Data Privacy

Independent assessments and audits

	Privacy Impact Assessments in three phases before the launch of the System and Privacy Compliance Audits after system launch
	Security Risk Assessments and Audits on the eHRSS for compliance with the Government's security requirements and industrial security practices

Built-in Security Measures: role-based access control, data validation and encryption, restricted downloading, patient and user authentication, and access notification to patients

Code of Practice and legislation

Opportunities Opened up by eHRSS

Looking forward, Mr Lam believes the development of the eHRSS can unleash great potentials for the local IT industry.

"A lot of business and job opportunities have been created in the building of the eHRSS and related systems. IT practitioners can leverage their technical expertise in the eHRSS and collaborate with the private sector to develop clinical management systems and other value-added services. It will also help enhance Hong Kong's eHR technology," he concluded.

Development of the eHRSS provides local IT industry with ample opportunities.