e-Health is an essential element of health care improvement and a vital component of strategies for health system reform in the 21st century.Health information system that provides reliable, timely, high-quality information is a key prerequisite for health system stewardship.

Integrated Health Information System is supposing universal modernization of health system via implementing modern information and communication technologies providing high-quality, safe, available and cost-effective medical services to the society with the purpose of improving the quality of public health and achieving increase of citizens’ satisfaction with the health system. 

 Goals 

• Improvement of quality and efficiency of medical services,
• Minimization of  the administrative burden of patients and the whole system,
• Provision of  all stakeholders  with the information relevant for their decision making and monitoring activities on time and in the required quality,
• Health  system transparency assurance,
• Facilitation of  the emergence of new forms of medical services,
• Increase of citizen satisfaction.

Current status 

The Government of the Republic of Armenia recognizing the importance of effectively utilizing ICT in health sector approved the Concept paper for the establishment of Integrated Health Information System in the Republic of Armenia which aims at fundamentally improving quality, cost efficiency and availability of services. 

In December, 2010 the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Health of RA signed a Memorandum of Understanding and EKENG CJSC was appointed to coordinate and execute system implementation activities. 

A Roadmap for the Integrated Health Information System implementation was developed by EKENG CJSC on the basis of the feasibility study conducted with the assistance of international experts. The document represents the description of the system, its architecture, subsystems, implementation plan, budget, basic management model, time frame, risks, etc. The Roadmap is approved by the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Health of RA and is shared with other stakeholders for further approval by the Government of RA. 

• Higher quality of provided health care,
• Patient safety through reducing diagnostic and therapeutic errors, improving diagnostic processes and monitoring the whole therapeutic process,
• Convenience in using health services, ability to communicate electronically within the health system,
• Time  and cost savings,
• Enhanced satisfaction with health services.

For Government:

• Higher level of  health care  quality,
• Health system transparency assurance,
• Better statistics,
• Enhanced  efficiency of policy development and management,
• Lower costs of health care by removing  duplicities in treatments, fictive treatments and wrong prescriptions, errors in diagnostic, treatments and prescriptions
• Lower costs for administrative activities.

For health care providers:

• Better efficiency and productivity  through ICT systems,
• Lower costs of administrative activities,
• Availability of  data for decision making, evidence-based management,
• Reduction of clinical risks and errors,
• Improved prescribing practices.