This appeared in a major journal of record a few days ago.
Wealth of health on site
Jan. 23, 2014, 6:25 a.m.
The Western NSW Medicare Local (WML) and Blayney Family Medical Practice are encouraging residents and surrounding communities to register for a Personally Controlled Electronic eHealth record (PCEHR) by holding a registration day on Friday, February 7.
WML will be helping and registering community members for a free eHealth record and then doctors will be able to upload a summary of their health information to the system.
Any visitors can attend the registration day and get an eHealth record and have their own GP upload their health summary later.
An eHealth record is an electronic summary of a patient's key health information drawn from their existing patient records.
Information can be uploaded by an authorised healthcare professional which is typically a person's regular GP.
Information that can be uploaded includes medications, test results, discharge summaries, allergies and details of any immunisations.
The doctors are in favour of everyone registering for an eHealth record, according to Suba Vijayakumar, Practice Manager at the Blayney Family Medical Practice.
"It's in our patients's best interests to have all their health information accessible in one online location, no matter where they are or whoever they go to," she said.
"We are very excited about the potential for the eHealth record and how it can help patients control and take ownership of their own medical history."
Stephen Jackson, Deputy CEO at WML, said the team has been promoting meaningful use of the eHealth record system across the region.
More information on the activities is found here:
As you will be aware Blayney NSW is a major metropolis in Western NSW on the Mid-Western Highway with a population of a little over 3000 souls.
You can see some great pictures of the very neat town here:
There are three questions that spring to mind here:
1. Why are none of the doctors in the practice quoted rather than the lay staff?
2. Why is it that this activity is being funded when the PCEHR is under-review?
3. I wonder what the WML staff imagine ‘meaningful use’ means in the context of the PCEHR? I note they make it clear that registration is the goal and that filling in and use of the record is to come at some time later.
Surely there other things that might make a larger difference to the health of those living in Blayney that registering them for a PCEHR which they may or may not use later?
David.
David,
ReplyDeleteAs far as I'm aware, recruitment for the PCEHR hasn't been suspended during the review process. In fact, DoH has set recruitment targets till the end of June.
Rather than criticise the practice and WML staff for doing their job, how about some constructive criticism as to why the Gov hasn't released the findings/recommendations of the review?
Saul, me and others have been suggesting that might be a good idea for weeks now -have had a poll on it as I recall - so we are in violent agreement.
ReplyDeleteI fear, however, it might not happen until the budget in May. Hope resides in the fact that Mr Hockey has said he will release the Commission of Audit well before the Budget!
Maybe the secrecy veil is developing a hole of two. Leaks are of course encouraged!
David.
Something doesn't sound right. If the report, below, is correct, they would have to fire the same number of staff from existing programs that they intend to recruit for the PCEHR.
ReplyDeleteFederal departments start shedding jobs
ABC website
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-15/department-of-health-to-axe-400-jobs/4889136
Thu 15 Aug 2013
Around 700 public service jobs will be axed in coming months, as the belt is tightened across two major federal departments.
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) has told its staff that it is looking at losing 300 positions.
The Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) says 400 full-time jobs must go.
In an email to all DoHA staff, departmental secretary Jane Halton said everyone would need to work together to urgently save money.
She said the Federal Government's recent decisions to cut Executive Level and Senior Executive Service staff across the Australian Public Service, and to increase to the efficiency dividend, meant jobs must go.
Ms Halton said staff numbers need to be reduced by 400 full-time positions in the next 12 months in order to meet the department's budget.
Sorry Anon but what recruitment for the PCEHR are you referencing in the statement "they would have to fire the same number of staff from existing programs that they intend to recruit for the PCEHR"?
ReplyDeleteIf they have been told to reduce numbers then in order to recruit some more, they would need to fire extra staff from somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteIt's not rocket science.
It is ludicrous in the extreme to listen to Treasurer Hockey's reasons why $25M of taxpayers dollars cannot be used for ArdmonaSPC when, on the other side of the fence, hundreds of millions of taxpayers dollars continue to be frittered away on the ill-conceived and useless PCEHR.
ReplyDeleteIf the people of Shepparton, the orchardists, the workers and the local business owners, knew of this extraordinary waste they would be very very angry - and so they should be.
Where is the sanity in all this wasted PCEHR spending Mr Hockey?
Someone should let the people of Shepparton know. Local media could be the go.
ReplyDeleteDon't expect informed or evidence based policies or decisions from this government.
ReplyDeleteThey have rejected expert help and advice in many fields (Abbott refusing to talk to his own advisory panel re SPC Ardmona, Minister Pyne ignoring experts on Education, etc etc), health is likely to be just the same.
It's all politics. And this lot hasn't learned how to behave in government, they think they are still in opposition.
Reading the SPCArdmona comments raised in the context of the PCEHR and NEHTA debacles was helpful in identifying Gonski as the common denominator.
ReplyDeleteGonski has been at the helm of both organisations during this period of scandalous abuse of taxpayer dollars.
Under Labor and with Gonski's oversight, the unions have enriched themselves with unheard of benefits which have ultimately crippled yet another manufacturing business trying to compete in a world of lower costs and increasing efficiency. Meanwhile, people like Gonski and SPCArdmona concede these outrageous demands and put their hand out for a taxpayer top up and then run for the hills when the business is no longer sustainable without the taxpayer $$.
Similarly, Gonski has overseen the management consultant's picnic and PCHER disaster.
It is obvious that this chameleon with the silver tongue has enjoyed a fantastic ride under the Labor Party.
To then read the Comments from Anonymous referring to the people of Shepparton - and that someone should let them know - beggars belief.
Surely your blog has been infiltrated by some trolling union hacks wanting to flick mud at the current Government who has been voted in to clean up the mess left behind by Labor.
Good grief.