The scope of our work was to provide single sign on for WA Health clinicians in parallel with the digital medical record (DMR) roll out. One of the project’s key objectives was to improve digital equity across WA Health, enabling clinicians who work across different sites to have the same log-in experience, improving efficiency and enhancing overall patient care.
Dr. Karthik Natarajan Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO) and SSO Project Clinical Lead.
WA Health is Western Australia’s public health system and one of the largest health authorities in the world by geographic area, spanning more than 2.5 million square kilometres. It employs over 65,000 staff across metropolitan, regional, and remote sites. WA Health manages over 1.1 million emergency attendances annually and delivers care and public health programs across the state.
This scale and diversity create both a challenge and an opportunity, driving the need for secure, seamless digital access to support clinicians, improve efficiency, and enhance patient outcomes across a vast and complex network.
The Western Australian Government is transforming healthcare delivery with an investment of $247m in WA Health’s Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Program to date to improve digital capabilities, safety, and efficiency for WA clinicians and patients. The completion of SSO and DMR systems are major milestones in the EMR Program.
Challenges
- As part of the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Program, the Department of Health Western Australia rolled out a Single Sign On (SSO) solution for WA Health clinicians.
- The roll-out spanned all WA Health sites, covering one of the world’s largest geographic health care jurisdictions, from metropolitan hospitals to remote community clinics.
- The requirement for Imprivata was to provide a consistent, statewide, secure access approach to clinical systems to remove inconsistencies with login methods and times.
- The project aim was to bridge the technical divide and improve digital equity across WA health care sites, and between metropolitan and regional facilities.
Solutions
- Imprivata Enterprise Access Management, Single Sign On/Access Management (SSO/AM), Self-Service Password reset (SSPW).
- Imprivata’s clinical team worked with WA Health to assist with the initial configuration and administration of the solution.
Results
- WA Health rolled out the SSO EAM to an additional 25,000 users across the health system, streamlining secure access for clinicians and staff.
- WA Health has improved both security and efficiency with the SSO.
- Clinicians save time with each login, experience fewer workflow interruptions, and require fewer password re-entries.
- The initiative has improved efficiency, clinician satisfaction, and compliance - key enablers in providing effective, patient-focused care.
Challenge: Provide simple and secure access to all health authority systems and support clinician mobility across the region
Prior to the roll out of the SSO, clinicians were using multiple logins for more than 90 clinical applications resulting in password fatigue and inefficiency. It was clear a unified, secure, and user-friendly authentication solution was required.
At the time, Perth Children’s Hospital and Fiona Stanley Hospital were already using Imprivata Enterprise Access Management (EAM- formerly OneSign) SSO and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). The use of Imprivata at these two hospitals clearly demonstrated how Imprivata technology can improve security and user experience and deliver similar benefits to the rest of WA Health.
Solution: Rapidly implement and rollout a simple to use statewide solution
WA Health partnered with Imprivata’s clinical team to deliver a statewide solution. The existing systems and technology being used at Perth Children’s Hospital demonstrated proven integration and scalability. The organisation deployed Imprivata EAM with SSO to 25,000 users, replacing dozens of daily logins with one seamless experience. Cross-functional evaluation teams including IT, clinical representatives, and EMR Program leaders worked together to integrate SSO, and secure logins to workflows without the need for multiple manual entries of passwords.
The Imprivata onboarding team assisted with the initial configuration and rollout of the solution for a swift and seamless implementation. They provided expertise and support to ensure secure rollout and efficient workflows. The initiative has delivered measurable improvements in security, efficiency, and clinician satisfaction, freeing up time for patient care while strengthening compliance.
With the SSO and DMR successfully rolled out, WA Health is advancing planning and foundational work that would enable a statewide EMR in the future.
Results: A solution that provides smoother, faster access and stronger confidence in the system’s security
WA Health has improved both security and usability by adding SSO for applications and devices. Clinicians save time with each login, experience fewer workflow interruptions, and require fewer password re-entries.
In one two week period, the project team recorded 50,166 SSO-enabled workstation logins and 329,673 SSO-enabled software application logins. With each SSO-enabled login saving approximately 5 seconds of clinician time, the team estimated that over 450 hours can potentially be redirected to patient care.
WA Health reports increased staff satisfaction due to the improvements in productivity and efficiency through streamlined access to information, clear patient pathways, and clinical decision support. Increased clinician efficiency is also noted as a result of information being captured directly at the point of care which is then available on-demand. A WA Health survey of major metropolitan hospitals (3 tertiary hospitals; 3 general hospitals; and 2 specialist hospitals) found 2 out of 3 surveyed clinicians reported that SSO had improved their ability to access clinical applications. They had stronger confidence in the system’s security, all of which help to deliver more efficient, patient-focused care.
The increased security that SSO enables is highlighted in emergency departments. The implementation of kiosk mode using Imprivata VDA on patient facing workstations means they are more secure with the rapid tap on - tap off and two-minute time-out policies.
“We’ve leveraged the Imprivata platform that was already in place at Perth Children’s Hospital and turned it into a statewide platform. We’ve seen improvements both in cyber security and in reduced time taken to log into systems and clinical applications, with people not having to remember passwords. The feedback from users has been captured as ‘I wish we had this earlier’.
Working with Imprivata and our AUC team we’ve been able to develop the kiosk configuration to meet their needs so that we can roll out SSO. It has been welcomed alongside the more challenging workflows for clinical applications that require shared credentials for safety and security.
Dr. Karthik Natarajan, SSO Project Clinical Lead.
Next Steps
Imprivata’s solution supports WA Health’s goal to roll out a new enterprise EMR, enhancing security, efficiency, and clinical care
The success of WA Health’s Digital Medical Record program and the SSO Imprivata solution have provided the foundations for the delivery of a full scale, statewide EMR Program. They have provided a scalable, adaptable, and future-ready digital health ecosystem that enhances security, efficiency, and clinical care, as a new EMR is implemented.
