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Nearly 700 new features and enhancements to help support NHS productivity and efficiency goals.

Altera Digital Health, one of the leading providers of electronic patient record (EPR) systems in the UK, last week announced the general availability of Sunrise™ 25.1, the latest release of its integrated EPR system. Designed in close collaboration with clients, Sunrise 25.1 introduces nearly 700 updates and new features, designed to enhance performance, usability, and efficiency.

Sunrise 25.1 embeds best-practice workflows and flexible configuration tools that help address the growing demands around productivity and efficiency goals and will bring with it the power of ambient listening as part of its journey.

Beyond the enhancements

Alongside Sunrise 25.1, Altera has released Sunrise™ CarePath, our new patient portal that empowers patients to manage their own health and care journey, enhancing the patient experience. Being fully integrated in Altera EPR, with NHS login capabilities, CarePath enables patients to manage appointments, review key health information, test results and medications, in real time 24/7.

Sunrise™ Health Record brings fragmented paper records and disconnected digital systems all together, capturing, consolidating, and securing patient data in one unified digital record. From scanned documents to clinic notes, everything is stored safely. Integrated directly into Altera EPR, Sunrise Health Record simplifies workflows with document scanning and removal of paper. Smart features, like barcode recognition and automated alerts, support faster, safer decisions and ease the pressures on staff by reducing paperwork and improving compliance with NHS standards.

Additionally, Sunrise™ Mobile’s new, intuitive icons and updated user interface enable clinicians to access patient information seamlessly so they can focus more on patient care at the bedside.

“With nearly 700 enhancements, Sunrise™ 25.1 is more than just a system update, it’s a step forward in supporting NHS trusts to meet today’s operational and financial challenges. By streamlining clinical workflows, reducing reliance on paper, and improving usability, this release empowers providers to enhance productivity, efficiency, and lay stronger digital foundations for building an NHS fit for the future. Sunrise 25.1 is a direct result of listening to our clients and a commitment to continuous progress. We are incredibly proud of the Sunrise team for delivering on our promise to keep raising the standards of care for patients and clinicians,” said Mark Hutchinson, Senior Vice President – Healthcare Strategy & Transformation, Altera Digital Health UK & EMEA.

Learn more about new product features and enhancements in Sunrise 25.1 here.

About Altera Digital Health

Altera Digital Health is a global healthcare IT leader. With more than 30 years of experience, we develop technology to bring next-level healthcare within reach. Our approach to solutions provides a fast, flexible and clinically driven roadmap towards digital maturity across integrated care systems.

With more than 2,700 hospitals in more than 15 countries, our solutions support healthcare providers, governments and military institutions around the world. By keeping the human user at the centre of our design methodology, we are supporting caregivers and helping patients meet and exceed their wellness goals. Together, with our clients, we’re driving a new era of healthcare. To learn more, visit uk.alterastg.com.

Media Contact

Jodie Cheetham (on behalf of Altera Digital Health) [email protected]
07967 136010

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Nearly 700 new features and enhancements to drive financial and clinical improvements

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. – June 17, 2025 – Altera Digital Health, a global health IT leader, today announced the general availability of Sunrise™ 25.1, the latest release of its  complete electronic health record (EHR) system for mid-size hospitals and health systems. Designed in close collaboration with clients, Sunrise 25.1 introduces nearly 700 updates and new features that sharpen financial and ambulatory workflows, streamline navigation, minimize the cognitive load for users and make critical information accessible at the point of care.

While hospital margins improved in 2024, healthcare organizations continue to grapple with competitive labor market conditions, increasing costs and a rise in bad debt and charity care. Sunrise 25.1 addresses these realities by embedding best-practice workflows and flexible configuration tools that support revenue integrity, clinical productivity and enterprise-wide efficiency. For example, the Sunrise™ Financial Manager module contains a billing hub that consolidates billing requests, claims and self-pay into three easily accessible tabs that streamline workflows for staff members across the revenue cycle.

Sunrise 25.1 also represents a significant uplift in clinical workflow satisfaction and efficiency for clients. Within Sunrise™ Ambulatory Care, enhanced patient management features include a unified list for appointments and walk-ins, easy location viewing, enhanced visual cues and clinical assignments, and new mini-views that enable users to toggle between patients with a single click. On the acute side, users can enter, view and maintain orders at the patient level and enter queries without exact search term requirements. Additionally, Sunrise™ Mobile’s new, intuitive icons and modernized user interface enable clinicians to use the system more seamlessly so they can focus more on patient care.

“This release brings meaningful advancements to the front lines of care and operations, delivering tools that help teams move faster, work smarter and make strides where it matters most to them,” said Shanna DeLeo, SVP of Development for Sunrise, Altera Digital Health. “Sunrise 25.1 is a direct result of listening to our clients and a commitment to continuous progress. I am incredibly proud of the Sunrise team for delivering on our promise to keep elevating healthcare for clinicians, staff members and the patients they serve.”

Learn more about new product features and enhancements in Sunrise 25.1 here.

About Altera Digital Health

A global healthcare IT leader, Altera Digital Health develops and elevates technology to bring next-level healthcare within reach. Altera’s approach to our solutions is changing the way healthcare is delivered—we see the summit of what healthcare can be, but rather than total transformation, we’re focused on helping organizations take the steps they need to get there. Altera designs digital health services that lead healthcare to a higher place, while we guide those we partner with, all along the way. To learn more, visit alterastg.com.

Media Contact

[email protected]

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Bolton NHS Foundation Trust has become the first trust in Greater Manchester to implement district nurse referrals in its Sunrise™ Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system, powered by Altera Digital Health. It marks a major digital leap forward in integrating care across secondary and community services.

Clunky paper processes and fragmented communication have been replaced with a streamlined, digital workflow, enhancing patient safety and enabling teams to deliver faster, coordinated care across care settings.

Zoe Fitzsimmons, CXIO at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, summed up the impact: “The district nurse referral within Sunrise has been transformative for the acute and district nursing teams. Now with one single source of truth, the teams no longer have to duplicate work or spend time investigating if a referral has been completed. This single process allows for one route to referral.”

With referral forms now fully embedded into the Electronic Patient Record (EPR), clinical teams can manage referrals directly within their existing workflow therefore there is no need to switch between systems. This streamlined approach has now not only boosted efficiency but has also enhanced user satisfaction. As referrals are created, key patient information is auto-populated from the EPR, saving staff time and reducing the risk of manual errors. It’s a smarter, faster way to handle referrals so clinicians can focus more on patient care and less on administration.

Take wound care as an example: when a patient has been assessed by the tissue viability team, detailed notes, treatment plans, and medication information are automatically pulled through into the referral. District nurses no longer need to chase down information; they’re fully briefed before their visit. As a result, they arrive at the patient’s home with the right dressings, supplies, and clear plan of care. It’s a seamless handover that reduces delays, enhances efficiency, and ensures patients receive safe, informed continuous care.

Patient safety was at the heart of the implementation. A significant portion of the rollout focused on aligning the referral process with complex transcribing and medication policies to ensure full compliance. The referral form was intelligently designed with mandatory fields, embedded guidance, real-time prompts, and conditional logic ensuring that no critical information is missed before submission. It’s a smart, safety-first approach that gives clinical teams confidence while reducing the risk of errors.

The results speak for themselves: reduced patient incidents, fewer inappropriate referrals, and stronger clinical oversight, all supported by a complete, traceable audit trail. The streamlined process also delivers measurable time savings across multiple stages of the referral pathway, enabling clinicians to focus more on care and less on admin. It’s a safer, more efficient system that drives real operational and clinical value.

“We ran time and motion studies and found nurses were spending approximately two hours a day ringing the wards to compile missing referral information so we could triage the referrals correctly, said Stacey Leigh, Digital Matron and Digital Clinical Safety Officer at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust.  “The teams would also run into issues when contacting the wards if members of staff who completed the form weren’t on shift and the information couldn’t be located.”

All community triage nurses and district nurse managers now have read access to the Sunrise EPR system, enabling them to review the patient’s clinical course, including the most recent admission and previous visits. Zoe Fitzsimmons added: “This will be enhanced further when the community teams go fully live on Sunrise later this year and can continue to document in the patient records as a seamless entry from acute to community.”

Referrals are now sent directly to a dedicated list within Sunrise, eliminating reliance on email and reducing the risk of missed or delayed communications. Each referral includes a direct link to the patient’s full EPR record, giving district nursing teams immediate access to all relevant information. They can quickly accept or decline the referral, while acute staff can track the referral status in real time, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks and everyone stays aligned throughout the patient’s care journey.

Rachael Fox, Executive Vice President, EMEA at Altera Digital Health, commented: “The progress at Bolton is a testament to what can be achieved with Altera’s highly configurable and flexible Sunrise EPR with a clear vision and a robust digital infrastructure. By embedding referrals directly into the EPR, Bolton has significantly improved communication and coordination between acute and community teams, enhancing both safety and efficiency.

What’s even more exciting is how this work is expanding access to comprehensive patient information within community care, enabling clinicians to have real-time visibility into treatment plans, clinical notes, and medications, empowering them to deliver informed, proactive care from the moment of discharge.

This is a powerful example of how our Sunrise platform enables continuous care across the entire healthcare setting, breaking down silos and creating a truly unified patient record. We’re proud to be supporting Bolton as it extends these capabilities further and unlocks even greater value across more community services and care pathways.”

Media Contact:
Jodie Cheetham (on behalf of Altera Digital Health)
[email protected]
07967 136010

About Altera Digital Health

Altera Digital Health is a global healthcare IT leader. With more than 30 years of experience, we develop technology to bring next-level healthcare within reach. Our approach to solutions provides a fast, flexible and clinically driven roadmap towards digital maturity across integrated care systems.

With more than 2,700 hospitals in more than 15 countries, our solutions support healthcare providers, governments and military institutions around the world. By keeping the human user at the centre of our design methodology, we are supporting caregivers and helping patients meet and exceed their wellness goals. Together, with our clients, we’re driving a new era of healthcare. To learn more, visit uk.alterastg.com.

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Recertification underscores organizational dedication to quality and reliability

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. – April 22, 2025 – Altera Digital Health, a global health IT leader, today announced that its Sunrise™ suite of solutions has successfully achieved ISO 9001:2015 recertification following the completion of a comprehensive external audit conducted by NQA. The new certificate is now in effect and covers the full three-year cycle through 2028.

The ISO 9001 standard sets globally recognized requirements for quality management systems, which support organizations’ efforts to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory expectations. Recertification affirms compliance and a deep integration of quality principles across operations—from development and deployment to support and continuous improvement.

The Sunrise electronic health record (EHR) system provides a single clinical and financial patient record across acute and ambulatory care venues, helping hospitals and health systems to deliver exceptional patient care, streamline billing processes and gain valuable insights into patient outcomes. The ISO recertification coincides with the upcoming June 2025 release of Sunrise 25.1, which introduces nearly 700 new features driven by feedback from clinicians and health IT leaders that enhance workflow efficiency, reduce complexity and improve system usability.

“Altera’s commitment to continuous improvement isn’t just about meeting standards—it’s about exceeding expectations and earning trust with every release,” said Jay Adams, Executive Vice President, Sunrise, Altera Digital Health. “This recertification is a testament to the discipline, focus and professionalism our Sunrise team brings to the table every day to raise the bar for ourselves and for the clients we serve. Altera extends its thanks to all those who participated in the 2025 ISO 9001 external audits for their essential contributions to this successful outcome.”

For more information about Sunrise, visit alterahealth.com/sunrise.

About Altera Digital Health

A global healthcare IT leader, Altera Digital Health develops and elevates technology to bring next-level healthcare within reach. Altera’s approach to our solutions is changing the way healthcare is delivered—we see the summit of what healthcare can be, but rather than total transformation, we’re focused on helping organizations take the steps they need to get there. Altera designs digital health services that lead healthcare to a higher place, while we guide those we partner with, all along the way. To learn more, visit alterastg.com.

Media Contact
[email protected]

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The Clinical Health Psychology team (“Psychology”) at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (LHCH) has extended, digitised and integrated its service into its established trust-wide EPR. This digital change is enabling a patients’ psychological care to be documented alongside medical care for a fuller record.

The innovation is releasing considerable and far-ranging benefits, such as streamlined processes, time savings, improved communication and care co-ordination, and enhanced patient safety.

Discussing the difference the system is making, Dr Alexandra Boughey, Principal Clinical Psychologist – Cystic Fibrosis Service and Operational Lead, said: “With our patient’s psychological notes now managed on the EPR and integrated with the patient’s full medical record, we can set up a team of specific users that have access to view the psychological notes.”

“We’re saving so much time from being able to input our notes directly into the system and automatically sharing with the multi-disciplinary team (MDT).  It’s been game changing, when you consider how time consuming the process was before.  Previously, we would have to make notes on paper, transcribe them into word documents, file the document, and email/visit the wards to update the MDT with our recommendations.”

Psychology set out to deliver their service using one digital system which could manage a unified patient record, to better support the team and patient care.  To be effective, they needed a flexible solution that was capable of making notes available or confidential to other members of the MDT.  This was crucial functionality given the confidential nature of psychology case notes and being able to maintain a patient’s privacy wishes, if required.

The Trust decided to utilise its existing Sunrise™ EPR system provided by Altera Digital Health.  In a matter of months, Psychology, Altera and the trust’s digital team worked together to configure the system to meet the unique needs of the psychology service.  Today, the service is using the system to manage patient questionnaires, appointments, referrals, discharges and communicate with the MDT.

Sunrise™ is also facilitating the collection of meaningful data to monitor and report on specific psychology key performance indicators (KPIs), which differ hugely to medical KPIs.

With all patient data together in one place, in real-time, it’s providing staff with a fuller picture of a patient, supporting all members of the MDT to make more informed care decisions at the point of care.

Paula Dyce, Advanced Nurse Practitioner – CF Diabetes, commented: “Since being able to have Psychology on our EPR system it has helped us improve patient care and communication across professionals. It has streamlined the link between physical health and mental health appointments.”

LHCH manages a lot of critically unwell patients and nearly 130,000 patient visits every year. This makes the service that the Psychology team provides to the Intensive Therapy Unit (ITU) vital.  The increased risks to patients cared for in the ITU makes an integrated system even more important, supporting the team to manage escalations and monitor patients more effectively with accessible notes and alerts for patients that require mental health support.  The risk of losing paper notes and electronic files has also decreased which is contributing to enhanced patient safety.

Prior to the Psychology digitisation, the EPR was already enabling the trust to be 99.9% paperless and complete all clinical documentation, order communications and prescribing.  The integrated EPR has supported the LHCH’s digital transformation, enabling it to receive an ‘Outstanding’ CQC rating twice and achieve HIMSS EMRAM Stage 7 in its latest digital maturity assessment.

Rachael Fox, Executive Vice President, UK & EMEA, Altera Digital Health, said: “This latest digital transformation is a fantastic addition to Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s  exemplary digital journey so far.  They are leading the way as digital-first trust and showcasing how it can support outstanding service delivery.”

ENDS

Media Contact: 

Jodie Cheetham (on behalf of Altera Digital Health)
[email protected]
07967 136010

About Altera Digital Health

Altera Digital Health is a global healthcare IT leader. With more than 30 years of experience, we develop technology to bring next-level healthcare within reach. Our approach to solutions provides a fast, flexible and clinically driven roadmap towards digital maturity across integrated care systems.

With more than 2,700 hospitals in more than 15 countries, our solutions support healthcare providers, governments and military institutions around the world. By keeping the human user at the centre of our design methodology, we are supporting caregivers and helping patients meet and exceed their wellness goals. Together, with our clients, we’re driving a new era of healthcare. To learn more, visit uk.alterastg.com.