Bethesda Health Care among first providers in Australia to implement Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare technology in its new Mental Health Clinic

Bethesda Health Care has announced its new mental health clinic in Cockburn will be among the first medical facilities in Australia to install Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare as its Patient Administration System (PAS), with Velrada – Microsoft’s growth partner of the year – as its implementation partner.

Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare harnesses the power of the Microsoft cloud by bringing together capabilities from Microsoft Azure, Dynamics 365, Microsoft Power Platform and Microsoft 365 to transform the healthcare journey through a more secure and connected patient experience. Bethesda can leverage the features and functionality of these platforms to explore new care models through innovation and digitisation, where the consumer is in control of their care and, with consent, provide clinical staff a full history of the care and support given and proposed.

According to Bethesda Chief Executive Officer Dr Neale Fong, adopting Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare comes at a critical time for West Australians, with demand for mental health support rising across the state.

“Having the cloud-based system allows an incredible amount of important data to be exchanged from multiple operational and clinical sources, creating more connected consumer experiences, where the consumer is in control of what is shared and who it is shared with,” Dr Fong said.

Bethesda’s new-generation PAS will greatly enhance how consumers access and receive state-of-the-art mental health support, and how they, their families and support networks interact with doctors, nurses and other parties. That means      more valuable time can be spent with people needing care and not on manual administration.

The PAS will bring together protected health information from disparate systems into a solution that is based on industry standards to help create a longitudinal record of the patient. This data is then able to support improved consumer care and clinical insights, data analytics, machine learning and potential for artificial intelligence.

This puts Velrada, Bethesda and Microsoft at the forefront of pioneering emerging medical and healthcare technology in Australia.

Velrada Director Jennifer Evans said the Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare platform delivers better health outcomes by making patient data truly accessible. Velrada is delighted to be part of this Australian-first project, which we hope will be a model for others around Australia and beyond that are looking for new ways to improve the delivery of mental health services,” Ms Evans said.

“Velrada is able to take advantage of our industry knowledge and expertise, and work very closely with Microsoft and the Bethesda team to design and implement an exciting solution that will change the way mental health services are delivered where the consumer and health practitioners can work together for better health outcomes.”

By using Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare, Bethesda can now offer customers and their medical practitioners direct access to their patient history. Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare keeps a record of a consumer’s ‘episode of care’ that allows more personalised and tailored care plans based on their needs. It can track a consumer’s care plan both as an inpatient and out-patient as part of Bethesda’s wellness centre, keeping the customer informed and ensuring the highest level of care.

“A key focus and unique aspect of this approach delivered by Velrada, Bethesda and Microsoft  is enabling  transition’s from the community to inpatient and back into community care as smooth as possible for consumers, patients and their loved ones,” said Dr Nic Woods, Chief Medical Officer at Microsoft Australia.

“There has never been such a need as now to provide new and connected services for people affected by mental health issues. This is a huge step in supporting care across often very complex needs  and one that Microsoft is very proud to be taking with Bethesda and Velrada. By harnessing the power of cloud technology, Bethesda will be able to evolve how it engages consumers and patients in their care, to significantly improve outcomes for both patients and staff.”

Bethesda’s purpose-built, state-of-the-art mental health facility in Cockburn, Western Australia will have a wellbeing centre, consultation rooms and 45 overnight beds that will be expanded to 75 beds in 2023.

It will provide much needed amenity for Perth’s southern suburbs, in line with Bethesda’s existing high-quality services. The clinic will take an innovative, patient-centred approach, delivering an upmarket facility which responds to Bethesda’s vision to deliver high-quality healthcare, in line with the values of excellence, respect and compassion.

Velrada is a multi-award-winning technology company and Microsoft Gold Partner, which works with Microsoft products to help organisations find technical solutions that improve their efficiency and productivity.