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
Really a very quietnews week. The most exciting thing is that we are promised a new revised PCEHRConOps. It was to be delivered during August, but seems to have been delayed.That can’t be helping those delivering the system!
On another front Inote that as late as Thursday September 1, 2011 we have yet to see a contractfinalised between DoHA and Standards Australia to progress E-Health Standardsincluding some involved PCHER.
To quote “I havediscussed the situation with xxx, Senior Portfolio Manager. xxx has informedthat unfortunately SA and DOHA have notyet executed the contract so SA are unable to facilitate any meetings at thisstage. With regard to the proposed new date, the decision is given below.”
Oh dear, seems tobe getting a bit messy here. We need all involved to get moving on this if weare to see anything useful happen with the PCEHR in the next decade or so.
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Govt leadership key to e-health success
The committee found that while the NBN will improve e-healthimplementation, a national leadership strategy is needed to implementinitiatives across the entire sector
- Chloe Herrick (Computerworld)
- 29 August, 2011 12:12
Increased government leadership is needed to successfullyimplement e-health initiatives across the entire healthcare sector, as opposedto individual providers, a House of Representatives committee has found.
In its report into the role and potential of the NationalBroadband Network (NBN), the infrastructure and communications committee foundthat while the NBN will play a significant role in improving the implementationof e-health systems, challenges remain in gaining wider change.
The report cites comments made by the Broadband Commissionfor Digital Development that the key reason behind e-health implementationdelays is the benefits reaching society as a whole, as opposed to immediatepositive consequences for the commercial aspects of healthcare.
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NEHTA grabs half of $400m records spend
- Karen Dearne
- From: The Australian
- August 30, 2011
THE NationalE-Health Transition Authority has collared an estimated $200 million so far forthe 18-month run-up to the Gillard government's personal e-health recordslaunch next July 1, with more money to come.
The TransitionAuthority received some $110m in base funding for e-health standards workbetween January 2011 and June 2012, plus separate Personally ControlledElectronic Health Record contracts worth $90m from the Department of Health.
A third tranche ofthese funds is due in October.
This contrasts withjust under $200m for four private-sector projects including the building of thesystem, three lead implementations and nine e-health pilots to be finished inthe same period.
Only $2.3m has beenallocated to help local software providers redevelop their products through theTransition Authority's GP desktop panel.
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Sceptics change tune on electronic records
Mark Metherell
September1, 2011
THE Facebook era isspurring an about-turn in the attitudes of those once anxious about the ''bigbrother'' implications of electronic health records.
Consumer healthleaders have reversed their demand for the government to require individuals tochoose to be part of the system that will enable the electronic storage andtransfer of patient records.
At a meeting onmedicines policy in Canberra this week, 50 consumer health advocatesunanimously backed the introduction of an ''opt-out'' process under whichindividuals would be automatically connected unless they took the consciousstep to stay out.
The Consumer HealthForum says the change reflects a transformation in attitudes among many healthactivists who are now more comfortable with electronic records and have becomemore convinced of the potential benefits of e-health to patient care andsafety, and to streamline health services.
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Patients divided on GP sign-up schemes
- Adam Cresswell
- From: The Australian
- September 03, 2011
THERE could be asnag lying in store for attempts to improve care through a voluntary systemencouraging patients to register with a particular general practice.
It seems thepatients themselves are not too keen.
Newspoll researchconducted for Inquirer shows slim majority support for registration, at 51 percent, even after it's been explained to respondents that the move should givethem better quality healthcare.
Support forregistration dipped to 45 per cent in the 18-34 age bracket, suggesting a bumpyroad ahead for efforts to bring in registration if this lack of enthusiasmreflects a generational attitude.
Support in theover-50s, who are much more likely to have the chronic conditions such asdiabetes for whom such schemes are most relevant, was only slightly higher, at55 per cent.
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GP Council kickstarts patient data website
Posted Tue, 30/08/2011 - 13:35 by Josh Gliddon
The GeneralPractice Data Governance Council has launched a website that provides tools forhealth professionals looking to ensure data generated by consultations withpatients is handled properly.
Dr MukeshHaikerwal, independent chair of the General Practice Data Governance Council,said this secondary use of data could be as varied as clinical research,disease events and health planning.
.....
The new website canbe found at: www.gpdgc.org.au
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Watchdog determined to grow some teeth
- Sue Dunlevy
- From: The Australian
- September 03, 2011
It was the thirdscathing assessment of the Therapeutic Goods Administration delivered this yearto new TGA national manager Rohan Hammett, a clinical and academic physician.
"The TGA hasfor a long time been an easy beat-up and I think much of it has been deserved,frankly. We're trying to change that," he says.
Hammett tellsWeekend Health his wish list includes beefed up post-market surveillance ofmedical devices, backed by the power to impose new civil penalties on companiesbreaching TGA regulations.
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Q&A: Paul Jurman, director of IT, SouthernHealth
We take a look at what an average day for Jurman looks like,as well as what's next on his IT agenda
- Chloe Herrick (Computerworld)
- 30 August, 2011 08:22
With around 13,000 staff working across more than 40 sites, SouthernHealth is the largest health service in Victoria. The organisation covers partsof metropolitan Melbourne, as well as sites at Monash, Greater Dandenong, Casey,Cardinia, Kingston, Glen Eira, Frankston, Knox and Bayside.
The organisation’s director of information technology, Paul Jurman, satdown with Computerworld Australia to discuss what an average dayinvolves for him.
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Pharmacy's peak bodies differ on e-health records:AMA
- By Nick O'Donoghue on 29 August 2011
Leading pharmacyorganisations appear to be on different pages when it comes to the introductionof Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records (PCEHRs), the AMA believes.
Responding toclaims by Kos Sclavos, Pharmacy Guild of Australia national president, that theAMA would seek to lock other health professionals out of the PCEHRs, Dr SteveHambleton (pictured), AMA president, suggested the Guild consult the PSA on theissue.
In his fortnightlyopinion piece in PharmacyNews, Mr Sclavos expressed concerns medical organisationsincluding the AMA would seek to freeze other health professionals out of havinginput into PCEHRs, giving total control to doctors.
"In my viewsome of the negativity comes from medical organisations questioning controls inthe system, and by default reducing consumer confidence," he said.
"The AMA hasagain predictably run interference stressing their desire that the system mustbe doctor-centric, with the doctor controlling every step.
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PSA backs collaboration on e-health record
- By Nick O'Donoghue on 31 August 2011
Working withdoctors on personally controlled electronic health records (PCEHRs) willprovide the best outcomes for patients, the PSA believes.
Following claims byKos Sclavos, Pharmacy Guild of Australia national president, that the AMA wasrunning "interference" to create a doctor-centric PCEHR system, GrantKardachi, PSA national president, told Pharmacy News that collaborating withGPs was essential to ensue quality use of medicines (QUM).
"PSA’sposition has always been to act in the best interests of patients, especiallyin the area of patient safety, following QUM principles with respect tomedicines," Mr Kardachi said.
"Working withour colleague GPs will be essential to ensure medicine safety for our patients,and the PCEHRs will support that.
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PHARMEDIA: PCEHR - A Fight for Control?
Squabbles are breaking out in respect of who isgoing to manage Person Controlled Electronic Health Records (PCEHR) with the AustralianMedical Association (AMA) and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia (PGA) being themost vocal.
This against a backdrop of a contract being awardedto Accenture and their alliance partners, Oracle and Orion to develop thesystem on behalf of the Australian government.
Health Minister Nicola Roxon has said Accenturewould receive $47.8m to develop the personally controlled e-health recordsystem.
The department will also pay $17.8m to Oracle inlicence fees for access to e-health records stored within all PCEHRrepositories, and $11m in fees to Orion for operating a portal.
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Telstra, Accenture don the lab coats to developCloud services
Cloud product innovation laboratory opened in Melbourne,aimed at enterprise and government customers
- Hamish Barwick (Computerworld)
- 30 August, 2011 08:51
The move to Cloud will be accelerated for Telstra’s(ASX:TLS) enterprise customers following the opening of a product innovationlab with its US-based consulting partner, Accenture, in Melbourne this week.
The lab is designed to become an Australian innovation hub,with Cloud-based technologies to be developed for both enterprise andgovernment organisations. It is part of an $800million, five-year investment in Cloud services announced by Telstra inJune this year.
According to Telstra’s chief technology officer, Dr HughBradlow, the lab will show businesses how Cloud computing technologies couldimprove their business performance.
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Older people fall for internet scams
Older people often fall for internet scams and then are tooembarrassed to report the fraud, a study has found
- AAP (AAP)
- 29 August, 2011 08:30
Older people often fall for internet scams and then becometoo embarrassed to report the fraud, a study has found.
The over-55 age group accounts for 40 per cent of victimseven though their age group is less likely to use the internet, a study by theAustralian Institute of Criminology (AIC) has found.
The study surveyed 202 Victorians who had sent money toNigeria to determine why they had responded to unsolicited contact and theimpact of the fraud on their lives.
Federal justice minister, Brendan O'Connor, said manyvictims were too embarrassed to report the fraud to authorities.
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Flying Doctors fear NBN will bypass bush
- From: AAP
- September 02, 2011
THE Royal FlyingDoctors' Service (RFDS) says health services in Wilcannia in western NSW couldsuffer if the national broadband network (NBN) fibre rollout bypasses the area.
RFDS southeasternsection executive director Clyde Thompson says rural and remote areas need farbetter internet services than they now have.
"If we aregoing to have an NBN ... please make sure that the capacity of the NBN inremote areas, particularly in the satellite uplinks, meets the requirements ofremote communities," he told ABC Television today.
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Enjoy!
David.
