A five-year, $259 million EHR transformation in the Northern Territory, Australia, remains on track despite significant challenges as the rollout approaches its halfway mark.

The Northern Territory covers nearly 550,000 square miles, with more than 43% of the population living in remote areas. As it is so sparsely populated, its inhabitants face significant barriers to care. 5.7% of the population has diabetes, and the median age of death for residents was 67.6 years in 2016 – a staggering 14.4 years fewer than Australia’s national average.

The state is working to implement a single EHR solution, InterSystems TrakCare, at every healthcare provider in the state, from the largest hospitals to the smallest community health centers.

“Right across that whole spectrum, we’re trying to implement this one solution with every clinician, no matter where they are when they treat a patient, and they’ll touch that one patient record in real time, all the time,” said Deputy Chief Executive with the Northern Territory Government’s Department of Corporate and Information Services Chris Hoskin, when interviewed by HealthcareITNews.

Lessons learned from the historic project could help American healthcare technology providers address similar issues facing rural Americans’ access to care and their patient data.

Reporting and analysis from HealthcareITNews’ Lynne Minion here. You can read more about the initiative here.