Here are a few I have come across this week.
Note: Each link is followed by a title and a paragraph or two. 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 payment.
General Comment:
The theme for the week has been the implementation issues and how hard it can be. This makes it important that the Senate make sure there is the appropriate management and management controls on the HI Service should the legislation pass.
See the articles towards the end of this week’s post.
I have spent today (March 4) looking at the new Rudd Health System proposals. I have to say one really has to wonder if any of this will actually happen. Right now it looks like this may be an implementation challenge that makes ‘pink bats’ look like a total doddle.
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Numbers change for e-health identifier
- Karen Dearne
- From: Australian IT
- February 22, 2010
TECHNICAL details released to help software developers incorporate new Healthcare Identifiers into their products suggest an unanticipated shift in messaging protocol from the commonly-used Health Level 7 version 2 to the next-generation standard, HL7 version 3.
The National E-Health Transition Authority yesterday released an advisory on a method of mapping Object Identifiers (OIDs) used in HL7 v3 systems to the federal Government's proposed 16-digit identifiers for individual patients, medical providers and healthcare organisations.
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YourHealth website posts complain of a sick system
MARK METHERELL
February 24, 2010 - 8:29AM
Myles Peterson, the disenchanted former Health Department speechwriter, makes the Government's health reform web site sound like a propaganda spin machine.
It was Peterson who in The Sunday Age charged the department with extravagance and manipulation of its web site — charges which have been denied by the department's spokeswoman.
The Peterson tirade however has brought attention to a little-known development --- YourHealth, the government website established last year to promote debate on a revamp of our health system.
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http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/337325/aehrc_appoints_research_director/
AEHRC appoints research director
e-Health body to develop low-cost, non-invasive diagnostic imaging technologies
- Computerworld Staff (Computerworld)
- 24 February, 2010 12:16
Australian e-Health Research Centre (AEHRC) has appointed Dr Kanagasingam Yogesan as its new research director.
Yogesan, formerly of eye care organisation, the Lions Eye Institute, will lead the organisation to help develop low-cost, non-invasive diagnostic imaging technologies for the early detection of conditions.
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http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/isoft-showcases-health-it-solutions,1182051.shtml
iSOFT showcases health IT solutions at HIMSS that enable institutions to address Interoperability and Meaningful Use
Posted : Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:16:45 GMT
Author : iSOFT Group Limited
Category : Press Release
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SYDNEY & BOSTON - (Business Wire) iSOFT Group Limited, one of the world’s largest healthcare information technology companies, today announced that it will showcase its suite of innovative solutions that focus on interoperability at the HIMSS health IT conference in Atlanta in the US from March 1-4, 2010.
iSOFT, which last year entered the important US market through its acquisition of Boston-based technology developer BridgeForward Software (re-named iSOFT Integration Systems), will at HIMSS demonstrate its solutions that are designed to address the requirements for ‘Meaningful Use’ under the US Government’s US$34 billion health IT stimulus package.
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iSOFT Group Limited (ASX:ISF) Interview With CEO Mr Gary Cohen Explaining Various Impacts From The First Half Result
Sydney, Feb 26, 2010 (ABN Newswire) - iSOFT Group Limited ("ISF") recently announced underlying NPAT of A$18.0 million for the first half ended December 2009, down 28 percent from the previous corresponding period, on revenue of A$237.3 million, down 14 percent. On a constant currency basis, i.e. translating the previous first half result at the exchange rates applying in the December 2009 half, underlying NPAT was down 9 percent and revenue was down 1 percent. Your latest guidance is for full-year revenue of A$500 million to A$520 million, representing growth of 6 to 10 percent in constant currency terms. Why aren't we seeing the revenue growth of over 10 percent incorporated in your original guidance?
Executive Chairman & CEO, Gary Cohen
We are in a far stronger position than our reported numbers suggest, even though we had some frustrations where tenders had been delayed or didn't happen. Excluding the UK National Program for IT (NPfIT), our backlog - that is, the contracts we've signed where we expect to make revenue in the future - has grown by about 50 percent compared with last year. This shows we're building the business and positioning it for revenue growth longer term. The total backlog, including the NPfIT, was A$634 million at the end of December, up from A$614 million a year earlier.
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02/24/2010
iSOFT achieves major milestones in the Netherlands
iSOFT has completed the implementation of Lorenzo 3.5 across all surgical departments at St Jansdal Hospital, Netherlands, with the latest release providing tools for patient management, results reporting, requesting and advanced clinical data capture, for 96 nurses and ten surgeons currently.
The company has also completed the roll-out of the GP Viewer portal for GPs in the local community to view patient records as well as laboratory, radiology and pathology reports at the hospital at Harderwijk. Sixty-seven GPs are now connected to the hospital.
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Visage Imaging lands $2M software sale to Aussie medical imager
By Mass High Tech staff
Medical imaging software company Visage Imaging Inc. of Andover has landed a deal worth $2 million to supply its entire suite of software and services to Australian independent imaging provider Southern Radiology.
Visage Imaging is a subsidiary of Pro Medicus Ltd., a medical IT and e-health provider based in Richmond, Australia. The deal includes Visage’s new Visage 7 thin client PACS, a streaming digital imaging solution for delivering X-ray, MRI and CT-scan images to various offices within Southern Radiology’s system.
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Rudd information chief to oversee data security
- Karen Dearne
- From: Australian IT
- February 26, 2010
THE Rudd government has appointed Commonwealth Ombudsman John McMillan as the inaugural Information Commissioner - despite a Senate inquiry into the role, functions and powers of the proposed Office of the Information Commissioner not being due to report its findings until March 16.
Professor McMillan will head the new OIC, which will incorporate the well-established Office of the federal Privacy Commissioner as well as a new Freedom of Information Commissioner.
The three agencies will between them oversee a soon-to-be revamped Privacy Act and the new FOI laws, shaped to deal with the challenges of information management, security and access in the digital age.
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NEHTA systems laid bare to industry
By Ben Grubb, ZDNet.com.au
24 February 2010 01:16 PM
In response to health industry concerns, the National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) will unveil a model healthcare community where it will show providers and software vendors how its new e-health systems work in practice.
The model community would be based at the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners in South Melbourne, where it would provide practitioners and software vendors with the opportunity to test the soon-to-be-introduced voluntary national healthcare identifier system, according to NEHTA clinical lead Dr Nathan Pinskier. The model healthcare community was being finalised with the college, he said.
Healthcare software vendors had previously complained about the lack of information they had been given about being compatible with the planned healthcare identifiers — individual numbers to be assigned to all Australians.
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http://www.himaabranches.com/wp/?p=1948
Fake patients roll in health numbers game
Posted on February 23rd, 2010 by Catherine Obuch
CONTROVERSIAL guidelines that will allow “well-known personalities” to have fake health ID numbers will be written, starting next week.
Every Australian from July will be automatically issued a new 16-digit health number.
Also known as a “building block”, the health number will eventually allow for medical professionals to share patient health files via an electronic health record.
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Malcolm Thatcher - Mater Health Services CIO
- INFLUENCER
- From: The Australian
- February 23, 2010
A smart hospital strategy has made the Mater Health Group a leader in e-health
THE federal government has failed to grasp the potential for health IT to transform healthcare delivery, Malcolm Thatcher says.
"I'm frustrated that e-health is not yet a mainstream agenda item for the government," he says.
"While they're talking about healthcare reform, I'm not sure there's an understanding of the extent to which e-health can be transformational in that reform."
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http://www.isoftplc.com/text/home/nm_latest_3507.asp
22 February 2010
iSOFT boosts solutions portfolio with UltraGenda acquisition
iSOFT Group Limited (ASX: ISF) – Australia's largest listed health information technology company – today announced it acquired Belgium-based health IT company UltraGenda BV for as much as A$16 million (€10.7 million) as part of the company’s strategy of boosting its portfolio of innovative solutions and driving additional sales through bolt-on acquisitions.
UltraGenda generated an unaudited pre-tax profit of A$2.6 million on revenue of A$5.3 million for the last fiscal period. iSOFT paid an initial consideration of A$12.4 million for the acquisition, to be followed by two payments of A$1.9 million each in January 2011 and 2012 subject to revenue growth performance targets. The consideration will be paid in cash.
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http://nrha.ruralhealth.org.au/e-health/?IntContId=14853&IntCatId=45
E-health - Individual electronic health records
The Alliance is calling for early investment in the adoption of individual electronic health records so that people in rural and remote Australia have access to their own health information when they need it no matter where they live.
To this end it is critical for people and health services in rural and remote Australia to build their e-health capacity using the technologies currently available. This will ensure they are well placed to participate in the sharing of electronic health records as national standards and protocols are adopted and broadband connectivity and applications improve.
Comment: Useful summary of e-Health events in the last 18 months or so.
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http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/336953/isoft_picks_north_america_president/?eid=-6787
iSOFT picks North America president
ASX-listed health information technology company appoints two to global roles based in Boston
- CIO Staff (CIO)
- 22 February, 2010 11:45
ASX-listed health information technology company, iSOFT (ASX: ISF), has appointed a new group operations director and North America president.
Former IBM staffer and president of global sales and service at Carestream Health, Mike Jackman, joins iSOFT as its group operations director based out of Boston in the US.
Jackman's role has been newly created and is aimed at boosting the company's offerings across the globe.
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Public servants wary of hospital takeover by commonwealth
- CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPSONDENT: Matthew Franklin
- From: The Australian
- February 23, 2010
POLITICIANS and public servants are citing the botched roll-out of Kevin Rudd's home insulation scheme as evidence against a commonwealth takeover of public hospitals, a public policy expert said yesterday.
Australia Institute executive director Richard Denniss said the poor delivery of the scheme, scrapped last Friday, underlined the commonwealth's lack of experience and capacity on service delivery.
Dr Denniss said the Department of Environment had dramatically underestimated the difficulty in rolling out $2.45 billion in public subsidies and found itself unable to respond when the scheme went off the rails.
"This is a pretty clear-cut reason why there are plenty of people in the federal government who are deeply worried about the idea of taking over the hospitals," Dr Denniss said.
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How Rudd the dud dropped Australia in the alphabet soup
February 22, 2010
Rarely has a government promised so much, spent so much, said so much, and launched so many nationwide programs, and delivered so little value for money and expectation. Two years of Kevin Rudd has produced 20 years of debt, and most of it cannot be blamed on the global financial crisis. This alphabet soup is self-inflicted.
Asylum seekers. Unless the government can show otherwise, it appears that about 98 per cent of asylum-seekers are getting Australian residency. In contrast, the latest figures from the United Nations refugee agency show most asylum applications worldwide are rejected. The bulging Christmas Island detention centre has become a grossly expensive sham and a mockery of a core election promise.
Comment: A scary and rather exaggerated list but shows just how bad implementation of some programs have been. The implications for Health and e-Health programs is pretty obvious.
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Labor split as Kate Lundy proposes 'opt out' to Conroy ISP filter
- Joe Kelly
- From: The Australian
- February 24, 2010
A SPLIT has emerged in Labor ranks over Communications Minister Stephen Conroy's filter plan to limit internet porn after a backbencher confirmed she would seek to amend the legislation.
Labor Senator Kate Lundy plans to propose a filter “opt out” when the legislation goes before caucus.
“I think there's a lot of interest in my proposal,” she told The Australian.
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Opposition grows to internet filter
ARI SHARP COMMUNICATIONS CORRESPONDENT
February 25, 2010
BACKBENCH MPs on both sides of politics opposed to the government's internet filtering proposal are vigorously lobbying their colleagues, creating a potential roadblock to the plan backed by the Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy.
A group of four young Liberal MPs - Simon Birmingham, Alex Hawke, Michael Johnson and Jamie Briggs - are leading the charge against the filter within the Coalition, while the Labor senator Kate Lundy is putting a case to her colleagues in favour of an optional filter.
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http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/337062/google_chrome_chips_away_microsoft_ie/?eid=-6787
Google Chrome chips away at Microsoft IE
Market share statistics show Microsoft IE losing ground to Google Chrome, but Windows 7 gains market acceptance
- Denise Dubie (Network World)
- 23 February, 2010 05:54
Recent market share statistics deliver good and bad news for Microsoft. The company saw its Internet Explorer browser lose more ground, seemingly to Google Desktop and Chrome, while its Windows 7 operating system quickly gained market acceptance.
"The last six months have been a mixed bag for Microsoft," said Victor Janulaitis, CEO of Janco Associates, in a press statement. The research firm points out in its February 2010 Browser and Operating System Market Share Study that Microsoft IE market share has dipped by more than 12% since February 2007, mostly due to interest in competitive offerings from Firefox and Google.
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Enjoy!
David.
2 comments:
Neatcall has a great scheduling solution including great interface for mobile phones, mainly to iPhone. Check it in iTunes http://itunes.apple.com/app/id340173767?mt=8#
"NEHTA will show providers and software vendors how its new e-health systems work in practice. The model community would be based at the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners in South Melbourne, where it would provide practitioners and software vendors with the opportunity to test the soon-to-be-introduced voluntary national healthcare identifier system, according to NEHTA clinical lead Dr Nathan Pinskier."
Is it reasonable to suggest the RACGP has checked all this out thoroughly before getting so exposed?
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