Here are a few I have come across the last week or so. Note: Each link is followed by a title and a few paragraphs. For the full article click on the link above title of the article. Note also that full access to some links may require site registration or subscription payment.
General Comment
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Not a very busy week but a fair bit of commentary on the #myHealthRecord and its ongoing status.
Amazing bit of news that ADHA is now funding ½ hour one-on-one educational sessions at, at least, one regional library. They clearly have more money than sense!
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April 22 2021 - 6:00AM
ACT digital health record project on fast track due to COVID-19 vaccine rollout
People eligible under phases 1a and 1b of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign are also the first to be included in the ACT's new Digital Health Record project, which has been fast-tracked ahead of its previous projected 2022-23 completion date.
Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the ACT's provider and partner in the project, global health software company Epic, had worked with ACT Health in harnessing the technology "to book appointments, guide nurses through pre-vaccine checklists, record vaccination details, report to the Australian Immunisation Register and provide digital confirmation to consumers about their vaccination status".
"Soon, eligible Canberrans will be able to make their own [vaccination hub] bookings ... and access their vaccine-related activity through the secure MyDHR [My Digital Health Record] web portal," she said.
"When the full Digital Health Record is implemented, the portal will provide direct patient access to information and help consumers to make appointments and manage their interaction with ACT government health services."
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South Australia implements real-time prescription monitoring system
It is the second state in Australia to introduce an initiative that enables monitoring of high-risk medicines.
April 18, 2021 10:00 PM
ScriptCheckSA, a real-time prescription monitoring system, was introduced earlier this month in South Australia. The system provides doctors and pharmacists with information about a patient’s history and use of controlled medicines, aiding them in decision-making when it comes to prescribing or dispensing such medicines.
WHY IT MATTERS
ScriptCheckSA can help mitigate "doctor shopping", or visiting different doctors to get the same prescription for a controlled medicine.
“Prescription drug dependence and misuse are a major public health concern. Nation-wide, the supply of prescription medicines is increasing, as is the rate of overdose and accidental death," said Minister for Health and Wellbeing Stephen Wade in a statement.
Minister Wade clarified that the monitoring scheme will not limit people’s access to their medications but instead identify those who might be abusing high-risk medications. When alerted by the system, clinicians may ask their patients for more details about their prescription use; discuss potential risks; and suggest alternative options or more specialised care.
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A message from our Managing Director
With 2021 now well underway I hope the vaccine
rollout and easing of lockdowns brings everyone working in healthcare some
well-earned rest and time with family and friends. At least half of our
colleagues in the UK are now vaccinated and we are very excited for them as
they start to emerge from lockdown in a steady manner.
The first half of the year has been a busy one for Alcidion. We announced our acquisition
of ExtraMed, a UK software company specialising in patient flow
solutions. Together, Alcidion and ExtraMed create a new market leader in the UK
for patient flow and command centre communications. We are delighted to welcome
the ExtraMed customers and the highly experienced ExtraMed team as we continue
to transform the delivery of healthcare with smart technology solutions. I
believe together we have a very compelling and differentiated offer, and I am
looking forward to seeing what we can achieve. It was fantastic to get the
Electronic Medications Management contract signed
with the Te Manawa Taki region in New Zealand and the Patientrack and Smartpage agreement with East
Lancashire NHS Trust, United Kingdom last month. I am
so excited about the impact we can make with these solutions and further prove
the opportunities for our solutions to improve the delivery of healthcare
through supporting clinicians.
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Existing relationship muddle 'no excuse' for MBS telehealth errors, officials say
The Department of Health says it wants to hear back from all 400 GPs who were sent compliance letters over their telehealth claims
21st April 2021
Ignorance over Medicare’s existing relationship rules for MBS telehealth items cannot be used by GPs as a defence to inappropriate billing, the Department of Health has warned.
Some 400 GPs are being asked by to review their claims for the items over the previous nine months.
Many doctors had understood that it was legitimate to claim telehealth items for consulting with patients more than 12 months after the last face-to-face consult, providing that the initial telehealth consult was within the 12 months.
But the department says this is wrong and that all telehealth consults have to be within 12 months of a face-to-face consult.
On Tuesday, it said GPs would be expected to repay inappropriate claims they had identified.
“While a mistake or lack of awareness of legal responsibilities is not an excuse, the department will work with the GP to identify a way that non-compliance can be resolved,” it added.
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My Health Record cyber chief takes flight to Airservices Australia
By Justin Hendry on Apr 23, 2021 12:55PM
Departs Australian Digital Health Agency after four years.
The Australian Digital Health Agency has lost its chief information security officer of four years, Anthony Kitzelmann, to Airservices Australia.
Kitzelmann, who joined the government agency in charge of the country’s $2 billion My Health Record system back in February 2017, announced his move on LinkedIn.
“The last week has been a mixture of bitter and sweet experiences as I said farewell to my awesome team at the ADHA and headed over to start a new role heading up cyber at Airservices Australia,” he said.
“I am looking forward to the challenges ahead, as I work with my new colleagues to build a world class cyber program supporting the business.”
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Software Developer Community Announcement
Electronic Prescribing
Technical Framework Documents
The Australian Digital Health Agency has released an update to the technical framework information to support software providers implement electronic prescribing. This update aligns with the revision to the Electronic Prescribing Conformance Profile (v3.0) published on 16 April 2021.
This update includes revision to the:
- Electronic Prescribing Conformance Test Specifications.
These Conformance Test Specifications are recognised as Version 3.0. Changes include the following important inclusions:
- Additions and changes throughout to align with conformance requirements in Electronic Prescribing Conformance Profile v3.0.
Required action
Software providers developing software products with electronic prescribing functionality are required to demonstrate conformance to Electronic Prescribing Conformance Profile v3.0 by observed test against the Electronic Prescribing Conformance Test Specifications.
More Information
For a more detailed description of the end product and its
components, please refer to the:
DH-3460:2021 Electronic Prescribing - Conformance Test
Specifications - Release Note v3.0
or for additional resources via the Electronic Prescribing Homepage.
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Usage of social media by older Australians doubled in 2020
Latest research by Australian Communications and Media Authority revealed during COVID, older Australians doubled their use of social media in June 2020, compared to the previous year.
By Aimee Chanthadavong | April 22, 2021 -- 06:03 GMT (16:03 AEST) | Topic: Mobility
Older Australians aged 75 and over are using digital communication tools, including social media apps, more than ever before, according to new research from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
ACMA's Communications and Media in Australia: How we communicate
interactive report
showed that the use of social media by people aged 75 and over doubled from 18%
to 41% year-on-year to June 2020, which the report attributed to Australia's COVID-19 restrictions.
For the same age group, emailing also increased significantly from 37% in 2019 to 81% in 2020. Calls made using a mobile phone also increased for that aged group from 74% to 94%.
"The digital divide between younger and older Australians has narrowed, with this trend accelerated by the desire to maintain contact with friends and family during lockdowns," ACMA chair Nerida O'Loughlin said.
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April 20 2021 - 4:00PM
Ballarat North Neighbourhood House passing on digital health literacy skills
The Ballarat North Neighbourhood House is helping the city's residents, young and old, access important information through their digital health literacy programs.
Last year, the neighbourhood house was one of 71 organisations selected by Good Things Foundation Australia to teach digital health literacy skills through the Health My Way program.
Through the program, funded by the Australian Digital Health Agency, the foundation trained and resourced 232 digital health mentors and directly supported more than 3000 people to improve their skills.
While the program is open to people of all ages, it is especially helpful for older people who may be less tech-savvy than others and ties in to the organisation's other literacy programs, with classes teaching older people how to use certain devices or apps tying into classes about how to use government apps such as myGov or My Health Record to manage their pension or healthcare services.
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https://wildhealth.net.au/do-ai-doctors-dream-of-electric-patients/
22 April 2021
Do AI doctors dream of electric patients?
Doctors may not be able to discern inaccurate advice coming from clinical artificial intelligence tools, raising questions over how to tackle automation bias in the treatment room.
As the variety of applications for AI increased, the data-intensive healthcare field was becoming a hotbed for new uses, with medical software giant Cerner already providing several AI-based clinical decision-support programs.
According to a recent study published in Nature, AI technology for use in healthcare settings needed to be created with the aim of increasing physician-computer collaboration rather than the use of AI, which works as a substitute decision-maker.
The study, led by MIT researchers Susanne Gaube and Harini Suresh, compared how a trial group made up of roughly 260 radiologists and internal medicine doctors responded to inaccurate advice when given by a colleague, as opposed to inaccurate advice given by AI.
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More than half of Australian businesses disrupted by cyber attacks
Max Mason Senior reporter
Apr 23, 2021 – 3.49pm
More than half of businesses hit by ransomware cyber attacks paid their attackers, but a quarter of those did not get their data returned, according to a new report on cyber security.
More than half of Australian businesses were hit by attacks on their computer systems in the past 12 months, losing on average four days of productivity in attempts to get back online.
Ransomware attacks shot up in 2020, with 64 per cent of local businesses experiencing disruption, up from 48 per cent in the previous year, a new report from cyber security firm Mimecast has found.
The local statistics were collated from a global report which spoke to 1250 cyber security and technology executives in 10 countries, including Australia, the US and Britain.
Mimecast country manager for Australia Nick Lennon said the past 12 months was a tipping point for the digital workforce.
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https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/561559/National-health-service-to-deliver-interoperable-IT-systems-.htm
National health service to deliver interoperable IT systems
Tuesday, 20 April 2021
NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth
The government’s sweeping reforms of New Zealand’s health and disability system will encourage innovation and integration and ensure patient information is shared across the country, Health Minister Andrew Little says.
Andrew Little announced on April 21 that the government is scrapping all 20 District Health Boards and replacing them with a “truly national health service”.
The country’s hospitals and commissioning primary and community health services will be run by a new Crown entity, Health New Zealand (Health NZ).
This single entity will, “be able to plan for things like IT systems that talk to each other”, he said.
Little described use of technology in health is as “an area long overdue for attention”.
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WA Health pilots SAP SuccessFactors, UKG for state-wide workforce system
By Justin Hendry on Apr 21, 2021 6:50AM
Deloitte selected for proof-of-concept.
WA Health has selected Deloitte to trial a new SAP and UKG-based integrated HR, payroll and rostering solution at three of the state’s metropolitan and regional public hospitals.
The department invited the consulting giant to undertake proof-of-concept testing last week under a second stage of the government’s $8.5 million search for a new state-wide human resource management information system (HRMIS).
It follows a six-month procurement for an integrated solution to serve its 50,000-strong workforce, a key recommendation in the governments sustainable health review.
The 2019 review called for widespread IT reform across the health system, including replacing four ageing HR, payroll and rostering applications with a single workforce system.
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https://wildhealth.net.au/st-george-hospital-implements-mybeepr-for-clinical-collaboration/
22 April 2021
ST GEORGE HOSPITAL IMPLEMENTS MYBEEPR FOR CLINICAL COLLABORATION
Background
Healthcare staff at St George Hospital were amongst many in NSW faced with challenges in utilising effective communication platforms. As a result, staff had resorted to using personal smartphone devices and social media platforms to communicate.
The mobile application was developed by colorectal surgeon Vikram Balakrishnan and entrepreneurs Kruti Balakrishnan and Krupa Bhagani in 2016 to improve communication between healthcare professionals.
“In 2016 we conducted research, interviewing hundreds of doctors across NSW and Victoria”, says Dr Balakrishnan, colorectal surgeon, Founder and CEO of myBeepr. “Our findings were that >95% medical staff were using their smartphones for work related purposes and 84.5% were using WhatsApp to communicate. Most importantly, hospitals and staff wanted one thing – a single platform that solves many problems.”
What is myBeepr?
myBeepr is an Australian made healthcare customised clinical collaboration platform. The mobile application allows staff to create individual and group chats, conduct role-based messaging, manage tasks, access a live hospital roster, manage on-call and transmit secure clinical photos. myBeepr completed an integration into eHealth NSWs’ state-wide active directory, ensuring seamless access and authentication for all staff at St George.
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Australian startups team up to provide telehealth solution to aboriginal groups
Thiru Gunasegaran | 22 Apr 2021
Practice Innovators International, provider of telehealth service GPNow, has teamed up with health management platform Wanngi to launch a private telehealth service for Australia's aboriginal communities.
WHAT IT DOES
Through GPNow, medical professionals certified by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency will provide virtual consultations. Users can leverage Wanggi's platform to securely store information such as their chronic health conditions, medications, and immunisations.
WHY IT MATTERS
Many aboriginal people experience poorer health and greater mortality than other Australians. Closing the gap in health and life expectancy between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians is a national priority for the government. Telehealth services can help improve access to much-needed healthcare for such communities.
THE LARGER TREND
PII Australia established a private telehealth service for Spinal Cord Injuries Australia (SCIA) last year. The service helped SCIA clients stay connected with their therapists during the pandemic-driven nationwide lockdown.
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https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/my-digital-health-record-niddrie-tickets-151922495273
May 18 2021
My Digital Health Record (Niddrie)
Actions and Detail Panel
Event Information
Make a 30 minute appointment to learn about 'My Health Record', a digitised database to store and manage your health records.
About this Event
Book a 30-minute one-on-one session to support you through creating and navigating a My Health Record account. This centralised database stores your health information for you and your medical professionals to access. A MyGov account will be required to set up My Health Record. You are welcome to discuss any privacy issues or concerns about the initiative also.
Free, bookings necessary.
Please contact library staff in person or call 9243 1925 if you require access for a wheelchair or disability scooter before attending an event so that we can ensure appropriate seating is arranged.
Moonee Valley Libraries uses Eventbrite for all event bookings. When booking, you will be required to provide your name and contact details. The Eventbrite privacy policy can be found via the Privacy link at the bottom of the page.
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Training for the future of digital medicine
By Dr Andrew Baird* and Dr Silvia Pfeiffer^
Wednesday, 21 April, 2021
We delve into how training and technology must evolve to equip the healthcare practitioners of today and tomorrow with the skills and knowledge they need to support patients in our digitised world.
The evolution of digital medicine, which was quickly rolled out and accelerated in response to the pandemic, has transformed the healthcare industry as we know it. Overnight, healthcare practitioners were forced to find alternative ways to provide care for patients as conducting in-person appointments became too risky.
While many have contemplated the potential of telehealth services for years, a lack of financial reimbursements, infrastructure and accessibility hindered widespread implementation. During the pandemic priorities dramatically shifted, allowing telehealth to prove its value to the industry. The uptake during this period has been significant, with nearly 30% of GP consultations being conducted by telehealth either via phone (28%) or video (0.8%).
Healthcare practices are now facing a new challenge — ensuring their doctors, nurses and allied health professionals have the skills and tools to provide the same level of care via telehealth as the patient would receive from in-person care. In order to achieve this, Medicare states that video telehealth is the preferable method for non-in-person consultations.
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Digital health to drive workforce reform
Tuesday, 20 April, 2021
The Australasian Institute of Digital Health (AIDH) has launched a workforce-focused strategic plan, calling on its 2000+ members —including global and national leaders in digital health — to act as a voice for the future of the health system and drive reform in the health workforce.
“The institute will be strongly advocating to maintain the momentum in digital delivery achieved in the COVID response,” AIDH CEO Dr Louise Schaper said. “There is an opportunity to make generational changes in health care if we empower the health workforce today.”
Dr Schaper said there had been leaps forward during the pandemic, with the greatest advances in telehealth and virtual care — the institute wants to see this progress embedded.
“Rolling back on telehealth, which leapt to public attention during the pandemic, is a mistake and there is a risk public confidence and momentum in digital health delivery will be lost,” she said.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/rsps-fork-out-to-keep-high-speed-nbn-customers-on-the-books-563599
RSPs fork out to keep high-speed NBN customers on the books
By Ry Crozier on Apr 22, 2021 11:59AM
Half-year of discounted broadband puts retailers in a tight spot.
NBN retailers are choosing to pay from their own pockets to keep existing high-speed customers happy - or to lure such customers away from rivals - by matching a steeply discounted price offer not meant for either customer type.
The commercial response to NBN Co’s temporary 'Focus on Fast' rebate scheme - which has led to temporary price cuts on 100Mbps and above plans, but only for new sign-ups and upgraders from lower speed tiers - raises yet more questions about the scheme's design.
Questions about the design of the 'Focus on Fast' scheme were first raised last week when Aussie Broadband revealed it was seeing some churn to Superloop from existing high-speed - but price-sensitive - customers wanting to access the discounted price deal.
It was not clear at the time if a customer churning a high-speed service from one provider to another would even qualify for the NBN rebate.
NBN Co has since confirmed to iTnews that this situation does not qualify for reimbursement.
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NASA’s Mars helicopter takes flight in ‘Wright Brothers moment’
Marcia Dunn
Apr 20, 2021 – 7.42am
Cape Canaveral | NASA’s experimental helicopter Ingenuity rose into the thin air above the dusty red surface of Mars on Monday, achieving the first powered flight by an aircraft on another planet.
The triumph was hailed as a Wright Brothers moment. The mini 1.8-kilogram copter even carried a bit of wing fabric from the 1903 Wright Flyer, which made similar history at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
“Altimeter data confirms that Ingenuity has performed its first flight, the first flight of a powered aircraft on another planet,” said the helicopter’s chief pilot back on Earth, Havard Grip, his voice breaking as his teammates erupted in applause.
It was a brief hop – just 39 seconds – but accomplished all the big milestones.
Project manager MiMi Aung was jubilant as she ripped up the papers holding the plan in case the flight had failed. “We’ve been talking so long about our Wright Brothers moment, and here it is,” she said.
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Enjoy!
David.
5 comments:
Wish the former ADHA CISO all the best with his move to Airservices. His tenure at ADHA was probably one of the few success stories.
ACT MyDHR - I think they have just made an enormous error in judgement, communications and planning.
The ACT Health project does seem to be jumping on the COVID bandwagon, perhaps so they are invited to all the hip round tables? This is fast becoming the new “leading transformation” or it predicessor change and adoption, which historically have a 70-85% failure rate.
A timely reminder for those designing, deploying and operating digital health.
UnitingCare Queensland hit by cyber attack - event occurred Sunday.
Have you seen this: "Aviation experts say advances in technology will lead to further centralisation of Australia’s air traffic control operations over the coming years without risking air safety"
Aviation and Healthcare have (at least) two things in common. They have to be capable of operating in times of emergency. Having a centralised system makes resilience and reliability very difficult because of the points of failure, including those of cyber attacks.
It is much better (essential?) that the architecture has a significant distributed capability so that local operations are better protected from system failures and/or attacks.
Building a hybrid system (e.g. distributed + centralised) becomes much more expensive than an interconnected, distributed. system.
Which is why the PCEHR was designed that way but not built that way.
Dumb project managers and bureaucrats decided that a quiet change to the design that did not deliver what was essential, was preferable to admitting that what was design edthey couldn't build.
The replatforming architecture is designed to be centralised. Bad ideas, like a bad smell, have a tendency to linger.
Agree Bernard except for your blame allocation to ‘dumb project managers’ the project managers do not make these decisions that is undertaken further up the governance hierarchy, supported by guidance by ladder claiming pretentious flag waving wannabe architects and business analysts who think they are tech writers.
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