Australian Department of Health and Ageing

Posted: 12.05.09  |  Created by: Do Something

Below is a synopsis of an Adobe case study featuring Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. Click here for a full unedited version.

At a glance

• the Australian Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) is a federal government agency that develops policies, manages programs and undertakes research and regulation activities to achieve the government’s priorities for health and ageing
• every year, more than 1.5 million screening program invitations are sent to Australians aged 50-65 to participate in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program
• when the program commenced, data capture was done manually by filling out a paper-based report detailing the results of the test
• DoHa wanted to find a solution to automate the capture and management of data related to bowel cancer screening
• SmartForms and Adobe LiveCycle was chosen as the solution
• the results include an estimated 923% return on investment over the first three years after the introduction of the software, improved legibility of forms received and increase in the accuracy of data entered into the National Bowel Cancer Screening Register.
  

Company profile

The Australian Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) is a federal government agency whose role is to achieve the government’s priorities for health and ageing by developing policies, managing programs, and undertaking research and regulation activities. The department also leads and works with other government agencies and stakeholders delivering health services to Australians. One such service is the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program, which aims to reduce the incidence of, and death from, bowel cancer by offering people screening in the privacy of their own homes through the use of a faecal occult blood testing (FOBT) kit.

The challenge

When the Bowel Cancer Screening Program commenced, capturing data was done manually by filling out a paper-based report detailing the results of the test.

Reports were then typically sent to the National Bowel Cancer Screening Register by facsimile. The mostly manual, paper-based process presented challenges for doctors. Data on forms could be incomplete or sometimes illegible, requiring Register staff to follow-up with the health professional. This process was time consuming for Register staff and a distraction for busy health professionals.

Says Director of Screening Alan Keith, “The manual process for collecting and disseminating information is cumbersome and expensive, and the information gathered can be incomplete. We wanted to find a solution to automate capturing and managing data related to bowel cancer screening.”

'Paper-Less' strategy

DOHA worked with the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science, and Research to implement SmartForms.

SmartForms are Portable Document Format (PDF) forms converted from non-interactive documents to interactive and dynamic documents using Adobe LiveCycle. They retain the look, feel, and content of the original version. SmartForms can reach a wide audience because they are accessed using the free and ubiquitous Adobe Reader. SmartForms proved to be the ideal strategy for DOHA to automate the process of managing information from individuals participating in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program.

'Paper-Less' solution

DOHA focused first on helping to ensure that the information gathered from individuals participating in the program was complete and accurate. Doctors can download a form from the cancer screening website, complete the form on their computers and submit the completed form to the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program Register via a secure electronic process. They also have the option of saving or printing the form.

'Paper-Less' results

The economic benefits of the solution were evident immediately, with significant reduction in costs, through productivity gains and operational cost reductions.

A breakdown of the efficiencies gained includes:

• recouped investment in LifeCycle ES solutions in only one month, with estimated return on investment (ROI) of up to 923% over a three-year period
• time to catch and correct errors on forms slashed
• improved legibility of data on forms
• increased accuracy of data received
• improved completeness of data
• accelerated and simplified form completion.

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