Secure Clinical Messaging Gets A Boost from The Recent IHE Australia Connectathon.

For those who were not there these two releases – which I was sent this morning – provide some useful information and background.

Media Release 1:

IHE Australia

SMD Connectathon 19 - 23 April 2010

Australian Health IT vendors gathered in Canberra to develop and test their capacity to securely message key healthcare information.

The IHE Australia Secure Message Delivery (SMD) Connectathon was conducted from 19-23 April 2010 in Canberra. A total of 13 vendors took part with a focus on achieving interconnectivity using the web service messaging profile according to the new Standards Australia Technical Specification for E-Health Secure Message Delivery. (ATS 5822:2010 – eHealth Secure Message Delivery published 5 March 2010). NEHTA joined the Connectathon to test its own implementation of the SMD specification alongside those of other participants and to provide volunteer technical expertise to assist other early adopters of the SMD profile.

The use of web services for communication brings Australian vendors in line with international approaches; a vital step towards adopting the next generation of health communication technology and improved access to health information such as electronic test results and hospital discharge summaries.

At the Connectathon each system has to exchange data with 3 other systems and an online testing facility and have independent industry appointed monitors check the test results. Successful vendors can now incorporate this communication technology in products and publish a conformance statement as a guide to purchasers and system users. The results are being validated and IHE expects to announce the results over the next few weeks at http://ihe-australia.wikispaces.com/Connectathon+2010+April.

Connectathon background:

IHE Australia recognises the support of many organisations and individuals for this event and in particular the Australian Federal Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) who supported this event and the development of the messaging profile.

IHE Australia has run three previous Connectathons in Australia and is one deployment committee of an international organisation made up of vendors, professionals associations and others interested in implementation of standards based e-Health communication systems (www.ihe.net and www.ihe.net.au). The Australian sponsor organisations are HISA, MSIA, HL7 Australia, and RANZCR. Other members include ADIA, RACS, and HIMAA.

IHE Australia was contracted by the Federal Department of Health and Ageing to run the Secure Message Delivery (SMD) Connectathon in Canberra from 19-23 April 2010, as a special event, under established IHE rules and procedures. In turn, IHE Australia commissioned the eHealth NATA-accredited Australian Healthcare Messaging Laboratory (AHML) to develop a Secure Messaging test facility and procedures. AHML conducted all testing at the Connectathon against the published Standards Australia Secure Messaging Technical Specification (ATS 5822:2010).

The IHE Australia SMD Connectathon was the result of a collaborative development process between:

• NEHTA

• Medical Software Industry (MSIA)

• Standards community (Standards Australia IT14-06)

NEHTA joined the Connectathon, to test its own implementation of the SMD specification alongside those of other participants and to provide volunteer technical expertise to assist other early adopters of the SMD profile.

For further information, contact Vincent McCauley at vincem@mccauleysoftware.com or admin@ihe.net.au.

Phone: +61 2 9818 6493.

Media Release 2:

IHE Australia Open Day Seminar Wednesday 21 April 2010

Australian Health IT vendors gathered in Canberra to develop and test their capacity to securely message key healthcare information at the 3^rd IHE Australia Connectathon. During the event some 45 participants from industry, government and GP Divisions visited the Connectathon The objective of the seminar was to provide participants with an introduction to IHE Australia activities and an overview of developments in secure messaging.

Speakers were:

• Vincent McCauley – Chair, IHE Australia

• Bernie Crowe – IHE Australia, SMD Connectathon Manager

• Jon Hilton – IHE Australia, HISA Board

• John McMillan NEHTA Manager Secure Messaging and Andy Berry – Specifications

• Jane Gilbert -Director, Operations and Strategy at Australian Healthcare Messaging Laboratory (AHML)

• Janine Bevan – Director Clinical Communications, Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA)

A highlight of the day was the presentation by HISA Board member Jon Hilton on the development of the Patient Centered Coordination Plan (PCCP) Profile to support Care Coordination and Planning across different healthcare organisations and information systems. This profile, based on the IHE Cross Enterprise Document Share (XDS) platform, supports the development of care teams, exchange of care plans, patient progress reports and tracking of key tasks and outcomes. Australia is an international leader in care planning, so it is not surprising that we are leaders in the systems used to support care management.

Background:

The IHE Australia Secure Message Delivery (SMD) Connectathon was conducted from 19-23 April 2010 in Canberra. A total of 13 vendors took part with a focus on achieving interconnectivity using the web service messaging profile according to the new Standards Australia Technical Specification for E-Health Secure Message Delivery. (ATS 5822:2010 – eHealth Secure Message Delivery published 5 March 2010). NEHTA joined the Connectathon, to test its own implementation of the SMD specification alongside those of other participants and to provide volunteer technical expertise to assist other early adopters of the SMD profile.

IHE Australia recognises the support of many organisations and individuals for this event and in particular the Australian Federal Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) who supported this event and the development of the messaging profile.

For further information, contact Vincent McCauley at vincem@mccauleysoftware.com or admin@ihe.net.au.

Phone: +61 2 9818 6493.

----- End Releases.

This is really good news that, at least in one area, there appears to be good, and valuable, co-operation between various Government entities and a range of private messaging providers.

There is a report on the even – with a few photos here:

http://ihe-australia.wikispaces.com/Connectathon+April+2010+Report

Additional results will appear over the next few weeks.

This is clearly a step in the right direction, although I would be interested to be re-assured that all present SM providers were involved. If this was not the case it would be pretty sad.

A link to the presentations would be good, but maybe I missed it!

David.