This appeared last week:
More My Health Record apps to help Australians manage their health
26 March, 2020: The Australian Digital Health Agency (the Agency) has today enabled more mobile apps to connect to the My Health Record so that consumers have more choices about the ways they get real time access to their health information.
Australia’s need for a connected healthcare system is now greater than ever. One that’s accessible, progressive and – importantly – secure.
The My Health Record allows consumers and their healthcare providers to access information about their medicines, pathology test results, imaging reports, hospital visits, and summaries of their health status. Consumers can currently access their My Health Record through four mobile apps available through app stores, or through MyGov.
Over 22.7 million Australians now have a My Health Record and these records contain over 1.8 billion documents which are increasing every day. The Agency paused new apps from connecting to the My Health Record during its expansion of the My Health Record to opt-out. At the time, there was significant interest from innovators to offer apps that connected to the My Health Record.
Steven Issa, the Agency’s Chief Digital Officer, said “The security and safety of people’s health information is our priority. We have undertaken a comprehensive review of how apps – and the organisations that offer them – should use the latest security and privacy measures to achieve our confidence that this precious information will be protected. We have now implemented all changes arising from that review.
Australians put their trust in us to use the highest standards to operate the My Health Record, and we are at a point where we are confident that sufficient controls are in place for any new connecting mobile apps.
The ‘Mobile Gateway’ allows a consumer to authenticate to the My Health Record and view the information in their My Health Record, along with other services the app provides.
Mobile apps can provide consumers with new ways to understand and use the information in their My Health Record, and ultimately, to make better informed decisions about staying well or managing their health conditions.”
In reopening the Mobile Gateway, the Agency has added a range of new requirements to connecting apps. This includes clauses in the legal agreement signed by app operators to more explicitly prohibit them from making a copy of system data and using data for any other secondary purpose. This is backed up by civil penalties of up to $315,000, or up to $1.575 million for a body corporate, for an unauthorised collection, use or disclosure of My Health Record information, per offence. Criminal penalties may also apply under the My Health Records Act 2012.
Under the Act, it is also a requirement that any servers and infrastructure used to connect to the system be located within Australia.
The Agency has also put additional obligations on app providers relating to their commercial model, quality processes, company ownership and management, and requirements for independent audit.
The Agency will continue to log and analyse access to the My Health Record system, to ensure those operating apps are remaining compliant with their obligations under the Act and legal agreement with the Agency.
“We appreciate the patience of innovators while we completed our security and privacy review, then implemented additional requirements to even more stringently safeguard Australians’ health information. We’re looking forward to seeing fantastic new apps for consumers to get the full benefits from having a My Health Record. The need to manage our health and receive health services remotely is highlighting the incredibly important role technology can play in meeting the challenge posed by this global pandemic. We are fortunate in Australia that governments and the private sector have invested in health technology and we are now able to use it to get the best outcomes for the country,” Mr Issa said. Register here to receive updates on future collaboration opportunities, to connect to the Mobile Gateway visit the ADHA Developer Centre.
Here is the link:
At present according to this page there are 3 providers of apps to access the myHealthRecord.
See:
This assumes each of these has signed up to the new rules and strictions that have been applied. (It is not clear this page has been updated as it is not dated as it should be.)
These are HealthEngine, Telstra Health and Chamonix.
Tyde used to be in the mix but they relied on the ADHA for their business model and went broke when things changed.
You can read about the debacle here:
Start-up investors slam roll out of 'My Health Record'
Updated
Australian health IT start-up Tyde is the creator of the first consumer-focused app – a single point to access and manage records and appointments that can join the entire family's health records together – for the federal government's My Health Record that is being rolled out by the Australian Digital Health Agency.
All Australians will have a My Health Record created automatically unless they opt out by November 15, which has sparked fears over privacy and safety of health information.
Tyde is now mulling its future after proposed legislative changes to the My Health Record Act, which was highlighted by the Morrison government last week following a Senate inquiry.
In April, Tyde co-founder Romain Bonjean was upbeat about the two-year-old company's future, but things have turned quickly as the government backflipped on allowing Tyde and other third party developers access to personal data with the consent of the individual. The government has also reneged on allowing heath insurers access to personal data with consent, which Mr Bonjean says, is a "disaster" since private health insurers are driving innovation in care coordination.
Tyde is now mulling its future after proposed legislative changes to the My Health Record Act, which was highlighted by the Morrison government last week following a Senate inquiry.
In April, Tyde co-founder Romain Bonjean was upbeat about the two-year-old company's future, but things have turned quickly as the government backflipped on allowing Tyde and other third party developers access to personal data with the consent of the individual. The government has also reneged on allowing heath insurers access to personal data with consent, which Mr Bonjean says, is a "disaster" since private health insurers are driving innovation in care coordination.
Mr Bonjean, who holds a 30 per cent stake in Tyde, said the company's future is at stake following the poor handling by the government. A shareholder meeting is due to take place this week to determine whether Tyde will be wound up.
More here:
The two obvious points are for those who are thinking of investing in an app:
First, don’t rely on Government to play straight and fair.
Second, make sure you have a diversified business model where the Government is only a manageable component.
While all the rules etc. around access seem clear enough can some-one advise us how it is possible to display information in an app without it being able to be captured / recorded – if you really want to and are clever enough?
It will be interesting to see what the demand looks like and if any money can be made by providing access, given that access via myGov is free and you can print information out to take it away!
Of course there is still yet to be an evaluation of just what positive difference having a #myHealthRecord has on your care!
David.
1 comment:
Looking at the Apple App Store feedback, HealthEngine seem not to have learned or mended their ways. I find it strange and unsettling the ADHA continued to allow HealthEngine to be interoperable with the MyHR given the evidence of mishandling personal information and less than trustworthy practices with advertising. Guess talk of rules and fines are BS.
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