Meet the Sparked Technical Co-Chairs: Keith Kranz
Meet Keith Kranz – the Manager ICTS at SA Pathology, and an AU eRequesting Technical Design Group Co-Chair.
Introducing Keith Kranz, one of our Sparked AU eRequesting Technical Design Group Co-Chairs. Keith has extensive expertise within health IT, with a strong background in pathology and across both private and public sectors of the healthcare system. Through his involvement in a wide range of projects across his career, Keith is passionate about utilising technology to facilitate high-quality, person-centric healthcare. Keith joins Sparked through his current role at SA Pathology, and with a unique perspective on healthcare the Sparked community is incredibly grateful for his involvement!
We asked Keith some questions about his involvement with the Sparked program, this is what he had to say:
🤔 What is your working background?
At the time of my first role in Health IT (Pathology) at an Acute Teaching Hospital, Atari was the games computer of choice, Windows was something you looked through and the slide rule was the AI equivalent. After leaving Pathology, I worked in healthcare across both the public and private sectors within South Australia and Victoria. In the late 90’s during the delivery of large data repository, Interface Engine, Enterprise Master Patient Index (EMPI), Pathology and Radiology HL7 standard across four large acute teaching hospitals, I realised just how important technology would be to the delivery of person-centred care. I was able to include this approach in “The National Electronics Health Records Taskforce – Ministers’ Report“ in the year 2000 which, eventually resulted in the deployment of My Health Record (MHR) more than a decade later. Around the same time, I was the volunteer President of Alzheimer’s Australia and a board member of a consumer advocacy group both of which added to my desire to see technology and data at the core of person-centred healthcare, with the consumer as an active participant. After moving back to South Australia in 2016, I ended up working for SA Pathology with its unique public/private mix and desire to undertake business transformation with improved community diagnostic services as one of its objectives. I feel like a young boy (although now well past it) in the lolly shop where instead of lollies a new opportunity has arisen, enabled by FHIR, that can support a person centred, participatory and personalised approach with prediction and prevention as a value add.
🤔 How did you become involved with Sparked?
In 20/21 I started a FHIR Proof of Concept Project in SA Pathology focussed on service improvement that included Orders, Tests and Results. The GP Electronic Orders Project, eRequesting as it’s known in Sparked, resulted in contact with CSIRO, Ontoserver and the Sparked Program.
🤔 What is your role within Sparked?
Currently I am a co-chair on the eRequesting Technical Design Group. I also believe that I am a scout, and my remit is to encourage others to join the Team.
🤔 What does Sparked mean to you?
The realisation of a vision, something that I have been chipping away at for a long time and now there are a lot of other likeminded people on the same journey.
🤔 What is something that you hope to achieve within the Sparked program?
Delivery of true person-centred care measured by recipients, not the bureaucracy.
🤔 How is the Sparked program different to projects you’ve been involved in before?
Previously HL7 and Standards Australia developed standards. A handful of enthusiastic believers managed the process. Watching paint dry (painstaking work) might have been easier. Sparked is different, as it is a much larger community of passionate contributors that includes a wide cross section of the health industry. Furthermore, its well organised with strong government (state & federal) involvement, who are listening and following an agile process that are attributes of success.
🤔 What’s been your favourite part of working within the Sparked team?
The people involved and a common sense of purpose.
🤔 What would you tell someone wanting to learn more about the Sparked project?
Get involved, join a working group, undertake some free training whilst its available, attend workshops in your home state if you are unable to travel or become an observer and/or virtual participant. The options are endless and as an individual you can contribute to destiny.
🤔 How will the goals and outcomes of the Sparked Program impact your field/industry/profession?
The current health system needs to be fixed and FHIR will change healthcare for the next 30 years. In time it will replace legacy systems that inhibit progress, are application/organisation siloed, and vendor centric. It will improve the alignment of healthcare with other industries and enable healthcare to use a range of tools e.g. Internet of Things that are in everyday use to improve health services and their delivery, determined by the service recipient.
🤔 What’s your favourite Sparked/FHIR pun?
“Setting the industry on FHIR.”