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This weekly blog is to explore the larger issues around Digital Health, data security, data privacy, AI / ML. technology, social media and related matters.
I will also try to highlight ADHA Propaganda when I come upon it.
Just so we keep count, the latest Notes from the ADHA Board are dated 6 December, 2018! Secrecy unconstrained! This is really the behaviour of a federal public agency gone rogue – and it just goes on! When you read this it will be well over 13 months of radio silence, and better still the CEO, COO and the Chief of Staff have also gone. I wonder will things improve now – so far seems not?
Note: Appearance here is not to suggest I see any credibility or value in what follows. I will leave it to the reader to decide what is worthwhile and what is not! The point is to let people know what is being said / published that I have come upon.
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https://fil.forbrukerradet.no/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2020-01-14-out-of-control-final-version.pdf
OUT OF CONTROL
How consumers are exploited by the online advertising industry
14.01.2020
This is a 200 page report with lots of careful research. Fabulous source data.
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Unfinished business at Dept of Health
Department of Health Secretary Gladys Beauchamp will take leave from 24 January, before officially stepping down from her role and retiring on 28 February.
Ms Beauchamp was expected to complete negotiations for the 7th Community Pharmacy Agreement, having told delegates at 2019 Pharmacy Connect conference she would secure the agreement by 31 December.
The current Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy has been recommended as the new DoH secretary, and, if confirmed in the position will be required to complete the 7CPA negotiations, in time to replace 6CPA when it ends on 30 June.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia has thanked Glenys Beauchamp PSM, for the contribution she has made to health care in Australia during her time as Secretary of the Department of Health.
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Apple says it’s healthy to be skeptical about digital health
Apple’s vice president for health, Dr. Sumbul Desai, says it's important to question what digital health solutions can do.
Is technology really good for your health? Can Apple really make a difference in future healthcare? Questions like this are all perfectly appropriate, argues Apple’s vice president for health, Dr. Sumbul Desai.
You have to test what tech firms claim
Desai leads Apple’s teams in developing health-focused software and sensors, such as Activity, Health, ECG reading on Apple Watch and the company’s selection of health-focused research apps. She joined the company in 2017.
While she clearly believes in the potential of digital health technologies, (as does her boss, CEO Tim Cook), she’s also a health professional in her own right, and understands how important it is that patients and healthcare providers be sceptical as big tech attempts to get into the market.
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Biometric ID a worry but still acceptable to Australians: AIC
Australians are concerned about the risks of biometric identification, but still find its use acceptable in a wide range of scenarios.
The vast majority of Australians are concerned about the use of biometric technologies to confirm their identity, according to newly-published research by the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC).
Some 83% of those surveyed were either "extremely concerned", 48.8%, or "somewhat concerned",34.2%, about the protection of their privacy when biometrics were use.
Over 81% of respondents were concerned about being forced to use biometrics without their free consent -- 47.0% were extremely concerned and 34.3% were somewhat concerned -- and 91% were concerned about government surveillance -- 38.2% were extremely concerned and 33.2% were somewhat concerned.
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Chief Executive Officer
Delivering the benefits of digitally enabled healthcare together
Overview
The Australian Digital Health Agency (Agency) is responsible for national digital health services and systems, with a focus on engagement, innovation and clinical quality and safety. The focus is on putting data and technology safely to work for patients, consumers and the healthcare professionals who look after them. Established as a statutory authority in the form of a corporate Commonwealth entity, the Agency reports to State and Territory Health Ministers through the COAG Health Council.
Tasked with improving health outcomes for Australians through the delivery of digital healthcare systems and the national digital health strategy for Australia, the Agency commenced operations on 1 July 2016. The Agency is committed to the delivery of world leading digital health capabilities. Through an open, transparent and collaborative approach, the Agency is working with the health system to drive better health for all Australians, enabled by seamless, safe and secure digital health services and technologies.
Comment: A CEO like this would be an interesting change!
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We can’t keep waiting for social media to grow up
When the Black Saturday bushfire tragedy struck in 2009 Instagram didn’t exist, Twitter was an obscure “microblogging” experiment and Facebook was a fun site for bored university students to poke each other.
So we learned about Black Saturday and formed our views based almost exclusively on traditional media reports — newspapers, television, radio.
This year, millions of Australians and billions more people around the globe, are receiving most or all of their information about the summer bushfire crisis from social media.
This is a seismic shift. And it’s one we need to do a better job of understanding and guiding. On the one hand we should recognise the significant good that would not have been possible in 2009.
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Key safeguard in Australia’s anti-encryption legislation ‘almost meaningless’
Digital Rights Watch’s Lizzie O’Shea says ban on implementing a “systemic weakness” may not protect end users of online service from unintended consequences
Editor, Computerworld | 23 January 2020 12:25 AEDT
One of the key safeguards in a controversial Australian law that is intended to help facilitate police access to encrypted communications is “almost meaningless,” according to a human rights lawyer.
Lizzie O’Shea, a board member of Digital Rights Watch and a 2019 recipient of Access Now’s Human Rights Hero award, says that the legislation’s prohibition on forcing tech companies to introduce a “systemic weakness” into their systems “is almost meaningless”.
The Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Act 2018 (TOLA Act) allows law enforcement agencies to issue Technical Assistance Requests (formal requests for assistance) and Technical Assistance Notices (orders to carry out a certain act), and also allow the government to issue a Technical Capability Notice (a direction to implement a new capability in a product or service).
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The Australian behind Clearview AI, a facial recognition software, says it is being used here
23 January, 2020
Police across the globe are turning to a powerful new tool created by an Australian, facial recognition software called Clearview AI.
Key points:
- Clearview AI was founded by Australian Hoan Ton-That and sells facial recognition technology to police around the world
- The technology uses over 3 billion images of people taken from publicly accessible websites
- Mr Ton-That says the technology is being piloted by customers in Australia
The technology has the potential to alter privacy as we know it, according to Andrew Ferguson, a law professor at American University.
Facial recognition is "going to change the relationship between the people who surveil and the people who are being surveilled," he said.
Founded by Hoan Ton-That, Clearview AI uses a database of 3 billion images, which allows police to use a photo of a suspect to find other images and information about that person from across the internet.
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From breaking TGA regulations to offending patients: 13 social media tips
Copyright breaches, online arguments and illegal advertising are among things to avoid
23rd January 2020
The Pharmacy Guild has updated its social media tips for pharmacists.
Here are 13 things you need to know:
What to avoid on your business page:
- Images of product branding or product names, which may breach the TGA advertising code. Be careful of background signs when taking photos at events.
- Venting at, or criticising, other people. All it takes is one disgruntled acquaintance to screenshot an unprofessional or otherwise inappropriate interaction and share it publicly for your reputation to take a hit.
- Arguments with trolls. Use the abuse-reporting feature on the social media platform instead.
- Copyrighted images (including ones you find on Google). Use reliable free sources, such as Pixabay and MorgueFile.
- Offers of additional discounts on PBS medicines. It’s illegal, with significantly increased penalties for doing so.
- Product testimonials from patients. These may extend beyond the product’s stated purpose — such as a nappy rash cream that cured dandruff. Delete any unsolicited testimonials.
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Unlocking data's potential in health care
By Sharryn Napier, Vice President and Regional Director, ANZ at Qlik
Thursday, 23 January, 2020
Thursday, 23 January, 2020
Data is the lifeblood of every healthcare organisation. In spite of this, there are issues with both the availability of and access to information, which is keeping healthcare organisations from effectively using their data to meaningfully impact lives and improve patient care.
Data analytics is often discussed as the catalyst for change — helping practitioners uncover insights that improve operations, while also increasing care quality and efficiency. But let’s get one thing straight — even if a hospital provides access to the relevant data to every employee today, a lack of data literacy (that is, an individual’s knowledge of how to use and analyse data) will limit its potential. Healthcare organisations must find a cure that will address both data challenges: access to and use of information. The emerging methodology known as DataOps can help on both fronts.
DataOps is a new approach to agile data integration that looks at the challenge from a holistic perspective of people, process and technology. It focuses on improved collaboration and automation of data flows across an organisation. When done correctly, it helps organisations manage and use their data in real time for maximum operational and customer benefit.
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Health Data and it’s Collection, Use, Protection and Disclosure
They say that ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’, but ‘when your apple does fail, a doctor will prevail’. Okay, maybe people don’t say that last part, but it’s nonetheless true. Generally, you might take a visit to the doctors for granted (unless you live in a country without universal healthcare), however as commercial lawyers we do sometimes wonder how well our health data and privacy is protected and what our rights are in the event that these are breached.
For health service providers and practice managers, we recommend that you stay up to date with health data protection legislation and guidelines. This is the case not only for doctors and private hospitals but also extends to pharmacists, dentists, gyms and childcare centres.
Health Data Help
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioners (‘OAIC’) released their Guide to Health Privacy (‘the Guide’) earlier this year.[1] It sets out a handy explanation for health service providers, including doctors and other health professionals, as to what their obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 (‘the Privacy Act’) are as well as tips to ensure they are able to meet those obligations. The Guide has been introduced in the wake of high number of both privacy complaints to the OAIC and notifiable data breaches suffered by health service providers. Since mandatory reporting was introduced in February 2018, the health service provider sector has seen the highest cases of notifiable data breaches. Often, information that health service providers hold about individuals and families are extremely sensitive and could be misused if it falls into the wrong hands.
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Google CEO eyes major opportunity in healthcare, says will protect privacy
By Greg Roumeliotis on Jan 23, 2020 7:00AM
Most potential over the next five to 10 years for using artificial intelligence.
Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Alphabet Inc and its Google subsidiary, said on Wednesday that healthcare offers the biggest potential over the next five to 10 years for using artificial intelligence to improve outcomes, and vowed that the technology giant will heed privacy concerns.
US lawmakers have raised questions about Google's access to the health records of tens of millions of Americans. Ascension, which operates 150 hospitals and more than 50 senior living facilities across the United States, is Google's biggest cloud computing customer in healthcare.
"When we work with hospitals, the data belongs to the hospitals," Pichai told a conference panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
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Wednesday, 22 January 2020 10:40
Science fiction becoming ‘reality’ as advanced technologies start to enhance human beings
Science fiction is becoming a reality as a range of advanced technologies are starting to enhance human beings, with augmented humans one of the key trends identified in 20 predictions for the next 20 years in a new report by KPMG and Australian National University’s 3A Institute.
The report - 20 Predictions for the Next 20 Years - published by a KPMG Innovate team including partner & national leader James Mabbott - says that 20 years on from The Matrix (film), brain computer interfaces (BCI) are already being trialled, with Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Minnesota creating the first-ever successfully mind-controlled robotic arm.
“Changes in our environment, coupled with advances in technology will reshape our world over the next 20 years. In 1990, a mobile phone was a novelty, today we carry mini-computers that enable access to unlimited knowledge and information in our pocket,” says Mabbott.
“In a world where corporate leaders are often forced to focus on short-term objectives, this report aims to start conversations amongst business leaders, to foster the blue sky thinking Australian businesses need if they are to successfully navigate the challenges of the future,” Mabbott added.
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Did the ADHA just subtly reset its agenda?
January 21, 2020
Yesterday the ADHA announced that yet to be decided standards for secure messaging will in future be mandatory for government procurement, a stake in the ground, which although maybe a long way off, may belie an organisation rapidly changing tack beneath the waterline on its previous obsessions with the My Health Record and secure messaging
This week’s press release from the ADHA on secure messaging announced in carefully phrased and at times not easy to decipher wording that at a time somewhere in the future, standards for secure messaging, which are yet to be developed, will be mandatory in the procurement of ‘applicable systems’.
In the context of all of the events of last year at the ADHA, including much up front attempted work on sorting secure messaging, and of course, ‘opt out’ the announcement felt slightly odd.
But careful wording or not, and the fact that there was no date on when in the future this might happen, the release is a pretty important stake in the ground for the ADHA.
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CEO ADHA: Apply here
January 22, 2020
The recruitment process for a new Australian Digital Health Agency CEO started in earnest this week with this ad from search firm Watermark. What are we to expect of this process and are there any alternative means of sorting out ADHA leadership?
The recruitment process for a new Australian Digital Health Agency CEO started in earnest this week with this ad from search firm Watermark. Given that digital health transformation is starting to unfold far more impactfully, the false start by NHETA on the My Health Record, and the at times controversial tenure of the charasmatic and visionary outgoing CEO, Tim Kelsey, this recruitment process might just be one of the most important in the next few years for our entire health system.
The first thing that strikes you about this initial ad is, well, nothing. It’s the same ad as you might have had for Kelsey. It’s a vanilla superman leader wanted ad. We need an experienced digital health leader who is charasmatic, visionary, a doer, with a proven track record of some sort.
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The social media pile-on taps into ancient instinct for scapegoating
By Joel Hodge
January 21, 2020 — 11.34pm
Social media is a forum that is susceptible to the worst forms of human communication and behaviour – abuse, disparagement, harassment, exclusion, conflict and more. These constitute or lead to various forms of violence.
The most recent example seems to be the tragic death of Wilson Gavin which was proceeded by a protest at a Brisbane library, leading to a large amount of online abuse. The type and volume of online abuse reported by various media outlets was shocking.
How can we explain such behaviour? There are two interrelated reasons. The first is because scapegoating is endemic to human groups. A "pile-on" creates a great deal of social unity and personal satisfaction. In order to relieve their own interior and social tensions, humans target and blame others. Violence against a scapegoat produces a tremendous "high", resulting in an intense sense of solidarity with one's group.
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The Government Knows What Porn You Like, Now They Want To Watch You Enjoying It
Joshua Badge21 January 2020
Chances are you’ve noticed that Australia is rapidly becoming a dystopian hellscape. The government is prosecuting people who testify about Australia’s illegal activity, raiding journalists and threatening them with prison time.
Fair to say that this is all Very Bad™ but that’s all House of Cards stuff and doesn’t affect you, right? Well, there’s more. The government passed new laws forcing tech companies and websites to help hack your devices and is trying to spy on your emails, texts and bank records.
Of course, this is in addition to Australia’s system of mass surveillance, and now there’s a face recognition database in the works…
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Deepfakes pose challenge for US presidential elections
Artificial intelligence and deepfakes — machine learning creating fake likenesses of people — are shaping up as defining issues in the upcoming 2020 US election, according to Intel's senior director of AI product marketing Alexis Crowell.
Speaking to The Australian at the CES gadget show in Las Vegas, Ms Crowell said the tech industry had “learned how to walk after a lot of stumbling” when it came to AI, but that it had a mammoth challenge ahead of it this year with the US election.
“It's going to be an interesting year to watch how AI plays out,” she said. “Deepfakes and generative adversarial networks (GANs) and what they could do to fake editorials and fake video content will be huge themes. We've seen it with things like Brexit too.
“I don't think AI is going anywhere but up in terms of how pervasive it is.
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Message from Agency CEO, Tim Kelsey
20 December 2019: CEO reflections on the milestones that the Australian Digital Health Agency has helped to bring into realisation. ADHA Propaganda
Dear colleagues,
I wanted to highlight some of our collective achievements in digital health in 2019 – testimony to the hard work, commitment and professionalism of everyone involved.
- New My Health Record statistics were published this week, providing more accessible, granular insights into activity and use. 22.65 million Australians have a My Health Record and more than half of them now have data in their record. The use of My Health Record by healthcare providers has also increased substantially since March this year. Pharmacies are currently the biggest contributors, uploading between 4 to 5 million documents every month, with GPs not too far behind – uploading between 2 to 3 million documents every month. There has been more than 140% growth of healthcare providers sharing and collaborating on patient information, with both viewing and uploading information close to equal. Here is an article from the Australian Journal of Pharmacy.
- Path and DI connections continue across Australia resulting in increases in the number of reports uploaded. Recent connections include PathWest, the government pathology service in WA, and Melbourne Pathology, which has collection centres across the city and regional Victoria. Global Diagnostics in regional WA will announce its connection soon. At the end of November there were 505 diagnostic imaging connections, or 34% of practices, and 338 pathology laboratory connections or 77% of practices.
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3 case studies on GPs using social media - and 10 steps for handling an online crisis
Ms Heusler is the director of Heusler Public Relations in Sydney, NSW.
21st January 2020
The success, or failure, of managing social media is predicated on one factor: communication skills.
Engaging in social media can be manna from heaven for practice growth and profile building — or a futile and risky dance with the digital devil.
Simply, social media is a medium for communication, just like television, radio, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, a sandwich board, email, a blog or the humble telephone.
Communicating via these channels was traditionally undertaken by professionals with experience in the disciplines of advertising, marketing and public relations.
However, social media has no barrier to entry and anyone can send out mass communications via the likes of Facebook and Twitter. This creates a host of pitfalls, especially for professionals like doctors, who are using the platforms to market their practice and build a profile.
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Patients and doctors shunning My Health Record
20th January, 2020
The usefulness of My Health Record has been called into question, with only a minority of doctors and patients accessing the records.
The $1.7 billion federal scheme allows patients and their healthcare providers to view their health information online.
It’s been revealed that of the 23 million Australians that have a My Health Record, more than 90 per cent have never accessed it.
Terminal cancer patient Michael Higgins told The Sydney Morning Herald he was shocked to discover his online record hadn’t even been updated with his cancer diagnosis.
But Chief Medical Adviser at the Australian Digital Health Agency, Professor Meredith Makeham, has defended the system, telling Deb Knight it’s working the way it should.
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Monday, 20 January 2020 10:48
ACMA seeks feedback on ways that businesses influence broadcast news
The Australian Communications and Media Authority is examining changes that have come about in commercial news broadcasts due to digital disruption, following studies in 2019 that showed about 80% of adults were concerned about large advertisers influencing the type and content of news.
The ACMA issued the statement on Friday, along with a discussion paper titled "Impartiality and commercial influence in broadcast news".
The ACMA is seeking comments from the public on the discussion paper by 28 February.
ACMA chair Nerida O’Loughlin said the organisation would examine whether current regulatory arrangements were fit for purpose.
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3 reasons you can’t fight facial recognition
The biometric backlash is but a brief blip. Resistance is futile. You WILL be identified. But is that good or bad?
Contributing Columnist, | January 17, 2020
Back in the day -- by which I mean a period starting with the emergence of homo sapiens around 500,000 years ago until the day before yesterday -- it was possible for humans to walk around in society completely unrecognized and without any record of them having been there.
At some point in the future, it will be impossible to drive, shop, walk, go to work or function without being recognized by machines that will permanently record the fact of your presence in that place at that time.
Right now, we're in transition between the world of anonymous living and the always-recognized future.
Is the future a biometric convenience and security utopia? Or Orwellian nightmare. The answer is: Yes.
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Technology is reshaping modern medicine
Author Michael Collins
19 January 2020
But ethical and economic challenges could limit the benefits medtech brings to healthcare.
The Nobel Prize in Medicine 2019 was awarded to three men for “their discoveries of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability”. The Nobel Prize in Medicine 2018 was given to two men “for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation”. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2017 went to a trio for developing “cool microscope technology” that “revolutionises biochemistry” by allowing researchers to study three-dimensional structures of biomolecules in their search for a cure for the Zika and other viruses. One of the three chemistry winners of 2017, Joachim Frank of the US, said at the time that he “thought the chance of winning a Nobel Prize was minuscule because there are so many innovations and discoveries happening”.
Frank is still right about that. Technological leaps in medicine dubbed medtech are accelerating as researchers find better ways to treat more diseases, in more ways, for more people. Advances are occurring in biotechnology, immunotherapy, surgery, and foetal and neonatal care to name just some areas. Artificial-intelligence software trained on data from digitalised health records and devices can spot problems faster and more reliably than can humans. HCA Healthcare, the largest for-profit hospital operator in the US, for instance, now uses algorithms trained on 31 million cases to detect the sepsis infection that kills about 270,000 people a year in the US.
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Comments more than welcome!
David.
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