Datacom takes 20 percent stake in Australia's SmartWard

New Zealand-based IT provider Datacom is acquiring a 20 percent stake in Canberra-based Australian health informatics company SmartWard to become the exclusive supply and support organisation for SmartWard's solution in the ANZ region.

SmartWard automates nursing records and manages nursing workflow. It also provides decision support for doctors, nurses, and other medical staff.

The investment supports Datacom's strategy to invest in new capabilities for vertical markets such as health, education, and local government, the company said.

Datacom also announced the appointment of Dr Keith Joe as chief medical information officer for Datacom Healthcare Solutions, a new business unit for the company.

“We now have an enterprise technology solution that understands and meets the workflow needs of clinicians, with inbuilt automation, quality, and safety; and productively uses technology at the bedside to benefit the patient," Joe said.

Joe is a practising emergency physician, founder and director of the GeoHealth Directory, and recent clinical director of the Australian Centre for Health Innovation.

Mark McWilliams, director of investments at Datacom, said, “We are looking forward to combining our organisational capability with SmartWard and working in unison to rapidly apply the benefits of their solution to address the needs of healthcare providers in our region."

Lindsay Bevege, chief executive of SmartWard, said Datacom will install and support the systems in major hospitals. The investment helps SmartWard accelerate the rollout of its technology and further development.