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."

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Breaking News - The Opposition Is Supporting the NEHRS Legislation. So Apparently A Done Deal.

In the Senate in the last hour we have had the Opposition provide a very long list of problems with the program (over about 15 minutes) and then go on to say - with some minor amendments - they are backing what they agree is rather poor and incomplete legislation.
I give up frankly having any hope in our democracy when this is the way things happen.
In the meantime the Greens are apparently thrilled with things and want it to rush ahead.
Separately I am now hearing from inside sources the following request.
“Can you please ask why the Minister and staff are not providing clarification to anyone - even the implementation team - about what the actual roll out timeline for the PCEHR is, with only 2 weeks to go. They've floated some speculative reports in the media, but no one actually knows anything solid.”
So we have the teams doing the work in the dark and the Senate off on a frolic not knowing what it does not know!
When there is the Hansard on what was said I will make sure it is available
This is really pretty sad.
David.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

When it comes to all things ehealth commercial interests take priority. Labor policy = Liberal policy.

Anonymous said...

I guess they will nod it through because it was Abbott's bill in the first place and to knock it back would imply criticism of him.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, not his bill, but the PCEHR system was his baby and he set up NEHTA....

Dr David G More MB PhD said...

That is rubbish. The PCEHR was not ever part of the Liberal's Plans.

David.

Anonymous said...

What was NEHTA set up for then?

Dr David G More MB PhD said...

For Health IT Infrastructure and the IEHR - which was an optional and late extra.

David.

Anonymous said...

Ok. My bad. So why have the coalition made a lot of noise but put up no real opposition then? Surely they had enough ammo to force the govt to put a hold on this thing until it is tested and ready for consumers and doctors to use.

Anonymous said...

6/19/2012 06:22:00 PM asked "why have the coalition made a lot of noise but put up no real opposition".

Simple - they know it can bring down the Government.

The Minister has been led deeper and deeper into an incredible mess by NEHTA and her Department.

She had no real way of knowing that what they have been telling her has been a pack of lies and now, at the last minute NEHTA tells her the bad news and she has to cancel the launch on 2 July destroying Everests of expectations and undoing all the publicity and propoganda designed to convince the community of consumers 'trust us, we know what we are doing, your health is safe in our hands". !!!

Meanwhile her high profile mobile truck of NEHTA-PCEHR promises keeps rolling on round the countryside adding fuel to the bonfire.

Are they burning this good Minister at the stake? She needs help to understand, yet none of her advisers in NEHTA or the Department can be trusted to give her an impartial view, their own skins are far to important for that.

Anonymous said...

asked "why have the coalition made a lot of noise but put up no real opposition".

Skeletons in the closet.

http://www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/90EDBE90DED5AD74CA25701500024421/$File/abb066.pdf

Anonymous said...

YES MINISTER!!!

Tell em what they want to hear - that's at the crux of it all.

Anonymous said...

A spokesman for Health Minister Tanya Plibersek said the timeline for the delivery of NASH would not affect a patient's ability to register for an e-Health record.

Labor, Liberal, Greens are all wiping their hands of the ehealth vulnerabilities without conscience.

They do their research. They know all the risks.

Not a single one representing the interests of the people who put them there.

Raises suspicion that they never intended to own it or govern it or manage it and have always planned on selling it to a commercial enterprise or offering it up to a non-profit who will be commercially influenced.

Shame, shame, shame.

Keith said...

The Opposition supported the bill because there is no value for them in opposing or delaying it. To the "man in the street" the simplified message of the PCEHR is attractive: I no longer have to fill in forms listing my medications and past history, my medical record is available when I go interstate on holidays or if I simply present at another practice, etc. If the Opposition delays it they are seen as the bad guys; better to let it go ahead and force the Government to deal with all the stuff that is not ready to roll out. The Government will be looking for a scapegoat - there may yet be an attempt to blame the medical profession for failure if few GP's register, even though they have made no attempt to engage the profession.

Anonymous said...

Keith said ..... 6/21/2012 09:10:00 AM "even though they have made no attempt to engage the profession."

Then what have the 50 or so Clinical Leads who have been employed at top consulting rates been doing Keith?

Were they not responsible for engaging the profession?

Anonymous said...

RE Keith said "man in the street" simplified message. For students of history this very simpilified story was the basis for the UK Labor Party's 12+ Billion Pound NHS National Programme for IT.

Indeed it is a matter of the public record as to the significance of this story in the whole genesis of the last decade of ehealth expenditure.

In particular how certain executives meet with and convinced the then Prime Minister Tony Blair of the whole ehealth agenda using this very simplified story.

Prof Trisha Greenhalgh (re summary care records) as well as many others have subsequently detailed the huge tower of babel that has been created (arguably be the vendor and consultant communities) by this gross simplification.

(IE the devil really is in the detail).