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."

Wednesday, May 04, 2016

The Health Budget Seems To Be Not Very Well Received. GPs Especially Seem To Be Hit.

This appeared today in the Medical Observer:

Five things GPs need to know about the budget

4 May 2016

1. The Medicare rebate freeze has been extended until 2020

The move effectively cuts nearly $1 billion from Medicare.
Health Minister Sussan Ley is defending the freeze, saying it is “in recognition” of the fiscal situation and the recently announced Healthier Medicare reforms, which include changes to payments and models of care for chronically ill patients.
RACGP President Dr Frank Jones calls it a “calamitous” move that may leave general practices unviable. He calls the budget illogical and says the government has taken no heed of the college’s advice.
AMA President Dr Brian Owler says the most vulnerable will be hardest hit, while Dr Ewen McPhee, President of the Rural Doctors Association of Australia, says extending the freeze will “send more rural and remote patients to the healthcare equivalent of deepest, darkest Siberia”.
"This is bigger than the co-payment. This is a war on general practice," he said on Wednesday.

2. $21.3 million cut from the PIP and moved into the Health Care Homes program

…..

3. Pause of indexation on Medicare Levy Surcharge and Private Health Insurance rebates extended

…..

4. Crackdown on Medicare compliance

…..

5. Millions to be funnelled into the My Aged Care website and digital health

$136.6 million in funding is expected to help the My Aged Care website and contact centre meet rapidly growing demand.
A further $156.5 million will be provided to the new Australian Digital Health Agency for its first year of operation. The nascent agency is set to assume management and governance responsibilities for many aspects of the digital health scheme, including strategy, design, development, delivery and operations.
More here:
Australian Doctor is equally unhappy.

Budget: Gov hacks $1 billion from Medicare

| 4 May, 2016 |  
Another billion dollars will be effectively cut from Medicare after the Federal Government pledges to extend the rebate freeze until 2020.
The first budget from Treasurer Scott Morrison (pictured) described the move as a “broad-based measure”, which will have a “minimal” impact on individual services.
Record bulk-billing rates for GP attendances — now at 83% — are cited as a justification for the cuts.
MBS rebates for GP care were originally frozen until mid-2018, with Health Minister Sussan Ley saying last year they would be in place no longer than necessary.
However, the 2016 Budget noted the policy will run until mid-2020, saving an estimated $925 million over two years.
The continued freeze covers all MBS services – including GP, allied health and other specialist services. The savings will be redirected to fund health policy priorities, according to the government.
Ms Ley defended the freeze last night. Referring to the looming Health Care Homes trial where practices will get bundled quarterly payments for managing enrolled patients' chronic conditions, she said: "The [freeze] is in recognition of the current fiscal environment and the Healthier Medicare reforms...including a new, fairer bundled payment and incentive model for GPs treating chronically ill patients that will no longer rely solely on the fee-for-service Medicare rebate model. 
One big question is whether the continued freeze will force GPs and clinics to ditch bulk-billing. 
Doctors — particularly in low socio-economic areas — have previously warned that their patients could not afford to pay gap fees.
According to figures provided to Australian Doctor, the average full-time urban GP already lost the equivalent of $9600 in reduced Medicare funding during this financial year.
However, this will increase with inflation to $29,500 in 2017/18.
Lots more here:
It seems to me the Government is pushing rather hard on General Practice and that if it keeps happening we are going to see a very different system with Bulk Billing becoming a rarity as the economic viability of GP deteriorates.
It is also interesting to see just how much the Digital Health Agency  and  the My Aged Care are costing.
More reaction will be covered a bit later.
A useful overview for the health sector is also found here:
David.

Tuesday, May 03, 2016

Privacy Of Health Information Hits The Headlines Again. Some GPs May Not Be As Careful As They Should Be But Most Are.

This appeared a few days ago:

Some Australian GPs found to be putting your privacy at risk

April 28, 20166:44pm
Sue Dunlevy News Corp Australia Network
YOUR health information could be at risk with the nation’s privacy watchdog finding major holes in the way GP practices manage patient privacy.
One in ten GP clinics have no privacy policy a review by the Acting Information Commissioner Timothy Pilgrim has found.
And many GPs who did have a privacy policy were found to have major holes in their systems.
“A recent assessment of GP practices by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) suggests that many practices could use more practical support to improve or establish privacy policies,” Mr Pilgrim said.
The commission last year conducted an assessment of the privacy policies of 40 GP practices from across Australia.
Four practices had no privacy policy.
While 36 GP clinics had a privacy policy only two appropriately advised patients how to make a complaint about breaches of their privacy, the review found.
Only two clinics advised patients how they could request a correction to their personal information and only one advised patients how they could request access to their personal information.
The holes in the privacy system take on greater importance as the government pushes ahead with plans to automatically issue every Australian with an electronic health record managed by their GP.
Privacy Foundation spokesman Bernard Robertson-Dunn says the Information Commissioner’s report is very concerning.
 “GPs are the people who have access to and control the most private of information that applies to Australians,” he said.
“Doctors should be at the forefront of privacy concerns,” he said.
He says the tougher penalties the government applied to its new electronic MyHealth record should also apply to a GPs own patient records.
More here:
The release from the Privacy Commissioner that stimulated the article said the following:

Improving privacy in Australia’s general practices a joint effort

Thursday, 28 April 2016
Acting Australian Information Commissioner, Timothy Pilgrim, has today welcomed a series of actions by Australia’s peak medical groups to improve privacy practices at Australia’s GP clinics.
“A recent assessment of GP practices by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) suggests that many practices could use more practical support to improve or establish privacy policies,” said the Commissioner.
“The OAIC appreciates that many GP practices are small to medium sized businesses and so practical, industry-relevant support is an effective way to improve privacy outcomes for practices and patients.”
“So I welcome the fact that the Australian Medical Association (AMA), the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) and the Australian Association of Practice Management (AAPM) have come together with the OAIC to provide practical support to their members to deliver open and transparent privacy policies within their practices.”
The OAIC regulates Australia’s Privacy Act1988 and last year conducted an assessment of the privacy policies of 40 GP practices from across Australia. When the assessments revealed room for improvement, medical peak bodies were approached to help deliver training and practical solutions to assist GP practices.
Chair of the AMA Council of General Practice, Dr Brian Morton, said that “privacy is fundamental to the trusted relationship between a doctor and a patient and practices go to great lengths to protect this. The assessment report shows that some may need more guidance on how to develop transparent and robust privacy policies. The AMA is actively helping them with this.”
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners President, Dr Frank R Jones, said the report was a timely reminder for general practices to review their privacy policies. “The RACGP provides useful resources to general practices to make adherence to the rules straightforward and our goal is to improve the practical help and support we already provide.”
Danny Haydon, President of AAPM, confirmed that Practice Managers have a key role in ensuring their practice has an easily accessible privacy policy in place and that AAPM assists practice managers to implement this through a range of resources.
ACRRM President Professor Lucie Walters said, “rural and remote doctors are keenly aware of the importance of privacy issues, especially given the circumstances of rural medical practice. ACRRM will be doing as much as possible to support its members to ensure that both the documentation and implementation of practice privacy policies are consistent with the requirements of the Privacy Act”.
Commissioner Pilgrim emphasised that a collaborative approach to create strong privacy governance in Australian businesses was always the OAIC’s preferred approach.
“The OAIC works constructively with businesses and the wider community to build an integrated approach to privacy compliance,” said the Commissioner.
“Thanks to the efforts of these peak bodies and the OAIC’s team, that preferred approach will lead to improved privacy management for Australian GPs and their patients.” 

About the report

The report focused on assessing the privacy policies of 40 General Practice Clinics against Australian Privacy Principle (APP) 1 under the Privacy Act 1988. APP1 has a focus on open and transparent management of personal information.
The purpose of the assessment was to assist GP clinics to improve or enhance their existing privacy policy, taking into account the requirements under the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act).The assessment aimed to enhance the GP clinics’ understanding of privacy and their obligations under the Privacy Act.
It examined the content, layout and availability of the privacy policy but did not consider how the information handling procedures set out in the privacy policy were implemented in practice. This report does not make conclusions about broader privacy practices of GP clinics beyond the scope described above.
The General Practice Clinics APP 1 Privacy Policy assessment report was conducted under Section 33C of the Privacy Act 1988.
Here is the link:
Most useful in the full report was the following:

APP 1.4 — Content: eHealth

Background

3.1           The assessment also aimed to enhance the GP clinics’ understanding of privacy in the context of their obligations under the My Health Records Act and the HI Act.
3.2           Therefore, as part of the assessment the OAIC reviewed the privacy policies to ensure GP clinics adequately covered the use of the My Health Record system and their collection and use of IHIs. The assessment also looked at the use of electronic transfer of prescriptions (eTP) services.

Commentary and recommendations

3.3           31 of 36 GP clinics had signed a PCEHR Participation Agreement. Only one of these GP clinics specifically referred to the collection, use or disclosure of personal information by GPs through the use of the My Health Record system.
3.4           33 of 36 GP clinics stated that they held IHIs. 12 privacy policies specifically referred to the collection, holding, use or disclosure of IHIs.
3.5           No privacy policy specifically referred to the collection, use or disclosure of personal information as a result of using an eTP service.
3.6           The OAIC recommended GP clinics amend their privacy policy so that:
·         if the My Health Record system is used, it informs patients that the GP clinic may collect, use and disclose their health information for the purposes of using the My Health Record system
·         if IHIs are collected, it informs patients that the GP clinic collects, holds, uses or discloses IHIs
·         if an eTP service is used, it informs patients that the GP clinic may collect, use, hold or disclose their health information for the purposes of using that eTP service.
----- End Extract.
The take-away for me in all this is if you plan to get involved in the myHR environment or e-Prescribing then it is important to have the relevant privacy policy in place for the patients of the practice. It’s a one off compliance issue but it is probably needed if the GP decides they want to go with the myHR to obtain the e-PIP incentives.
Overall I thought it was pretty impressive how compliant most practices seemed to be - recognising that these areas are almost certainly properly handled even if not formally documented.
Given there are lots of resources available for those who are not presently compliant it seems sensible to take advantage of these and get it all sorted.
More important, of course, is to have proper procedures and training in place to minimise risk of leaks and breaches.
David.

Monday, May 02, 2016

Weekly Australian Health IT Links – 2nd May, 2016.

Here are a few I have come across the last week or so.
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 also that full access to some links may require site registration or subscription payment.

General Comment

A quieter week - with the budget coming real soon and lots happening behind the scenes to get the new Digital Health Agency underway.
All will be clearer by next week.
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Some Australian GPs found to be putting your privacy at risk

April 28, 20166:44pm
Sue Dunlevy News Corp Australia Network
YOUR health information could be at risk with the nation’s privacy watchdog finding major holes in the way GP practices manage patient privacy.
One in ten GP clinics have no privacy policy a review by the Acting Information Commissioner Timothy Pilgrim has found.
And many GPs who did have a privacy policy were found to have major holes in their systems.
“A recent assessment of GP practices by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) suggests that many practices could use more practical support to improve or establish privacy policies,” Mr Pilgrim said.
The commission last year conducted an assessment of the privacy policies of 40 GP practices from across Australia.
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Taking telehealth mainstream

By Natasha Egan on April 29, 2016 in Government
Telehealth in NSW is set to be incorporated across all settings from hospitals to homes in a shift away from small-scale pilots to integration with mainstream services, the state’s health minister has announced.
NSW Minister for Health Jillian Skinner told the Australian Telehealth Conference yesterday that the importance of telehealth could not be understated and technology was key to a sustainable health system of the future.
She said the state’s 10-year eHealth strategy, which was due for release within weeks, provided for a continued focus on supporting integrated care for patients through initiatives such as care plans, remote patient monitoring, patient reported measures and telehealth, and was aligned with the Telehealth Framework and Implementation Strategy 2016-2021.
“This strategy provides a system which by telehealth will be sustainably incorporated into the patient care across the state in a variety of settings including hospitals, primary health care, aged care, allied health and community settings and in consumers’ homes.
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Diabetic nurse pleads for Federal aid to pay for sensors

Tim Slater | May 02, 2016, 1:00 AM | Comment News
AN Armadale nurse who has type one diabetes is calling on the Federal Government to help pay for the cost of blood glucose monitoring sensors so that she can have a healthy baby.
Julie-Anne Watson, 36, has been using a continuous glucose monitor since last November. She is hooked up to an insulin pump to help stabilise her readings so that she can be in the best possible health for when she gets pregnant.
“I want a child and I need to get my blood sugars really, really good,” she said.
“The longer you keep it even, the safer it is for the child.
“But the sensors are costing me a lot of money, it’s hard.”
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Govt’s MyHealth Record scheme a “privacy disaster”, warns Privacy Foundation

26/04/2016
The scheme’s “biggest weakness”, according to the privacy group, is the Medicare Call Centre with its many operators – “all with potential access to MyHealth Record data”.
The APF cited the government’s 2011 promise of a “clear and robust framework” for the scheme’s call centres. “Five years later,” it said, “there are no rules or procedures in place, the necessary infrastructure or a robust framework of privacy protection.”
According to Dr Bernard Robertson-Dunn, chair of the health committee at the APF: “This total failure to deliver on its promise and put in place much needed protections exposes patients to curious call centre operators whose prying and spying are unlikely to be detected.”
“This will get even worse if everyone is forced to have a My Health Record, which the Government is trying to do with its opt-out initiative,” he added.
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Real Time Prescription Monitoring Will Save Lives

25 April 2016
The Andrews Labor Government is taking action to reduce the number of Victorians dying from prescription drug overdoses, with the introduction of a real-time prescription monitoring system.
With more people losing their lives each year in Victoria from overdoses of prescription drugs than those dying in road accidents, a real-time prescription monitoring system has the potential to prevent the deaths of up to 90 Victorians over the next five years.
Many prescription overdoses result from people “prescription shopping” from multiple doctors and pharmacies. Without a centralised monitoring system, this often goes undetected with tragic results.
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Real-time prescription monitoring on way to stop hundreds of overdose deaths

Date April 25, 2016 - 12:15AM

Richard Willingham

State Political Correspondent for The Age

Prescription drug addicts who jump between different health services are being targeted by a new $30 million plan to tackle deadly medicine overdoses that claim more lives than road accidents. 
Last year, 330 Victorians died from prescription drug overdoses – more than the road toll – so Health Minister Jill Hennessy is allocating $30 million in Wednesday's state budget to set up real-time prescription monitoring for 1900 GP clinics, 1300 pharmacies and 200 hospitals.
The new system, to be operational by 2018, will allow doctors and pharmacists to identify drug addicts who go "prescription shopping" by visiting different doctors and chemists.
There has been a surge in the number of drug overdose deaths over the past five years, led by addictive medications such as Valium, which has been linked to more drug deaths than illegal narcotics.
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Doctor, prescription shopping the focus of $30 million crackdown by Victorian Government

Victoria will spend $30 million to crackdown on "prescription shopping", in an effort to reduce the number of people dying from overdoses, the State Government has announced.
The real-time monitoring system will allow health professionals to conduct on-the-spot checks before prescribing and dispensing medicines that have a high risk of misuse.
Last year 330 Victorians died due to prescription overdoses, 100 more than those who died from illicit drugs, the Government said.
Health Minister Jill Hennessy said the new system would help doctors to better treat their patients.
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Doctors welcome Vic prescription drugs plan

26 April 2016
The Victorian government has committed $30 million to a real-time prescription monitoring system in an attempt to crack down on doctor and prescription shopping.
The centralised system will allow doctors and pharmacists to do on-the-spot checks before prescribing or dispensing medicines that have a high risk of misuse, such as morphine and oxycodone.
Health Minister Jill Hennessy says it is a “life-saving initiative” that will help identify drug seekers before their addiction escalates.
AMA Victoria president Dr Tony Bartone says the development has been a long time coming.
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Monitoring about to get real

Real-time monitoring gets a budget boost

Pharmacy groups have welcomed a Victorian government budget commitment to fund a real-time prescription monitoring program.
The funding commitment of $30 million in this week’s 2016-17 State Budget would cover the implementation of a Real Time Prescription Monitoring (RTPM) system to help identify people at risk of harm who may currently visit multiple doctors and pharmacies seeking multiple quantities or doses of some prescription medicines.
Once implemented, the system will allow clinicians at 1900 GP clinics, 1300 pharmacies and 200 hospitals to do an on-the-spot check before prescribing or dispensing medicines that are at high risk of misuse, the Victorian Department of Health said in an announcement.
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Victoria wants to save 90 lives a year through prescription tracking

Pledges $30 million towards real-time checks.

By Paris Cowan
Apr 26 2016 4:01PM
Tomorrow’s Victorian state budget will include just under $30 million for a real-time prescription monitoring system aimed at combating the abuse of prescription drugs.
The Andrews government has pledged to build a central tracking system that will link medical centres, pharmacies and hospitals and give prescribing doctors the ability to conduct an on-the-spot check of a patient’s script history.
The system is intended to ensure patients aren’t ‘doctor shopping’ to get their hands on painkillers and other medications. Healthcare professionals currently have no way of preventing the same patient from visiting multiple doctors to access excessive volumes of addictive drugs.
-----
26 April, 2016

“I send letters to dead people”

Posted by Julie Lambert
The opt-out trial of MyHealthRecord uncovered a new glitch, with the discovery of records generated for dead people
The news prompted the RACGP to urge a rethink on forcing GPs to upload a certain number of health summaries or lose an e-health incentive payment.
“For the government to attempt to drive GP use of the MyHealthRecord in this environment with so many issues to be addressed, is likely to be counterproductive,” RACGP President Dr Frank Jones said.
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Executive General Managers, Multiple Positions

Executive General Managers, Multiple Positions

  • Newly created statutory authority
  • Flexible locations of Sydney, Brisbane or Canberra
  • Strategic leadership, innovation and engagement in delivering the national digital health strategy
The Organisation
The Australian Digital Health Agency will be fully operational on July 1, 2016. This Agency will be responsible for the strategic management and governance of the national digital health strategy, innovation, design, development, delivery and operations of the digital health ecosystem. In doing so, the Agency will transition the activities and resources from the National E-Health Transition Authority and the system operation activities of the My Health Record currently managed by the Department of Health. These five key strategic leadership positions will support the Chief Executive in establishing and leading the Agency in delivering on the national digital health strategy and work programme, through strategic and collaborative engagement across the health community. The Agency reports to a skills-based Board reflective of the health community. The CEO will initially focus on establishing and transitioning activities to the new Agency. The strategic leadership team will drive the engagement, collaboration, innovation and operations of the national digital health systems
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New global collaboration between GS1 and IHTSDO supporting interoperability

Created on Friday, 29 April 2016
GS1 and the International Health Terminology Standards Development Organization (IHTSDO) recently announced the signing of a new collaborative agreement that supports interoperability in health information systems globally.

Digital Health Incentive Product Register now available

Created on Thursday, 28 April 2016
The Digital Health Incentive Product Register is now available.
Software vendors and general practices can access the Digital Health Incentive Product Register at:
This website is managed by the National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) on behalf of the Australian healthcare community. It provides a register of medical software products and organisations that meet the requirements of the Practice Incentives Program (PIP) eHealth Incentive.
From May 2016, the Practice Incentives Program (PIP) eHealth Incentive includes new eligibility requirements.
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WA Health gives up on finding a CIO

IT leadership bundled into another role.

By Paris Cowan
Apr 26 2016 6:40AM
Western Australia’s health department has thrown in the towel in its hunt for a permanent chief information officer, instead handing the organisation’s IT leadership to a newly-appointed chief executive who has taken control of the state’s health support agency.
WA Health hasn’t had a substantive CIO since 2010.
In the years since it has appointed no less than four acting CIOs - Alan Piper, Dr Andy Robertson, Bill Leonard and Michael D’Souza - to the executive role.
In that same time, the department has attracted unwanted notoriety for its role in the bungled IT fit-out of the Fiona Stanley Hospital, which forced the government to push back the opening of the facility, and more recently narrowly dodged a corruption investigation over revelations unauthorised officials added $44 million worth of extras to the agency’s data centre deal with Fujitsu.
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Qld Health CIO reinstated after corruption claims fall flat

CCC ends investigation.

By Allie Coyne
Apr 29 2016 9:47AM
Queensland Health chief information officer Colin McCririck has returned to work as the head of eHealth Queensland after a corruption investigation into complaints of nepotism came up empty handed.
In January this year, McCririck and department deputy secretary Susan Middleditch were stood down after Health received a complaint about allegedly corrupt internal recruitment processes.
The internal complaint was later that month escalated to Queensland's Crime and Corruption Commission, which assessed the allegations and decided to commence an investigation.
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How this woman is making you healthier

Date April 25, 2016 - 12:56AM

Amanda Vanstone

Minister Sussan Ley understands what healthcare should look like in the digital age.
Despite the private health insurance premiums hike, Health Minister Sussan Ley says the average family with hospital and general health cover will save $166 a year, thanks to her intervention.
Maybe with the federal election looming, everyone will be focusing on who is promising to spend what, as though more money is necessarily a good thing. It might be a better idea to look at who will most effectively manage the money we already spend. It is, after all, a very big bucket of money.
Health chews through our taxes with a voracious appetite. The expenditures are difficult to comprehend. They are rising dramatically, in part because we are an ageing population. There are more drugs and they're more expensive, and there's new technology that is by no means cheap. In 1990, 15¢ in each tax dollar went on health; now it's 24¢. Health spending is growing at three times the rate of inflation. We flush between $400 million and $500 million a day through the economy on health and aged care. Medicare gets billed more than a million times a day. Health constitutes almost 10 per cent of our gross domestic product.
-----

New online approach to beating illicit drug use in sport

A new free online tool will help guide and support athletes, coaches and sports administrators on the potential consequences of illicit drug use in sport.
Page last updated: 18 April 2016
17 April 2016
A new free online tool will help guide and support athletes, coaches and sports administrators on the potential consequences of illicit drug use in sport.
Minister for Sport Sussan Ley today announced the release of the Illicit Drugs in Sport (IDIS) e-learning education programme, an interactive multi-media resource developed by the Department of Health’s National Integrity of Sport Unit, in partnership with the Australian Sports Commission.
“Illicit drug use is placing a huge burden on society and the health system, and sport provides a powerful platform to influence a wide cross-section of the community,” Ms Ley said.
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Evidence check: behaviour change techniques for telephone-delivered and supported health coaching interventions

30 December 2015
This Evidence Check review examined the effectiveness of specific behaviour change techniques (BCTs) delivered by telephone in two areas: promoting healthy weight; and supporting parents. The review found that telephone-delivered interventions to promote healthy weight can be effectively used to change physical activity levels and improve diet. Interventions designed to support parents have been shown to improve both children’s behaviour and parents’ wellbeing. None of the included studies identified specific tools to determine which BCTs should be employed and when. The authors recommend the systematic use of theory to identify behavioural determinants and select the most effective BCT.
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What’s in Victoria's budget 2016 for IT?

Andrews govt commits $81m to Service Victoria.

By Paris Cowan
Apr 27 2016 4:10PM
Victoria’s state government has funded a handful of new IT projects as part of a 2016-17 budget focused on big-ticket physical infrastructure builds.
The Andrews Labor government has touted itself as an administration that is “getting it done”, with big outlays on roads, rail and rollingstock announced today.
Its tech investments, however, are somewhat more modest.
Victoria has committed to follow in the footsteps of its northern neighbour - and borrow its naming conventions - to fund Service Victoria.
-----

Q&A: The ins and outs of the Australian telco market

30/04/2016
We spoke to Tom Homer, Head of EMEA and the Americas for Australian telecommunications company Telstra, to discuss the telco market down under and expected trends for the rest of 2016.
What’s been happening for Telstra in the last 12 months?
Telstra is a telecommunications and technology company with heritage that is proudly Australian and a longstanding, growing international business. Over the past 12 months we have grown our international business in three ways:
  1. Leveraging our network to be a high-value communications partner for companies operating in the Asia-Pacific region through our Global Enterprise and Services division
  2. In-country investment opportunities focused on connectivity
  3. Bringing a suite of innovative solutions to market over the longer-term through targeted investments
From an enterprise perspective, we continue to extend our reach as a result of our acquisition of Pacnet Limited, which doubled our customer base in Asia and greatly increased our network reach and data centre capabilities.
-----
Enjoy!
David.

Sunday, May 01, 2016

The Government Looks For Some Senior Execs For The Aust. Digital Health Authority. Some Hopeful Signs!

These advertisements appeared a few days ago.

Australian Digital Health Agency

The Commonwealth of Australia (Commonwealth) acting through the Department of Health (the Department) is responsible for better health and wellbeing for all Australians. The Department aims to achieve its vision through strengthening evidence-based policy advice, improving program management, research, regulation and partnerships with other government agencies, consumers and stakeholders.
-----
In November 2013, the Australian Government commissioned a review of the Personally Controlled eHealth Record (PCEHR) (the Review) to assess the status of the PCEHR implementation and to work with health professionals and industry to prioritise further implementation.  The Review, released on 19 May 2014, can be found at http://health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/ehealth-record
The 2015-16 Budget announcement My Health Record - A New Direction for Electronic Health Records in Australia provides funding to strengthen eHealth governance arrangements consistent with the Review.  This will involve the transition of relevant activities and resources from the National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA), and also from the My Health Record system operation activities currently managed by the Department of Health (the Department), to the new entity called the Australian Digital Health Agency (the Agency) from 1 July 2016. The Agency will assume governance responsibilities for all national digital health strategy, design, development, delivery and operations and functions from this date, while the Department will retain responsibility for national digital health policy, as well as some parallel tasks including the operation and evaluation of the participation trials.
The Agency has been established as a statutory authority in the form of a corporate Commonwealth entity.  The Agency will be governed by a skills-based Board supported by technical advisory committees, and will report to Health Ministers through the COAG Health Council.
The Agency will have the authority to develop, set and deliver on the National Digital Health Strategy for Australia setting the direction for the digital health eco-system enabling all parties, both public and private, to innovate and deliver complementary products and services to leverage the national digital health infrastructure and deliver the digital health outcomes. Based on collaboration and engagement with key stakeholders, the Agency will provide secure storage and appropriate access to standards based health information in accordance with individuals consent in order to improve health outcomes for all Australians.

Agency Vision

Delivering a national Digital Health System to improve the health outcomes of all Australians.

  • Full engagement, participation, equity and empowerment of consumers, and
  • Open collaboration available to all health professionals, making
  • Person centred coordinated care decisions based on sharing data; using
  • Practical and secure information technologies; underpinned by
  • Government Policies and regulations;
  • Transparency, through public reporting; and
  • Respect for the individual and their privacy.
-----
Outlined below are further details regarding the five Executive General Manager roles and a full position description is available to download for each role.
When you move to the application process, you will have the opportunity to apply for each individual roles. A separate application must be submitted for each role that you wish to apply for.

Executive General Manager, Innovation and Development

  • As design authority for the national digital health system: lead and direct the development of the national digital strategy and work programme.
  • Innovation, design and technical aspects of the digital health programme.
  • Download Position Description

Executive General Manager, Government and Industry Collaboration and Adoption

  • Leading and directing the Industry, Government and Jurisdictional engagement, communication and adoption.
  • Design input to the national digital health systems and drive usability and adoption by these sectors.
  • Download Position Description

Executive General Manager, Clinical and Consumer Engagement and Clinical Governance (Chief Clinical Information Officer)

  • Responsible for leading and directing clinical governance and safety.
  • Clinical and consumer engagement, communication and adoption.
  • Design input to the national digital health systems.
  • Drive usability, as well as clinical outcomes.
  • Download Position Description

Executive General Manager, Organisational Capability and Change Management

  • Leading and directing the Agency's organisational change management and communication activities.
  • Oversee capability development and corporate support functions.
  • Download Position Description

Executive General Manager, Core Services Systems Operations

  • Lead and manage the core national digital health systems.
  • Provide technical support for the services provided by the Agency.
  • Download Position Description
Here is the link:
A few comments on all this.
1 The CEO position closed at the end of January and to date we have had no word on the appointment.
Here is the link to the advertisement:
Would be good to know who you will be working for before applying!
2. The position descriptions are well worth having a browse of - as for at least some of the headings it is a bit difficult to see the link between the heading and the requirements.
3. The most important part of all this is the Agency Vision. If they come even close to meeting that the ADHA might actually make a positive difference.
It certainly has a different tone to the NEHTA Vision:

Our Vision:

Enhance healthcare by enabling access to the right information, for the right person, at the right time and place. We work collaboratively with consumers, healthcare providers, the healthcare industry, the information and communications technology industry, policy makers and funders towards a safe, secure and efficient health system that will deliver better health outcomes for all Australians.
Here is the link:
Of course NEHTA didn’t quite manage their second sentence all that well. We can only hope ADHA will be different.
David.

AusHealthIT Poll Number 318 – Results – 1st May, 2016.

Here are the results of the poll.

Are You Confident The Newly Announced Board Of The Aust. Digital Health Authority Will Deliver The Needed Quality Of Leadership, Competence And Vision In E-Health?

Yes 22% (38)

No 49% (85)

I Have No Idea 29% (51)

Total votes: 174

It seems the level of confidence that the ADHA will deliver is not all that strong.

Great turnout of votes as well!

Again, many, many thanks to all those that voted!

David.