The New Zealand government has asked its health ministry for further analysis on the costs and benefits of the proposed national electronic health record (EHR) before giving the project the go-ahead, with an addendum to the current indicative business case expected to be considered for approval by Cabinet in December.

In the meantime, work will begin next month on the promised national digital health strategy, guided by the 'living vision for health technology' that is set to be published shortly. Deputy chief technology and digital services officer – eHealth Darren Douglass told Pulse+IT that the vision had been endorsed by the Digital Advisory Board in June and is currently being prepared for publication.