WA Health completes first stage of Electronic Medical Record program rollout

WA Health has successfully implemented single sign on (SSO) and digital medical record (DMR) systems as part of the introduction of its Electronic Medical Record (EMR) program.

The systems are now live across WA Health sites, including those in Metropolitan Perth, Mid West, Kimberley, Wheatbelt, Great Southern, South West, and Pilbara.

The SSO, commenced in February 2023, simplifies the login process for clinicians, providing access to around 90 clinical applications with the tap of a card.

The SSO system is used by 27,000 clinicians across WA Health with 348,000 logins per week, reducing time clinicians spend logging into their systems.

The DMR, which digitises paper-based patient records, ensures clinicians have real time access to complete, up-to-date patient records, in WA Health facilities across the State.

As of July 2025, 44 million documents have been digitised, and approximately 13,000 WA Health staff access the system on a typical weekday.

Next stage to begin in early 2026

The EMR program is led by the WA Department of Health and consists of a range of projects that are divided into a two-stage delivery model.

Stage 1 is focused on the immediate priorities that will support state-wide transition to an EMR, and Stage 2 focuses on the implementation of an EMR.

Following the introduction of DMR and SSO, Virtual Desktop Infrastructure is also being deployed to enable Follow Me Desktop.

Follow Me Desktop will allow for clinicians to access their personalised desktop and clinical applications from any enabled workstation, creating a mobile experience by instantly resuming their previous session.

Roll out of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure is expected commence in early 2026.

"This is a multi-year program and the full deployment of an EMR is several years away," the Department states.

NSW, federal governments also implementing programs

WA’s EMR program is one of various such programs in Australia.

New South Wales has also allocated significant funds for a related program, including $328.2 million over four years in the 2024–25 NSW Budget for the state’s Single Digital Patient Record (SDPR). 

In partnership with eHealth NSW, the NSW Single Digital Patient Record Implementation Authority (SDPRIA) flagged plans to go to market for document management systems, including storage and repository solutions; document capture and scanning; and integration with Epic Systems’ EMR.

The Federal Government's pre-election budget allocated $228.7 million in 2025–26 to continue modernising Australia’s national My Health Record.