The Ministry of Health has clarified the transition from the Social Health Authority (SHA) Provider Portal to the Health Management Information System (HMIS), saying the change is aimed at creating a more integrated digital healthcare environment.
In a statement on Friday, October 2, the ministry said there had been confusion over the transition and sought to explain how healthcare providers have been using digital systems since the establishment of SHA.
“There has been some miscommunication and confusion regarding the transition from the SHA Provider Portal to the Health Management Information System (HMIS). It is important to clarify what has been in place, what is changing, and how the transition is expected to improve healthcare delivery,” the statement read.
According to the Ministry, since the establishment of SHA, the Digital Health Agency (DHA) has provided a portal that healthcare providers have used to submit and transmit claims to SHA, particularly during the transition period.
However, hospitals have also continued using their own HMIS platforms to manage day-to-day operations, meaning facilities have in practice been required to work with two separate systems.
“This has created additional administrative work for healthcare facilities and, in some instances, contributed to longer processing and waiting times for patients,” the statement added.
The Ministry said the ongoing transition is intended to make the hospital’s HMIS the primary system through which healthcare services and related information are managed.
Under the integrated approach, hospital staff will not have to repeatedly enter or transfer the same information between separate platforms.
The HMIS is designed to communicate with SHA and other relevant health-sector systems.
The Ministry said the approach is intended to simplify the digital infrastructure supporting healthcare delivery while reducing duplication of work for healthcare workers.
“The broader objective is simple: one hospital system that can securely communicate with the different systems supporting healthcare delivery.
“This is consistent with the principle that a patient should not have to navigate multiple disconnected systems simply to receive healthcare services,” the statement further read.
The Ministry outlined several expected benefits for patients, including reduced waiting times as healthcare workers spend less time on duplicated administrative tasks.
An integrated workflow is also expected to make it easier for patient information to be captured and accessed without repeatedly entering the same details into different systems.
The Ministry said properly integrated health records could improve continuity of care by enabling authorised healthcare professionals to access relevant patient information when required.
The system is also expected to improve the efficiency of admissions, consultations, procedures, billing and claims, while digital records could provide greater transparency by creatinga clearer trail of services provided and claims submitted.
For hospitals and healthcare workers, HMIS is expected to provide a single integrated workflow, reducing the need to operate separate systems for different functions.
Information captured at the point of care could flow to relevant systems without repeated manual entry, while HMIS can also support the management of patients, staff, facilities, supplies, medicines, equipment and financial processes.
The Ministry said capturing information once and using it across connected systems could improve data quality by reducing inconsistencies and errors associated with repeated data entry.
Hospital managers are also expected to benefit from more timely and reliable information for reporting, resource planning and service improvement, while digital records could improve accountability by providing greater visibility of services delivered, resources used and claims submitted.
SHA and other health insurers and payers are also expected to benefit from the integration.
Claims generated from information captured during the actual delivery of care could be more accurate and timely, while integration could reduce manual processing and the need for providers to repeatedly enter or transfer information.
The Ministry said connecting claims more closely to patient encounters and services provided could also strengthen verification and improve controls against fraud, errors, duplicate claims and unusual transactions.
Better-quality electronically transmitted information could further support faster claims processing and payment, while aggregated data could assist health-sector planning by providing information on service utilisation, resource requirements and healthcare trends.
The Ministry said the transition should therefore be understood as part of a broader effort to connect healthcare systems rather than simply replacing one digital platform with another.
“The objective is not simply to replace one portal with another. The bigger objective is to connect the different components of the healthcare ecosystem,” the statement concluded.
Meanwhile, the Ministry has announced an additional one-month extension for health facilities that have not yet completed the transition to HMIS.
In a statement on Thursday, October 1, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said the extension will allow facilities still undertaking the transition to fully comply with the directive.
“The Ministry of Health wishes to update the public and all stakeholders on the progress of the transition from the Provider Portal to the Health Management Information System (HMIS), as the country moves towards a fully digital and paperless health information system,” the statement read.
Duale said the additional one-month extension was granted to give facilities that are yet to complete the transition more time to comply with the directive.
He assured Kenyans that the ongoing migration would not interfere with access to healthcare services, including at facilities that have not completed the transition.
“The Ministry of Health emphasizes that no patient will be denied access to healthcare services because a facility has not yet fully transitioned to HMIS. Patients will continue to receive services at all health facilities during this transition period. The ongoing migration to HMIS will therefore not disrupt access to healthcare services,” the statement noted.
Duale urged facilities that are yet to complete the migration to speed up the process and seek technical assistance from the Digital Health Agency where necessary.
“All facilities that have not yet completed the transition are urged to expedite the process without further delay and to engage the Digital Health Agency for any technical assistance required,” the statement concluded.