Here are a few I have come across this week.
Note: Each link is followed by a title and a few paragraphs.For the full article click on the link above title of the article. Note alsothat full access to some links may require site registration or subscription payment.
General Comment
The news for theweek seems to have been dominated by the problems that apparently exit inHealth IT in ‘the Smart State’ and the release of an updated plan for the PCEHRby the Health Minister.
We also hadinteresting coverage of some Health IT spend in the NSW Budget and more rathernegative discussion of the likeliness of usefulness of Medicare Locals.
All in all quite abusy week.
Next week will alsobe quite busy.
I have it on prettygood authority there will be some new reading here tomorrow.
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Patients see pitfalls in paperless health records
- Adam Cresswell, Health editor
- From: The Australian
- September 10, 2011
ONE day this month,general practitioner Douglas Hor plans to throw a switch that will finally makehis medical practice fully electronic -- and at the same time render his morethan 30,000 paper-based patient files effectively obsolete.
From that point,the seven doctors at his Artarmon surgery on Sydney's north shore will becompelled to add all updates to patient records by typing on a keyboard,forsaking the handwritten notes that have formed the bedrock of medicalpractices for generations.
Even the remainingitems that continue to arrive on paper -- such as specialists' reports -- willbe typed or scanned in and added to the electronic records, as willparticularly important historical details from the paper files.
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Superhighway leads to coherent and connectedhealth system
- Mukesh Haikerwal
- From: The Australian
- September 10, 2011
AUSTRALIA'S $467million electronic health records enterprise is the best chance for such asystem to succeed where others have struggled or failed.
The NationalE-Health Transition Authority, formed in 2005 by the Council of AustralianGovernments to bring unity to e-health development, can be likened to the20th-century push to standardise Australia's rail gauges. Doing things in astandard way unlocks the potential of the developments taking place across thenation and ends the current situation of multiple technologies that cannot talkto each other.
Why the need forelectronic records? They were recommended by the National Health and HospitalsReform Commission, which recognised that to keep costs contained and the systemsustainable the health system must work in a better way. Costs and demand maybe rising, but technology is the health system's get-out-of-jail card.
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Roxon unveils e-health plan
- Karen Dearne
- From: Australian IT
- September 09, 2011
THE three leadsites for the $467 million personally controlled e-health records program areoperational and initial evaluations have been completed, according to theGillard government, even though the final specifications and implementationguide will not be released until early next year.
Health MinisterNicola Roxon has released an upbeat plancharting timelines for the rollout of the national reform program, includingthe government’s e-health and telehealth initiatives.
"Thegovernment does not apologise for the ambitious timetable we have establishedfor developing personally controlled e-health records," Ms Roxon'sspokesman told TheAustralian.
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Govt issues e-health timeline
By Luke Hopewell,ZDNet.com.au on September 9th, 2011
The FederalGovernment has released a new blueprint for the deployment of its ambitious$466.7 million e-health project.
The blueprint ispart of the government's latest e-health progress report issued this week,which includes a development timeline for the roll-out of the e-health program,as well as the development of personally controlled e-health records andtelehealth initiatives.
The governmentplans to have the national infrastructure for the PCEHR in place within thefirst quarter of 2012, with further enabling legislation ideally set to pass inMarch to April.
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For babies and tight budgets, long-distancediagnosis delivers
- Adam Cresswell
- From: The Australian
- September 10, 2011
IT is everyparent's worst nightmare: their baby is seriously ill, the nearest town lacksthe necessary medical specialists, and the family faces a sickening wait for apotentially lifesaving transfer by air or road to a city hospital.
Sadly, this experienceis common. Thousands of babies every year are born more than 500km from ateaching hospital, and the families of more than 300 newborns in Queenslandalone are put through the anxiety of a medical retrieval -- which can involveroundtrips of up to 1500km.
Australianresearchers have now shown that many families can be spared this trauma if cityspecialists are able to assess sick babies over high-resolution video linksthat can also transmit X-rays, read-outs from heart monitors and ventilators andother vital information.
Calledtelemedicine, it is expected to grow after a decision by the federal governmentto pay Medicare rebates for the first time for such consultations, which becameavailable in July.
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Queensland Health payroll staff fed up
Overworked Queensland Health payroll staff say they aretired of slaving away to fix the government's system bungle for little pay
- AAP (AAP)
- 06 September, 2011 08:54
Overworked Queensland Health payroll staff say they're tiredof slaving away for little reward to fix a system bungle by the government.
It's been 18 months since Queensland rolled out a flawedpayroll system where thousands of Queensland Health workers were underpaid,overpaid or not paid at all, but the staff addressing the ongoing pay troublessay they are undervalued.
Queensland public sector union Together says QueenslandHealth is underpaying its overworked, stressed-out payroll staff but isrefusing to approve pay increases.
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Queensland Health computer glitch causing longdelays in producing vital cancer data
- Janelle Miles
- From: The Courier-Mail
- September 07, 2011
ANOTHER QueenslandHealth computer "catastrophe" is causing long delays in producingvital cancer data used to plan for patient treatment services and in research.
As the departmentstruggles to fix payroll system problems, damning documents obtained by TheCourier-Mail outline major issues with the Queensland Cancer Registry (QCR).
The database ofinformation is crucial for health bodies that must decide where best to locatecancer services and ensure they are appropriately funded, equipped and staffedto cope with demand. Researchers also review the data to analyse cancer trendsaimed at shedding light on possible causes.
While CancerCouncil Queensland houses the registry, Queensland Health manages and maintainsits information technology.
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Failing Qld e-health system needs $439 million fix
news Queensland Healthneeds a mammoth $439 million injection of government funding to fix its ailingpatient administration system, according to explosive documents tabled in thestate’s parliament by the Queensland Opposition yesterday.
The documentsrepresent an extract from Queensland Health’s ICT strategy for 2011. Althoughthey are not yet available online, the Opposition said in a statement yesterdaythat they state that the current Patient Administration System in use inhospitals and other health facilities within the state could not be supportedbeyond 2015. Work to replace the e-health platform would need to begin in July2012, the documents state, according to the Opposition, and the entirereplacement project will come at a cost of $438.8 million.
The Oppositionstated that this was money which would need to be allocated to QueenslandHealth on top of an existing $307 million already budgeted for the state’se-health strategy, and $220 million which has been allocated to fix QueenslandHealth’s already disastrous payroll systems overhaul.
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Queensland Health faces further IT turmoil aspatient management threatens to fail after 2015
- Koren Helbig
- From: The Courier-Mail
- September 08, 2011
LEAKED internaldocuments detailing a litany of risks within Queensland Health's IT projectshave exposed an ageing patient management system that could fail beyond 2015.
The failure wouldleave hospitals unable to admit, transfer and discharge patients, with a $438.8million replacement system needed to avoid the crisis.
The leakeddocuments list the risk of failure as "extreme" and the likelihood"almost certain" with "major consequences".
Premier Anna Blighyesterday insisted there was no cause for concern, saying a replacement systemwas already in the pipeline. She said the risk list was a "theoreticalexercise" to help plan for future needs.
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Pay-for-performance programs lack evidence:Cochrane
9-Sep-2011
Paul Smith
There is little evidence to support paying GPs cash incentives toimprove patient care, a Cochrane systematic review has found.
Pay-for-performanceincentives have been adopted for GPs in Australia through the PracticeIncentives Program for the treatment of asthma, diabetes, mental health and forcervical screening. But the model was also touted as part of the FederalGovernment’s controversial GP registration scheme for diabetes patients. Theplanned scheme was shelved last year pending the results of a $30-million pilotstudy.
The Cochrane review found sixof the seven studies it reviewed - none of them Australian – showedpay-for-performance programs had “positive but modest effects” on the qualityof care. It warned poor study design led to a “substantial risk of bias” inmost studies and concluded the implementation of pay-for-performance shouldonly “proceed with caution”.
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Online help for mental health closer
Access to online mental health services is a step closerafter the federal government appointed a committee to oversee their rollout
- AAP (AAP)
- 06 September, 2011 08:49
Access to online mental health services is a step closerafter the federal government appointed a committee to oversee their rollout.
The committee comprises a mix of mental health professionals,social media experts and consumer and carer representatives.
Members include Rachel de Sain, Professor Helen Christensen,Dr Jane Burns and Professor Pat Dudgeon.
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Health
TheHonourable Geoff Wilson
Thursday, September01, 2011
Minister awards telemedicine trial for sickinfants
An innovativetelemedicine trial which reduces the risk for sick babies awaiting emergencyretrieval has won the Minister’s ‘Best Innovation’ award at the 2011 QueenslandHealth Healthcare Improvement Awards.
The telemedicinetrial provides audiovisual links from remote locations to Brisbane, where specialistscan assess the baby’s condition, colour, breathing and also examine images andscans in real time during this time critical period.
This innovative useof telehealth is bringing excellent services closer to home for Queenslandersliving in rural and remote areas.
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Governance vital for Cloud computing
Effective controls and governance are essential ifenterprises are to manage the risks of migrating to the Cloud
- Mark Phillips (CIO)
- 07 September, 2011 10:58
Global IT association ISACA has issued a new guide outlininghow to implement effective controls and governance for Cloud computing.
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Locals struggle to be useful
- Sue Dunlevy
- From: The Australian
- September 10, 2011
MYSTERY surroundsthe purpose and operation of Medicare Locals, a centrepiece of Julia Gillard'shealth reforms.
Theoretically, thenew system will make it easier for people to get the right service at the righttime, while boosting the efficiency of healthcare delivery.
But, as Kim Hoskingknows from experience, many of the solutions "are not in thetextbook".
Hosking is thechief executive of one of the first Medicare Locals charged with solving localhealth problems, and he tells Weekend Health that he has adopted some ratherunusual strategies to help get his Country North South Australia Medicare Localup and running.
For instance,Hosking says his Medicare Local men's health strategy involves sending healthworkers down to football training on Thursdays to "capture men between thefootball training and the beer" and give them mental health messages.
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AGPN blasted for role in ML reforms
6th Sep 2011
TWO of AGPN’shighest profile directors have broken ranks with the divisions body, usingtheir board re-election bids to launch a stinging criticism of its role in thecontroversial change to Medicare Locals (MLs).
NSW GP Dr ArnSprogis and South Australian GP Dr Rod Pearce, both proponents of the $417million ML scheme and both up for re-election this week, told MO that AGPN hadso far failed to press the government effectively on primary care spending.
Votes for the boardelections, cast by representatives from individual divisions, were beingcounted as MOwent to press.
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NSW Health gets $115m IT funding
- Karen Dearne
- From: Australian IT
- September 06, 2011
THE NSW governmenthas committed $115 million to health IT spending this year, with $37m earmarkedfor the start of five new projects.
The headline figureis $171m for the introduction of a statewide electronic medication managementsystem, but the project will run over nine years to 2020 and $11m has beenallocated in the first year.
More than $85m hasbeen set aside to roll out an electronic medical record system to clinicalspecialists by 2018, with only $5m on the table this year.
And $6.3m will bespent in the current financial year on clinical information systems for statehospital intensive care units, with a total $43m available to complete the taskby 2014.
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NSW Health Infrastructure seeks IT advice
By Michael Lee,ZDNet.com.au on September 6th, 2011
NSW HealthInfrastructure has put the call out for industry to provide ad hoc advice onits major projects, and establish a reference group for longer-term projectoversight.
HealthInfrastructure, which was set up by NSW Health in 2007 to manage healthinfrastructure projects above $10 million in value, released the expressions ofinterest documents yesterday, stating that it was seeking those with healthor major project experience.
Successfulapplicants would provide advice to Health Infrastructure on an as-requiredbasis, such as during key stages of project development. Applicants could alsoapply to be considered in its Expert Reference Group (ERG), responsible for tasks,such as reviewing plans and strategies adopted by project teams over a 12-monthperiod. It expects the ERG to consist of three to four people, with one ofthose acting as chair.
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Blood products now ordered and tracked online
Released 31/08/2011
Patients withinCanberra hospitals who require blood will benefit from the roll-out ofAustralia's first national online system for ordering blood, known as BloodNet.
Chief Minister andMinister for Health, Katy Gallagher, said BloodNet was being rolled out acrossthe country by the National Blood Authority. The ACT will join the rest ofAustralia in adopting the system which has been developed for use in bothpublic and private hospitals.
"CanberraHospital, Calvary Hospital, Capital Pathology and Healthscope Pathology willall be using the newly introduced BloodNet system as of this week," theChief Minister said.
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Child-friendly MRI designed to divert
- Karen Dearne
- From: The Australian
- September 06, 2011
SICK youngsters inSouth Australia will be the first to experience a hi-tech radiology unit,custom-built to distract and delight patients while they undergo scans usingthe latest magnetic resonance imaging technology.
The first localinstallation of Philips's fully digital Ingenia MR system will be unveiledtoday at Adelaide's Women's and Children's Hospital, with the companion Ambientlighting suite that creates a visual fantasy land.
Radiology headRebecca Linke says everyone has been "blown away" by the unit, whichreplaces a 10-year-old machine well past its use-by date.
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Jane McCredie: Who needs privacy?
YOU almost have tobe a hermit these days to avoid substantial amounts of your professional andpersonal information being available to all and sundry online.
It could makeprivacy concerns over personal electronic health records seem so 1990s. Atleast that would appear to be the conclusion reached by the nation’s leadingconsumer health advocates.
After years ofworrying about the potential for Big Brother to poke his nose into people’sprivate affairs, consumer health advocates at a meeting in Canberra last weekunanimously backed an “opt-out” model for the planned e-health national system,according to a report in the SydneyMorning Herald.
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Optus signs up to National Broadband Network gagorder
- Annabel Hepworth, Tracy Lee
- From: The Australian
- September 07, 2011
OPTUS has promisednot to criticise the National Broadband Network in key regions for 15 yearsunder a deal that raises new warnings the $36 billion project will stiflecompetition.
Just a week afterthe competition regulator warned that parts of an $11bn deal with Telstra couldprove detrimental to competition and consumers, official documents reveal thatan $800 million deal with Optus includes an "anti-disparagement"provision.
The provision,designed to help shore up the number of customers using the NBN, stops Optusfrom being "expressly critical of" or making "any express adversestatement" about the performance of the network.
The ban would applyin the areas where the No 2 telco has agreed to shut down its cable network,which presently passes 2.4 million premises, and is also likely to affect the504,000 Optus customers who would be migrated to the NBN.
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Low-income users denied NBN benefits
- Amos Aikman
- From: The Australian
- September 08, 2011
LOW-INCOMEhouseholds will miss out on the full healthcare benefits of the NationalBroadband Network, with Communications Minister Stephen Conroy admitting thebasic service would exclude high-definition video consultations with doctors.
Senator Conroy haslong promised the NBN would solve the technological barriers to deliveringhealthcare services remotely.
But he and NBN Cochief Mike Quigley admitted yesterday the service was "impossible" onthe NBN's cheapest plan.
Senator Conroy andMr Quigley also struggled to explain the level of service to be expected fromintermediate packages, underscoring Labor's difficulty convincing voters its$36 billion investment is value for money.
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Virtualization 101: What is virtualization?
What are the advantages of virtualization?
- Sandra Van Dijk (Computerworld)
- 07 September, 2011 14:23
The installation of x86-based virtual machines (VMs) hasdoubled every year since 2001, and this rate of unprecedented growth is set toexplode even further.
According to Gartner, more VMs will be deployed in 2011 thanin 2001 through to 2009 combined.
What is virtualization?
Virtualization is the process of decoupling layers of ITfunctions so that the configurations of the layers become more independent ofeach other. As a result, virtualization masks the specific nature of ITresources from their users. Virtualization can occur between hardware andsoftware — for example, a virtual machine (VM) — or between different layers ofsoftware, such as application virtualization and virtual private networks(VPNs).
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Virtualisation 101: Virtualisation concepts
Understanding the basic concepts of different kinds ofvirtualisation
- Sandra Van Dijk (Computerworld)
- 08 September, 2011 18:17
Software appliances and virtualisation
Virtual machines (VM) can be used for more thanconsolidation. Software appliances can be used to package and deliver solutionson top of VMs. Gartner analyst, Phillip Dawson, said a server softwareappliance hides complexity beneath an application-specific management interface.
Delivered appliances can range from locked-down applicationsto preconfigured and preinstalled applications, as well as related middlewareand management tools. Dawson said early server VM software appliances aremostly ready-to-run demos.
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Enjoy!
David.
