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This weekly blog is to explore the news around 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 were dated 6 December, 2018 and we have seen none since!
It is worth pointing out that it was only in last little while ( beginning end July 2020 ) the ADHA took down the notification regarding the most recent minutes notification. Embarrassed I guess – as they should be! I wonder will the new CEO make a difference?
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://www.ahes.org.au/event/variations-in-healthcare-workshop/
Variations in Healthcare workshop
October 19 @ 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
The Centre for Health Economics (CHE) at Monash University is hosting a one-day online workshop bringing together academics, practitioners, government and private sector experts in the following themed sessions:
Time: 9.00am to 11.15am
- Session 1: Variations in clinical practice and treatment style
Efficiency and low-value care in the Australian health sector
- Session 2: Decomposition of geographical healthcare variations
in Australia
Health disparities between urban and rural communities, and regional imbalances in the supply of healthcare workers
Time: 3.00pm to 5.00pm
- Session 3: Socioeconomic variations and equity in healthcare
Access, affordability (including the mix of private and public), equity and efficiency of the healthcare system, focusing on supply
- Session 4: Health technology and its implications for
healthcare variations
How digital health technology has influenced clinical practice and helped to alleviate differences in geographic and socioeconomic access and delivery of healthcare
CALL FOR PAPERS:
PhD students and Early Career Researchers working
in these areas are invited to submit an extended abstract (no more than 500
words). One paper for each session
will be selected for presentation. Priority will be give to papers focusing on
the Australian context, but we also welcome international contributions.Due
date for extended abstracts submission: Sunday 4 October 2020
Notification of acceptance will be made by: Wednesday 7 October 2020
Submit abstract here
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Australians are caring more about data privacy but don't know how to protect themselves
In a survey conducted by the OAIC, 70% of respondents consider the protection of their personal information to be a major concern in their lives.
By Asha Barbaschow | September 24, 2020 -- 02:43 GMT (12:43 AEST) | Topic: Security
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has said data privacy is now the number one consideration for Australians when choosing a digital service, with 97% of those it surveyed saying this factor trumps cost and reliability.
In its 2020 Australian Community Attitudes to Privacy Survey, which was shaped after questioning 2,866 adults, the OAIC said 59% of respondents had experienced problems with how their data was handled in the previous 12 months. The survey was conducted from February to March this year, with additional research performed in early April.
The report [PDF] said 70% of respondents considered the protection of their personal information to be a major concern in their lives. Identify theft and fraud was the biggest privacy risk identified, with 76% of respondents pointing to this as a major concern. The category of data security and data breaches was second, with 61%; digital services, including social media sites sat at 58%; smartphone apps at 49%; and surveillance by foreign entities was flagged as a major concern by 35% of respondents, while that figure was 26% when they were asked about Australian entities.
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Review of the My Health Records legislation
Closes 21 Oct 2020
Opened 25 Sep 2020
Contact
MHRlegislationreview@health.gov.au
Overview
We're seeking feedback on how we can improve the legislation that underpins the My Health Record system.
This is part of a review to improve the legislation, including to:
- better support patients accessing multiple health care providers
- reduce duplication of treatment
- avoid adverse health events
- actively involve patients in their own health care.
Professor John McMillan AO who leads the review welcomes input from all interested parties to understand to what extent the Act (including its rules and regulations) is supporting the operation of the My Health Record system.
This review is required under the My Health Records Act 2012.
Your feedback will help Professor McMillan develop a final report to the Minister for Health, due to be delivered by December 2020.
Read more about My Health Record.
A link to the consultation paper can be found below. Feedback through this consultation process can be provided to one, some or all of the questions.
Why We Are Consulting
The purpose of this consultation is to seek stakeholder and community feedback on the consultation paper. The contribution of diverse perspectives, experiences and knowledge of all stakeholders and interested members of the community are valued and respected.
Related
- My Health Record Consultation Paper 614.5 KB (PDF document)
- My Health Record legislation review Frequently Asked Questions 578.5 KB (PDF document)
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NBN v 5G: The broadband battle is about to heat up
By Supratim Adhikari and Zoe Samios
September 26, 2020 — 12.00am
The idea of the National Broadband Network being made redundant by mobile technology is about to be put to the test as Australian telcos get their skates on to offer customers 5G-powered alternatives to the NBN.
NBN Co's $3.5 billion fibre upgrade plan, announced to much fanfare this week, adds more fuel to the fire. Far from being a pipe dream, the likes of Telstra, TPG and Optus are confident they can use 5G technology to lure a significant chunk of homes away from the NBN.
Just how big a slice the telcos end up stealing from NBN Co will come down to price. Not just the price charged for 5G services by the telcos but also the bitterly contested wholesale price the telcos have to pay to NBN Co to resell fixed-line NBN plans.
Critics of the NBN have long touted fixed wireless broadband, delivered via signals beamed from mobile towers to equipment attached to homes, as a viable alternative to the NBN. And the local telcos have already shown what's possible, at least in lab conditions.
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Consumers want compensation when their privacy is breached
Tom Burton Government editor
Sep 24, 2020 – 12.00am
Four out of five people want compensation for breaches of privacy, according to a government survey which found widespread consumer concern about data misuse and the lack of protections.
The survey found 83 per cent wanted more data protection from the government, raising expectations for a consumer privacy right as part of a major review of the Privacy Act.
The survey, commissioned by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), found widespread anxiety about identity theft, misuse of location data, and privacy risks with social media.
The survey found data breaches of security is now the top order concern for Australians with 84 per cent considering privacy extremely or very important when choosing a digital service.
The online survey of 1500 respondents was carried out this year and is the latest in a 20-year longitudinal series on consumer privacy sentiment. The survey comes as the government is soon to announce the terms of reference for a much-awaited review of the Privacy Act.
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Australians flexible on pandemic data
Some 60 per cent of Australians believe privacy concessions should be made to help fight COVID-19.
A new study also has found that Australians are more worried about the protection of their location information ahead of medical information in the pandemic. That’s one of hundreds of findings in a 120-page report on Australian’s attitude to privacy in 2020.
However a majority believes the increased use of people’s personal information during the pandemic shouldn’t be permanent.
The survey of community attitudes was commissioned by the Information Commissioner’s office before the pandemic in February and March, but data was added in April to measure changing attitudes with COVID-19. Some 2866 people took part.
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'Dramatic change': Ex-NBN Co executive says 5G is behind government NBN upgrade
By Zoe Samios and Lisa Visentin
September 23, 2020 — 9.13pm
Former NBN Co chief technology officer Gary McLaren has said a multimillion-dollar upgrade to the national broadband network is a dramatic change to the Morrison government's plans, driven by the commercial threat caused by 5G wireless services.
The plan, announced on Wednesday, will see $3.5 billion in funding used to provide around 6 million households with the option of accessing ultra fast internet speeds, including providing fibre-to-the-home connections at no charge to those customers who purchased high speed plans.
Communications Minister Paul Fletcher billed the $4.5 billion upgrade of the network, which includes a major rollout of new fibre cables along residential streets passing two million homes, not as a drastic change but the "logical next step in the evolution of the network".
But Mr McLaren said "it was only two years ago that [then-communications minister] Mitch Fifield said, based on some research, that 98 per cent of Australians would be happy with 50 megabits per second until 2026".
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Arrests over 'extremely sophisticated' bulk SMS scam that targeted thousands
By Fergus Hunter
September 24, 2020 — 12.00am
Police have arrested two men over an alleged large-scale SMS fraud operation targeting the identities and bank accounts of tens of thousands of Australians.
The two men are accused of using advanced technology to send out bulk text messages purporting to be from banks and telcos, attempting to trick the recipients into handing over sensitive financial and personal information.
In a joint operation, Australian Federal Police and NSW Police cybercrime teams raided locations in Macquarie Park and Burwood on Tuesday, seizing hundreds of SIM cards, phones, computer hardware and nine "SIM boxes" – valuable devices that can send out messages to tens of thousands of people in one go.
Investigators also seized fake identification documents, $50,000 found in a safe and some methamphetamine.
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https://itwire.com/telecoms-and-nbn/nbn-build-to-bring-major-jobs-boost-to-economy.html
Wednesday, 23 September 2020 15:22
NBN build to bring major jobs boost to economy
The building of the National Broadband Network will create a total of 25,000 jobs across the economy in two years, including almost 10,000 in regional Australia, according to newly released economic impact analysis.
And in addition up to 12,000 new businesses are expected to be created due to the availability of faster Internet across the country, with regional businesses benefitting particularly from cost-effective, business-grade fibre services in new Business Fibre Zones.
NBN Co CEO Stephen Rue referred to the jobs boost estimates by consulting firm AlphaBeta outlining the benefits of the network to national productivity, when delivering the company’s corporate plan and the latest report on network progress at a briefing on Wednesday.
"Economics firm AlphaBeta has calculated that this network investment plan will deliver an estimated incremental 25,000 new jobs over the next two years and an estimated $6.4 billion in additional GDP, annually, from 2024," Rue said.
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https://www.afr.com/world/north-america/facebook-failed-to-limit-qanon-20200922-p55xy8
Facebook failed to limit QAnon
Sheera Frenkel and Tiffany Hsu
Sep 22, 2020 – 9.30am
Oakland, California | Last month, Facebook said it was cracking down on activity tied to QAnon, a vast conspiracy theory that falsely claims that a satanic cabal runs the world, as well as other potentially violent extremist movements.
Since then, a militia movement on Facebook that called for armed conflict on the streets of US cities has gained thousands of new followers. A QAnon Facebook group has also added hundreds of new followers while questioning common-sense pandemic medical practices, like wearing a mask in public and staying at home while sick. And a campaign that claimed to raise awareness of human trafficking has steered hundreds of thousands of people to conspiracy theory groups and pages on the social network.
Perhaps the most jarring part? At times, Facebook's own recommendation engine — the algorithm that surfaces content for people on the site — has pushed users toward the very groups that were discussing QAnon conspiracies, according to research conducted by The New York Times, despite assurances from the company that that would not happen.
None of this was supposed to take place under new Facebook rules targeting QAnon and other extremist movements.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/details-of-nbn-cos-3bn-fttn-upgrade-are-still-undecided-553755
Details of NBN Co's $3bn FTTN upgrade are still undecided
By Ry Crozier on Sep 23, 2020 12:31PM
Industry yet to be consulted.
A $3 billion plan to upgrade half of the NBN fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) network to full fibre still needs to be put to industry consultation, where finer details of the offer will be determined.
The government unveiled the upgrade plan on Wednesday morning, saying that FTTN users would need to order an unspecified “higher speed plan” to then apply for a last-mile fibre upgrade.
The terms and conditions of the government’s offer were immediately unclear - but that is because they are yet to be decided.
iTnews has learned that the upgrade program is yet to be consulted on with retail service providers (RSPs), having been kept confidential until today.
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How printers are increasing the risk of data breaches in hospitals
By Adam O’Neill, Managing
Director, Australia and New Zealand, Y Soft
Wednesday, 16 September, 2020
Thousands of people enter Australian hospitals each day to seek medical help, attend appointments or visit family and friends.1 During 2018 to 2019, 11.5 million people were hospitalised, with patients admitted increasing an average of 3.3% each year.2
Hospitals and healthcare organisations heavily rely on hardcopy files, prescriptions and records. Although digitalisation is occurring, printing remains an important tool for healthcare professionals to review test results, produce prescriptions, provide patients with further information and much more.
A recent report by Quocirca found that 60% of organisations surveyed had experienced at least one data breach due to unsecured printing.3 In Australia, health service providers are the most common victims of data breaches, accounting for 115 of a total of 518 data breaches reported in the period January to June 2020.4 These statistics confirm that hospitals have a high risk of data breaches, which means confidential information can end up in the hands of unauthorised people.
In many cases, hospital printers and multifunction devices are located in areas where members of the public can easily access them. Particularly when healthcare professionals are preoccupied with helping patients, printed documents can be forgotten about and left unattended on printers for potentially hours, putting that information at risk of being read or stolen.
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https://www.afr.com/technology/we-re-finally-getting-the-nbn-we-wanted-all-along-20200922-p55y5i
We’re finally getting the NBN we wanted all along
After all the political infighting, the Coalition has belatedly decided a gold-plated NBN is better than copper after all.
Paul Smith Technology editor
Sep 23, 2020 – 12.00am
The announcement of a fresh $4.5 billion investment in the nation’s broadband infrastructure is a moment that countless Australians have been howling in frustration for since the Coalition tore up Labor’s original plans for a majority fibre to the premise network, back in 2013.
Under the stewardship of Malcolm Turnbull as communications minister and Tony Abbott as prime minister, the government decided that a copper and HFC (cable TV infrastructure) laden multi-technology-mix would be both cheaper and more quickly deployed than the fibre network it frequently described as “gold-plated”.
Plenty of political water has flowed under the bridge since then however, and Communications Minister Paul Fletcher now feels confident enough to suggest that gold-plated is better than copper-plated, and that a full fibre network was part of the plan all along.
Under the new plans, 75 per cent of households will have access to one Gigabit per second (Gbps) speeds by 2023, which is light years ahead of what customers on fibre-to-the-node plans can currently achieve.
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Apple Watch Series 6 gets your blood pumping
Apple has added blood oxygen monitoring to its new series 6 smart watch. The saturation level is generally 95 to 100 per cent in healthy people. However you might suffer from a respiratory or lung condition, or a heart condition, or even COVID-19 if your oxygen level drop significantly.
That’s potentially an extremely serious situation, but should I take the readings seriously? The feature isn’t medically approved, rather it’s a fitness/health measurement typical of many metrics generated by smart watches.
The science behind Apple’s method of measuring blood oxygen level isn’t hard to understand. Arterial blood that’s full of oxygen is bright red, venous blood is dark. Sensors on the back of the watch shine read and infra-red light onto your wrist. It’s then a matter of measuring the blood colour and calibrating it to calculate the percentage of oxygenated haemoglobin.
That, no doubt, is a complex task, similar to what a pulse oximeter achieves.
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Right to privacy a victim of the COVID pandemic
Michael Michalandos
In February this year, Kieran Knight received an email from his employer that he did not like.
It asked him to fill out a survey telling the company if he had recently travelled to any countries listed as “high risk” for COVID-19 by the Australian government, and whether he planned to travel in the near future.
Mr Knight felt that the information his company wanted was private and he refused to provide it.
After a back-and-forth of emails and meetings over a few days, Knight continued to insist that he was not legally obliged to tell his company about his past travel or future travel plans.
His bosses disagreed. They called Knight into a meeting, where they fired him for failing to comply with a “reasonable and lawful direction” — a key test under Australian employment law.
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https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=069aeacb-77a3-476f-b117-2536e77e30b0
$2.9m fine for misleading conduct relating to disclosure of personal information
21 September, 2020
Where misuse of personal information amounts to misleading deceptive conduct under the Australian Consumer Law, the ACCC has shown that it will take action.
Key takeouts
The regulation of dealings with personal information is expanding beyond the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) in circumstances where the dealings amount to misleading or deceptive conduct.
Where the misuse of personal information amounts to a breach of the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), the applicable pecuniary penalties may far exceed those available under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
Consent will only provide a valid authorisation for use and disclosure of personal information where it is consent for the actual activity engaged in.
In August, the Federal Court hit HealthEngine, Australia's largest online medical booking service, with a $2.9 million fine. In this article, we review what happened and draw lessons for organisations that collect personal information from customers and seek their consent for later uses and disclosures of this information.
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Early medical abortion: telehealth restrictions discriminatory
Authored by Cate Swannell
TELEHEALTH restrictions introduced by the federal Department of Health on 20 July 2020 discriminate against women seeking early medical abortion (EMA), making an already hard to access procedure even more out of reach.
Professor Danielle Mazza, Head of the Department of General Practice at Monash University, told InSight+ that telehealth offers an opportunity to address limited access to EMA during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
“Telehealth is an amazing tool to increase equity of access because if you can’t get that service provided to you locally, you can get the service provided to you by another provider in a different geographical location,” Professor Mazza said.
“At the moment, 2317 GPs in Australia are currently registered prescribers of MS2Step (mifepristone and misoprostol), but we think far fewer actually go on to actively prescribe.
“Actually, setting up this service in your practice involves a number of other steps and having the confidence to do it, plus having the support of your colleagues in your practice, the front desk manager and the reception staff.
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https://www.afr.com/technology/why-the-pro-medicus-pathway-is-just-beginning-20200916-p55w59
Why the Pro Medicus pathway is just beginning
Yolanda Redrup Reporter
Sep 21, 2020 – 12.00am
When medical imaging software company Pro Medicus fell more than 45 per cent in March, dropping below $16 amid the COVID-19 market sell-off, Aberdeen Standard Investments' Michelle Lopez knew it was time to buy.
The stock, she says, is one of those that has the potential to be a "compounder" over time, and when a buying opportunity comes up, you take it.
"It got above $35 at one point last year, so it does get expensive when there's a lot of momentum behind it, but you just have to pause and ask what's being priced in," she tells The Australian Financial Review.
"For us, because we have a high conviction view, when it got sub-$20 we were aggressively buying and then paused that when it got back to $20 to $25, and we haven't bought much above that.
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Comments more than welcome!
David.
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