The following was sent to me today as a press release:
Tanya Plibersek makes “watershed” announcement at Health-e-Nation Conference 2012
Wednesday, 04 April 2012 14:59
SYDNEY, Australia. Federal Minister for Health, Tanya Plibersek, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Chair of the Global eHealth Ambassador Program and Jane Halton PSM, Secretary of the Department of Health and Ageing were among a distinguished array of healthcare, government and IT leaders that contributed to the success of the tenth annual Health-e-Nation Conference on the Gold Coast held March 27-29, 2012.
Federal Minister for Health, Tanya Plibersek, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Chair of the Global eHealth Ambassador Program and Jane Halton PSM, Secretary of the Department of Health and Ageing were among a distinguished array of healthcare, government and IT leaders that contributed to the success of the tenth annual Health-e-Nation Conference on the Gold Coast held March 27-29, 2012.
Minister Plibersek chose the Health-e-Nation Conference to make her first address to an ehealth focused audience. She announced GPs will be able to claim MBS payments for creating and adding patient details to the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR), and cautioned against expecting miraculous overnight changes to the nation’s ehealth system come July 1, 2012.
“This is a big and exciting project, but I’m determined not to rush it. This isn’t a matter of ‘flicking a switch’ on 1 July and away you go,” she said. “The initial step we’ll take on 1 July has always been about two key things: firstly, delivering the core national ehealth system – the building blocks; and secondly, allowing the first patients to register – and both are on track.”
The Health-e-Nation speech was widely reported in the media, including in The Australian, Pulse IT Magazine and eHealthspace.org, the online “voice of healthcare” news destination and media sponsor of the event. Video of the Minister’s speech is available to members on www.ehealthspace.org
Also speaking at the Health-e-Nation Conference, Jane Halton PSM (Hons), Secretary of the Department of Health and Ageing told the 300-strong audience the job of NEHTA was to build standards and connectivity for the new national ehealth records system to work for everyone.
Writing online Dr George Margelis from Care Innovations said, “I walked out of the [Health-e-Nation] event with a new level of enthusiasm and belief that we really are doing the right thing, and optimism that Australia may well take the world leading position in ehealth and healthcare it so rightly deserved”. AusHealth IT blogger and critic of the government’s ehealth approach, Dr David More, said, "We will look back on [the Health-e-Nation] speech from the Federal Health Minister as a watershed”.
“Several clear messages resonated through all three days of this year’s Health-e-Nation Conference,” said Sally Glass, managing director of CHIK Services, organiser and founder of the annual event. “The strongest being that July 1, the kickoff for the national ehealth records system, is just the beginning of the ehealth journey for Australia, rather than the end point.”
Bureaucracy, and a monolithic system, simply wouldn’t work, she said, comparing such an approach to Australia’s early rail system where different gauges meant inefficiently loading and unloading freight at each state border.
In addition to Minister Plibersek and Ms Halton, the Health-e-Nation program drew on the collective knowledge and passion of various eminent international and local ehealth advocates and experts including:
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Chair of the Global eHealth Ambassador Program
Professor Ricky Richardson who described himself as a ‘humble paediatrician’ from Great Ormond Street, UK
Dr Jonathan Schaffer, an orthopaedic surgeon and managing director of the eClevelandClinic, USA
David E. Garets, who heads the Health IT Suite for the Advisory Board Company, USA
Ms Claire McCarthy, Director of the Organisational Readiness team at Providence Health and Systems, USA
Dr Mukesh C Haikerwal AO, who among the many ‘hats’ he wears is the national engagement lead at NEHTA
The three day program also included a one day Software Developer Conference and a half day workshop on innovation and change management for vendors and healthcare providers. The full agenda is available from www.health-e-nation.com.au.
“It was a pleasure and a privilege to draw this seminal program together in conjunction with principal sponsors the National eHealth Transition Authority (NEHTA), the Department of Health and Ageing, and the NCAP (National Change and Adoption Partner) team,” said CHIK Services leader Sally Glass.
“In particular I must publicly thank Denis Tebbutt, vendor engagement advisor to NEHTA, for his passion and commitment in making this collaboration happen,” Mrs Glass said.
Extensive coverage including transcripts, videos and stories of the event are available from eHealthspace.org (www.ehealthspace.org), the media sponsor of CHIK’s Health-e-Nation Conference.
The release is found here:
I suggested to the PR Company that put this out that I really did not think this was a fair representation of my views:
Here it the e-mail
---- Begin Quote
“Thanks for this:
Of course what the Minister said was that the program was being slowed and modified much in the way I have been suggesting on the blog for a good while.
By responding to my criticism I think she has indeed won some 'brownie' points - but your rather out of context quote rather conceals my real view.
This rather better captures my view from the blog reporting the speech:
"All I can say is that this is the most sensible speech on e-Health I have heard for a good while. It recognises it is long and hard, sets way more sensible objectives for July 1, and makes it clear this will be years in the making.
Recognition of the e-prescribing services and so on that are already operating is a welcome change indeed.
Minister Plibersek gets high marks indeed in my view for this resetting, recalibration and recognition she needs the GPs to have e-Health work.
Good on her."
The blog from which you quoted made it the same sentiments clear also.
Really a trifle too 'filtered' for me!
David
----- End extract.
What I got back was a ‘don’t you worry about that - people will check with your blog (no link provided) and will get the picture!
Well “not as such” is my view.
The company that issued the release is called ‘Filtered Media’ and that is what that do - spin (or filter) - or so it would seem
These guys claim to ‘Tell your story brilliantly!” and boy do they spin stunningly as well.
Minister Plibersek did a major backflip on how and when National E-Health Records would be delivered and this release attempts - using my words - to suggest that all was right with the world and that their conference had reported of a thrilling outcome - when it was actually a major policy change.
Those who have read here:
and here:
know that is just nonsense.
Really I can do without little smartarse PR people trying to put words in my mouth! Sally I think you need a much better and non-spinning PR firm!
Maybe a short apology in the form of a comment?
Maybe a short apology in the form of a comment?
David.
I think this quote is appropriate at this point. The eHealth industry has many yes men and women that are simply chasing $$$ and have no knowledge or wisdom. However July approaches...
ReplyDelete"The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly, is to fill the world with fools."
By:
Herbert Spencer (27 April 1820 – 8 December 1903) was an English philosopher, prominent classical liberal political theorist, and sociological theorist of the Victorian era. He developed an all-embracing conception of evolution as the progressive development of the physical world, biological organisms, the human mind, and human culture and societies. He is best known for coining the phrase "survival of the fittest".
Well the PR team from Filtered Media operate eHealthspace which is owned by CHIK, who hosted the conference, so no surprise they're spinning it for all it's worth.
ReplyDeleteThe informed discussion has been with the MSIA forums for some time and it's a shame NEHTA and Government didn't take the opportunity to engage with the real movers and shakers so close to the launch of the PCEHR...guess the CHIK event a more friendly setting for pulling wool over folks eyes.
Minister Plibersek is like a breath of fresh air. She is intelligent and perceptive and seems to have a lot of common sense. Being new to the incredibly complex health portfolio it is understandable that some errors of judgement will be made.
ReplyDeleteHer announcement that “GPs will be able to claim MBS payments for creating and adding patient details to the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) from 1 July” was a Clayton’s announcement justifiably questioned by the AMA and others.
That her departmental advisors led her unknowingly down that pathway is inexcusable. They are masters at colouring the rhetoric to hide the lack of substance. The detail was too fine for a new Minister to be able to grasp in such a short space of time and they should never have exposed her in that way.
There will be no Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) to deliver on 1 July. Jane Halton PSM (Hons), Secretary of the Department of Health and Ageing after years of filibustering her way through in one Senate estimates Committee after another has suddenly changed her position to one of “We think the job won’t be quite done on 30 June”. We should thank the Secretary for her illuminating clarification.
It is good to see the Health Minister taking control of the great ehealth robbery. She had no option but to do a “major backflip on how and when National E-Health Records would be delivered”.
'Brownie' points in abundance to her. Her message was that the ehealth program would be slowed and modified. We will have to wait to see if ‘curtailed’ will be added to those two very important verbs.
None will disagree with your conclusion David that “Minister Plibersek gets high marks indeed in my view for this resetting, recalibration and recognition she needs the GPs to have e-Health work. Good on her."
I must admire how easily you are all brought off with a simple speech by a Minister. What has changed? nothing except a date, no roadmap, no change in management and what is the cost for this extension, remeber the Accenture group will need to be paid for these delays.
ReplyDeleteIf NEHTA was to put out a new plan and new delivery structure that shows achievable and realistic goals then I might join you but currently this is an empty set of statements that come with an unknown price tag and rewards for thoise that have failed a straight foward IT install, yes an IT install as it is clear that the clinical aspect has been sidelined
I am not sure anyone has been bought off. I think more people have heard 'pollie-speak' providing recognition that things are not as they were and that behind the scenes questions are being asked and change is coming.
ReplyDeleteThe final judgement waits on the arrival of delivery of that change and the quality of the new approach IMVHO.
David.
I hope you are right, I guess watching the marketplace will be a good gage of change, if there are new firms being engaged to support NEHTA then we might see a change comming otherwise it will be the same problem under a new banner, please do not take your foot off the pedal just becuase a well trained snake in the grass has made mention of things we want to hear
ReplyDeleteI consider it extremely offensive for Anonymous 4/08/2012 09:21:00 AM to refer to Minister Plibersek as a “well trained snake in the grass (who) has made mention of things we want to hear”. She is a new Minister, she deserves more respect than that and should be given sufficient time to show what she is able to do to fix this appalling ehealth fiasco which she inherited.
ReplyDeleteI concur wholeheartedly with 4/06/2012 08:39:00 AM “Minister Plibersek is like a breath of fresh air. She is intelligent and perceptive and seems to have a lot of common sense.” So let’s be patient and cut her some slack. I think we could all be agreeably surprised.