Project Description
New Zealand Health Event Bus + Targets & Productivity Orchestrator
Imagine if…
Our health system could talk to itself in real time.
A lab result comes in, a referral is made, or a vaccine is recorded — and instead of sitting in one system, that update is instantly shared with the people who need it: GPs, hospitals, government, even employers.
That’s the idea behind NZHEB + TPO.
- NZHEB (New Zealand Health Event Bus) is the backbone. It would let health systems share important updates once, and then anyone subscribed — like doctors, hospitals, or dashboards — would automatically receive the information they need.
- TPO (Targets & Productivity Orchestrator) sits on top, turning those updates into clear answers:
- Are we meeting health targets?
- How much time and money could we save?
- Are Māori, Pacific, rural, and disadvantaged communities benefiting equally?
✅ The result: Fewer delays, less waste, fairer outcomes — and proof that productivity gains are possible.
The Problem
Right now, health systems don’t talk easily to each other. Updates often sit in one place, waiting to be chased or copied manually.
This creates:
- ⏱️ Delays in care (patients waiting longer for results or treatment).
- 💰 Hidden costs (avoidable ED visits, longer hospital stays, wasted time).
- ⚖️ Inequities (Māori, Pacific, rural, and low-income communities left behind).
- ❓ Uncertainty (decision-makers can’t see if IT investments are actually paying off).
Billions have been invested in digital health, but leaders still can’t answer:
👉 Are we saving money?
👉 Are outcomes improving?
👉 Are gains being shared fairly?
The Solution (Prototype Idea)
1. NZHEB — The Event Bus
- A background service that connects existing health systems.
- When something happens — like a lab test result is ready — the system sends that update once.
- Anyone subscribed (GPs, hospitals, government dashboards) automatically receives the update.
Benefits: Faster updates, less duplication, fewer delays.
🔒 Privacy built in: Zero-PHI (no patient-identifiable details flow through the bus).
2. TPO — The Orchestrator
A dashboard that translates updates into insights everyone can understand:
- Are we meeting national health targets?
- How much time and money could be saved by reducing avoidable ED visits?
- Are Māori, Pacific, and rural communities seeing the same improvements?
Transparency: All datasets and formulas are open, so results can be checked and trusted.
Implementation Pathway (Prototype Vision)
- Start small: Kafka (event router), Kong/Apigee (API gateway), JSON Schema (validation).
- Producers: GPs, labs, immunisation registers publishing updates.
- Consumers: TPO dashboards, Ministry dashboards, employer workforce analytics.
- Safeguards: API keys, encrypted channels, Zero-PHI.
- Scale up: From pilot to national backbone.
Final Summary
Our prototype, NZHEB + TPO, shows how a simple backbone could:
- 🔗 Connect systems in real time
- 💰 Turn events into cost/time savings
- ⚖️ Make inequities visible
- 🚑 Deliver fairer, faster outcomes for all New Zealanders
⚡ In short: A prototype vision for a connected, measurable, and equitable health system.
Data Story
This outlines how the New Zealand Health Event Bus (NZHEB) and the Target & Productivity Orchestrator (TPO) deliver value for individuals, government, and employers by connecting health data in real-time and turning it into measurable outcomes.
🎯 Individuals: Faster Care, Better Outcomes
The Problem
Patients often experience delays in diagnosis and treatment because critical health data is siloed across different systems. Missed prescriptions, long wait times, and unequal access to care create inequities and poorer outcomes.
How NZHEB Helps
- Shares lab results, immunisations, and admissions in real-time with the care team.
- Removes delays and duplication by ensuring the right data reaches the right provider instantly.
How TPO Adds Value
- Tracks key metrics such as:
- Lab-to-clinician latency (e.g., reducing delays from hours to minutes).
- Immunisation coverage at 24 months.
- Treatment timelines (e.g., 31-day cancer pathway).
- Highlights inequities in access so that interventions can be targeted where most needed.
Impact Example
- A patient’s lab results are shared live with their GP and hospital specialist.
- Diagnosis and treatment decisions happen sooner, leading to faster recovery.
- Avoided delays reduce anxiety and improve quality of life.
🏛 Government: Smarter Policy, Cost Savings, and Equity
The Problem
Health system performance is hard to measure in real-time. Governments face challenges in proving ROI for investments and in identifying inequities across communities until it’s too late.
How NZHEB Helps
- Breaks down silos by connecting ED, GP, and lab systems into a real-time national view.
- Ensures decision-makers can track health system performance as it happens.
How TPO Adds Value
- Translates event flows into cost savings and productivity gains:
- Reducing avoidable ED visits by 10% saves ~$100M annually.
- Cutting unfilled prescriptions by 5% prevents 10,000 hospital admissions (~$30M).
- A 2% smoking reduction lowers costs by $200M.
- Reducing high psychological distress by 3% returns $150M in productivity.
- Provides equity dashboards to identify gaps in access for different communities.
Impact Example
- Government can see unmet GP needs in real-time.
- Targeted funding or policy changes (e.g., GP subsidies) are deployed faster.
- Avoidable costs are reduced while ensuring equity in access.
🏢 Employers: Healthy Workforce, Higher Productivity
The Problem
Employers carry the cost of lost productivity due to employee ill-health. Sick leave, delays in treatment, and preventable conditions reduce workforce participation and increase costs for businesses.
How NZHEB Helps
- Ensures that employees receive timely care by enabling real-time coordination between providers.
- Reduces delays in diagnosis and treatment that lead to extended time away from work.
How TPO Adds Value
- Tracks metrics relevant to workforce productivity, such as:
- Avoidable ED visits.
- Missed GP appointments.
- Rates of smoking, hazardous drinking, and mental distress.
- Converts improvements into measurable workforce gains.
Impact Example
- Reducing psychological distress by 3% nationally translates into fewer sick days and higher workforce participation.
- Employers benefit from reduced downtime and a healthier, more productive workforce.
📊 Summary
- Individuals gain from faster care and better outcomes.
- Government gains real-time visibility, enabling smarter policy and measurable ROI.
- Employers benefit from a healthier workforce, reducing sick days and boosting productivity.
Together, NZHEB + TPO transform healthcare data into actionable insights that drive efficiency, equity, and better outcomes across New Zealand.
Equity Evidence
We tested the prototype concept against six real indicators (GovHack datasets: MoH/Te Whatu Ora):
Unmet GP need due to cost
- Problem: People skip GP visits because they can’t afford it.
- Impact: Delays → hospitalisations.
- Potential benefit: 5% reduction prevents ~150,000 delays → $45M saved annually.
Unfilled prescriptions due to cost
- Problem: People don’t fill prescriptions because of price.
- Impact: Missed meds → hospital admissions.
- Potential benefit: 5% reduction prevents ~10,000 admissions → $30M saved.
Emergency department overuse
- Problem: Many ED visits are avoidable.
- Impact: Wasted time, higher costs, staff pressure.
- Potential benefit: 10% reduction = $100M saved (200,000 fewer avoidable visits).
Smoking prevalence
- Problem: High smoking rates drive long-term health costs.
- Potential benefit: 2% national reduction = $200M saved annually.
Hazardous drinking
- Problem: Alcohol harm creates high hospital and social costs.
- Potential benefit: 5% reduction = $40M saved annually.
Psychological distress
- Problem: High distress impacts mental health + workforce productivity.
- Potential benefit: 3% reduction = $150M productivity gain annually.
👉 These are real numbers from real datasets. Even small improvements make a huge difference.
Cost Savings & Methodology
All calculations use official data + NZ cost references.
- ED visits: Avoidable visits × $500 avg. cost per visit (NZ Treasury/MoH).
- Unfilled prescriptions: Missed scripts × 5% hospitalisation × $3–5k per admission.
- Smoking: $1.9B annual cost × % reduction.
- Hazardous drinking: $7.8B annual cost × % reduction (healthcare share).
- Psychological distress: GDP productivity loss (2–4% of GDP) × % reduction.
- Unmet GP visits: Prevented delays × $300 avoided ED cost.
✅ Transparent and credible: anyone can follow the formulas, check the datasets, and verify.
