I thought I was seeing double for a week or two but then I realized the ADHA CEO had been out and about all over spruiking Digital Health.
Selected examples include:
Digital health: a human imperative
VIC
May 29
Join Australian Digital Health Agency Chief Executive Tim Kelsey, for the latest update on the implementation of Australia’s National Digital Health Strategy and the vision for digital health.
Speakers
Tim Kelsey, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Digital Health Agency
Event overview
What are the big opportunities to integrate digital health services and improve patient health outcomes?
We discuss the Agency’s latest work on My Health Record, secure messaging between disparate clinical information systems, and wider health system interoperability.
We discuss the Agency’s latest work on My Health Record, secure messaging between disparate clinical information systems, and wider health system interoperability.
Event presentations
The
But then I noticed the same program on June 12 – in Sydney. (Sponsor – McKinsey & Co.)
It seems this is to be followed on June 26 by the same presentation in Adelaide (Sponsor EY)
Now we have to note that CEDA is ‘the big end of town’ if ever there was an organization to fit that bill.
It is interesting that EY, Deloitte and McKinsey have all strong representation within the organization and I suspect that this is at least partly based on potential engagements that may emerge from the ADHA.
You can see the affiliations of the attendees from the delegate handout linked above.
I don’t know about you but this all has the feel of a type of ‘Canberra Bubble’ where those who are seeking engagements in a particular space sponsor a speaker to help them identify just what the lay of the land is and where opportunities may lie!
It has been always thus I believe but it does seem a little close to the bone.
What do readers think?
I have listened to the talk and the questions. All we got were the usual anecdotes with little discussion of possible downsides and risk, the digital divide and so on. Interestingly, in response to one question he did admit there are real security and penetration risks that need to be balanced against the utility of the system, and that these are rather under discussed to say the least, and possibly need more coverage. Overall the downside of all this got pretty short shrift, which I guess is to be expected. Apparently there are funds from the ADHA to give everyone secure messaging to everyone else in the clinical world by June next year. We can all watch that with interest as the fax machines vanish!
It will be very interesting to see what the re-elected Government does with the system over the next few months. The thing that strikes one most about these presentations is the absence of any real evidence for risk adjusted benefit for the population rather than just a few anecdotes and 'down with the fax' rhetoric. After almost a decade under the NEHTA / ADHA regime one might expect better to be provided to a quality audience!
David.
1 comment:
Taken for an article related to another aspect of the health system and ever so slightly edited. What is problematic is how easily this same observation is similar across digital health.
There are high-profile individuals and brands in the health sector and some of these carry significant weight and influence. This can make it difficult for ministers and those responsible for allocating health funding to focus on the needs of the community.”
Governments will always be tempted to give prominent people enough money to keep them quiet, rather than the harder task of investing resources where they are most needed. To overcome this effect, it is important for policymakers to have a conversation about health without any “brands” in the room, which currently seems to be, politically, “virtually impossible
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