Kiandra IT replaces WA’s 20-year-old health invoice system

The firms were responsible for replacing WA’s over 20 year old health invoice system in under half the estimated project time frame.

Software solutions provider Kiandra IT has partnered with Western Australia’s Health Support Services (HSS) to allow WA’s health system to process up to $100 million worth of invoices a year.

The overhaul of the Medical Accounts Assessment System (MAAS), which was implemented in 1998 and first hosted by Medicare, was decommissioned on 30 June 2019.

The MAAS is used to assess, process and verify invoices for contracted medical practitioners involved with fee-for-services in WA public hospitals.

With an estimated $814,000 set aside for the overhaul in WA’s 2019-20 state budget, the new MAAS had an estimated project timeline of at least 12 months, but Kiandra IT and the HSS were able to complete the new system in five months’ time and was launched on 1 July.

Martin Cooperwaite, co-founder of Kiandra IT, said in order to meet the short time frame, they partnered with OutSystems, which utilises the development process of low-code technology – a process that automates various aspects during development.

“A system of this scale, in this time frame, would have been very difficult to deliver in time without the use of low-code. We were able to utilise our partnership with the world leading low-code development platform, OutSystems, and implement a solution in much less time than traditional approaches,” Cooperwaite said.

“At Kiandra, we specialise in core-business enterprise and government application development and have a significant portfolio in health. When we dived into HSS’ requirements for a new MAAS, it was clear that HSS’ decision to choose OutSystems and Kiandra was a sound one. We could create a custom enterprise-grade solution to scope and in time, and deliver a great end-user experience also," he added.

Holger Kaufmann, chief information officer at the HSS, said the adoption of OutSystems’ and Kiandra’s low-code solution would allow for the WA health system to be more efficient when processing invoices.

“Low-code technology has enabled us to respond quickly to the required change and puts HSS at the forefront of application innovation and in a position to continue improving and building on the services we offer to the WA public health system,” Kaufmann said.