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, January 11, 2017

Does This Qualify For The Term Fake News Do You Think?

This popped up a little while ago.

New digital health chief to get $522,000 a year to fix troubled My Health Record system

Daniel Burdon
Published: January 11, 2017 - 11:08AM
The head of the Turnbull government's six-month-old Australian Digital Health Agency will be paid a tidy $522,000 annual salary package after beating more than 100 other applicants to take the role fixing the plagued My Health Record system.
The chief executive's pay comes with the difficult task of overseeing the $156 million agency and its remit to digitise the nation's health systems, including fixing the delayed national roll-out of My Health Record.
Despite a number of teething problems, about 4.4 million Australians have signed up so far, as the government moves towards an "opt-out" system rather than the previous "opt-in" system.
The government's creation of an agency dedicated to improving digital health systems was been widely supported, although some stakeholders have been sceptical of how much the agency will achieve given past problems.
Health Minister Sussan Ley has previously described the use of digital technologies in health as "a game changer".
Vastly more of the article is found here:
First off, just forget about the pay, as I for one would not be prepared to even consider the job, as framed, for four times the salary.
The real issue is just how wrong the article is, and this is found in the first few paragraphs.
First most of general practice, pathology, radiology and a good amount of other health service delivery entities are already digitised and communicating with many of their peers digitally as well. The job is not to digitise the nation’s health system – that is largely done!
Second the myHR is already ‘rolled out’ technically. All that is needed is the go-ahead to compel the rest of the populace to enrol and – much harder – actually use it. The reason we see few, if any usage stats it that the little if any actual clinical use of the system. So that job, supported by the rapidly developed evaluation reports, is largely done!
The actual job seems to be to run a limited scope consultation process which will come up with an evidence-free strategic endorsement of all things ‘digital health’ and especially the myHR, and support continuing funding for all the bureaucrats who have now been employed to mostly continue on with what NEHTA was doing. The Strategy  has to be at least partly evidence-free as there is no actual evidence that confirms the myHR is a ‘good thing’  that anyone has yet seen. (If you have some worthwhile evidence let me and ADHA know!). Of course the Strategy will need to address other issues like SMD, NASH, SNOMED etc. but myHR is the main thrust, wrongly IMVHO!
So, in essence, the job is really to compulsorily foist a largely unrepaired, unwanted, unnecessary and useless system on an unsuspecting public and have them thank you for wasting all their tax money on it!
Now that is what I call a hard job!
David.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is for real. Does nobody in charge of health have any half relevant qualifications or experience?

CEO ADHA
https://au.linkedin.com/in/tim-kelsey-49bb0541

Education
Magdalene College, Cambridge University
MA Hons, History
1984 – 1987

Publications
Dervish: The Invention of Modern Turkey
Hamish Hamilton/ Penguin Books

Work experience.
Variously news editor, deputy insight editor, investigative reporter
Sunday Times
April 1995 – January 2000 (4 years 10 months)

Reporter
Independent and Independent on Sunday
1988 – 1995 (7 years)

Bernard Robertson-Dunn said...

Here's a new problem for ADHA to sort out

"Pharmacists get power to alter prescriptions under controversial trial"

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/pharmacists-get-power-to-alter-prescriptions-under-controversial-trial-20170111-gtpjb5.html

It would seem that a pharmacist could change a patient's script, but they can't change the patient's Shared Health Summary in their MyHR - only the patient's nominated GP can do that.

I guess they could change the design so that any health service provider can make changes to the MyHR. That would do it. Stupid, but it could be done.

Anonymous said...

The SNOMED and AMT saga, if there was a priority that needed a fresh set of eyes and leadership that is one key area, informatics has suffered for to long in the wrong hands.

Anonymous said...

And this lot want to run health systems?
Email fail: Angry customers hit out at Telstra Mail
http://thenewdaily.com.au/life/tech/2017/01/11/email-fail-telstra-customers/

Anonymous said...

January 12, 2017 9:23 AM you may well ask how can Telstra can expect to run health systems. However, I would ask is the ADHA any better or worse than Telstra?

Anonymous said...

Fake news under the current climate might be a bit strong IMHO. I would place it more it the advertorial camp, cheque book jornalism is no better though. Wonder how much it cost Tim?

Anonymous said...

Is aDOHA any better or worse than Telstra? Would need to see the organisational structure in its entirety not just the management (although I hear that it has become very very top heavy. I would like to see not just roles but actual skill sets.

Transparency is alive and kicking somewhere behind the smoke and mirrors.

Anonymous said...

Anon 7:18am. Reading your post reminded me of something I read yesterday. Selective analysis of consultations must be up there too https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/about-the-agency/digital-health-space/item/10-child-immunisation-and-digital-health

Certainly all good news for clinicians and citizens. I hope this means they will dump central repositories and let we the people become custodians of our data and allow who we want to be able to share the information for all the right reasons.

Anonymous said...

ANON 7:38. Not a chance of that happening, look at how quickly the DTA is being mothballled. Change is something imposed on others by Canberra not done to Canberra. Just look at education to see what is in store for doctors and nurses.

Bernard Robertson-Dunn said...

Re DTA and it's change in direction.
My understanding is that the line agencies have told PM&C to back off and they have. They can do that because under the constitution the line agencies are effectively autonomous.

Health have said that they wanted nothing to do with the Trusted Digital Identity Framework. The sticking point being that DTA wanted to make it consent based. That's not what Health have in mind with MyHR.

The legislation is already in place to change MyHR to opt-out with no need for consent. All the minister has to do is say go, and it happens.

Based upon a photo of an ADHA presentation tweeted last year, the end game is to make MyHR mandatory.

Anonymous said...

Like to know who the other 99 candidates were and why all the old care. Data mafia are coming here on high salaries

Anonymous said...

This is a very odd story. Not really fake but certainly old news. The redoubtable news.com Canberra health reporter Sue Dunlevy wrote about Kelsey's arrival - and pay - early last September.

"THE man who led the dumped UK digital health record system has been put in charge of Australia’s bungled $1 billion e-health record and is being paid as much as the Prime Minister to fix it.

"Former journalist Tim Kelsey will be paid a total remuneration package worth $522,240 a year, almost the same as Malcolm Turnbull and just shy of the $548,360 paid to the Chief of the Navy and more than the Chief Scientist, the head of the Fair Work Commission and the Inspector General of Taxation, a remuneration tribunal determination reveals.

"The former NHS executive is an interesting appointment as CEO of the Australian Digital Health Agency because he was in charge of the UK digital health records scheme Care.data dumped by the UK’s National Health System in July.

"The Department of Health stated that Mr Kelsey is uniquely suited to the role because of his experience with data and digital platforms in health and personal privacy.

"The Care.data scheme to store patients’ medical information in a single database suffered multiple delays and was then scrapped after major problems emerged over patient confidentiality.

"It was similar to Australia’s My Health Record that Mr Kelsey will now oversee.

"Concerns emerged in the UK because people were not aware they had to opt out to protect their privacy and there were fears the information could be sold to pharmaceutical and insurance companies.

"Mr Kelsey was featured in a mock up “Downfall” Youtube video which lampooned him as Hitler in the final days unable to understand why his plans had failed.

Much more here...

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/englishman-now-in-charge-of-1-billion-digital-health-records-system-doctors-refuse-to-use/news-story/7c49e83194b8a95d1310041c5ab29c0d