ERMS
ERMS is an electronic referral system created to replace slow, inconsistent referral methods like fax, post, and email. It was developed after the Canterbury earthquakes to handle rising referral volumes and improve patient tracking. Since 2009 it has become the standard referral system across the South Island, expanded into the North Island, and was modernised in 2025 with a major technology upgrade.
ERMS, or Electronic Request Management System, was developed 15 years ago to address the need for a more consistent, reliable, and faster referral system. Back then, patient referrals were sent in various ways - by hand, post, fax, email, and even directly with the patient. This made it challenging to track patient care, leaving room for errors and creating additional work for clinicians.
The need for a more streamlined system became even more apparent following the Canterbury Earthquakes, which led to an increase in referrals. To address this, Pegasus Health (Charitable) Ltd partnered with the Canterbury DHB to create ERMS. The development involved experienced general practitioners, senior specialists, healthcare managers, and IT developers to ensure that the e-referral system met the necessary requirements.
In 2009, ERMS was confirmed by the Canterbury DHB as the sole provider of e-referrals from general practice. Pegasus Health has been providing software development, hosting, and technical support services for ERMS ever since. In 2012, ERMS was selected as the South Island's regional eReferral system. More recently, in late 2021, the Whanganui DHB became the first North Island DHB to adopt ERMS, with all general practices now referring through ERMS GP. The Whanganui DHB also uses ERMS Online to facilitate their triaging process.
Today, ERMS is regarded as the gold standard referral management software across all South Island districts, with most mandating its use for referring to HealthNZ-funded care. During 2025, ERMS completed its next evolution, upgrading its underlying technology to modernize the user interface and dramatically increase functionality and security.