Quote Of The Year

Timeless Quotes - Sadly The Late Paul Shetler - "Its not Your Health Record it's a Government Record Of Your Health Information"

or

H. L. Mencken - "For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong."

Friday, October 29, 2010

What Is The Chance Of This Summit Being More Than An Ill Informed Talkfest? Zero I Fear!

We have had this special event announced yesterday.

E-Health Conference - Revolutionising Australia’s Health Care

28 October 2010

The nation’s leading health experts, consumer groups and information technology specialists will come together to discuss the technological revolution in the delivery of health care at the E-Health Conference.

Minister for Health and Ageing Nicola Roxon said the e-health conference to be held in Melbourne at the end of November is an important opportunity for stakeholders to discuss how Electronic health and telehealth will drive the delivery of health care into the future.

“The Gillard Government is investing almost $470 million to introduce e-health across the health system – including the introduction of personally controlled electronic health records to be rolled out from July 2012,” said Ms Roxon.

“This investment will build upon the $392 million committed to modernise the health system by providing Medicare rebates for online consultations across a range of specialties for the first time.

“This investment will help people who live in rural and regional Australia to get the health care they need. It will save patients the time and expense of travelling long distances to see medical specialists, and will help them to see the right specialist sooner.

“These reforms will derive clear benefits from the rollout of the National Broadband Network and will enable better and safer care for patients that is more responsive to their needs.

“That’s why I want to get the stakeholders together so that we can get maximum value out of the Government’s investment and ensure that there is detailed discussion about the implementation plans leading into broader community consultation.

“We have already selected three lead implementation sites – in Brisbane, East Melbourne and the Hunter Valley.

The conference – a landmark forum – will provide an important opportunity for cross-sector collaboration and discussion around the design, implementation and vision for future capabilities of the system.

Representatives from governments, industry, private and public sector health care organisations, clinicians and consumer groups will discuss how this innovative system will work into the future.

“The Gillard Government is getting on with the business of delivering improved health services to the community. E-health will help prevent medication errors that cause an estimated 190,000 hospital admissions each year, costing $660 million, and the 8% of medical errors caused by inadequate patient information.

Minister Roxon and Senator Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, will be speaking at the event.

The E-Health Summit will take place on the 30 November and 1 December at the Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre.

For more information regarding the E-Health Conference, please contact Ms Sharon McCarter at the Department of Health and Ageing on 02 6289 3558

Press release is found here:

http://www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/mr-yr10-nr-nr161.htm?OpenDocument&yr=2010&mth=10

What is missing from all this is the link to a series of strategic and technical discussion papers to be discussed at the Summit.

The whole process is utterly back to front as well as DoHA is having this gabfest after the release of tenders for components of the PCEHR. So how exactly is the Summit going to affect what we wind up with.

The phrase ‘window dressing’ pops into mind.

Last comment - remember we have all been here before with Summits and National E-Health Strategies developed by the Boston Consulting Group in 2004 and Deloittes in 2008. Where has all that actually got us?

If some detailed informative plans, budgets and resourcing is not provided well ahead of the Summit you can be assured it will be a joke! Any serious effort at consultation and discussion would have all this mapped out and delivered with the announcement I believe.

I look forward to the discussion documents!

David.

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