Quote Of The Year

Timeless Quotes - Sadly The Late Paul Shetler - "Its not Your Health Record it's a Government Record Of Your Health Information"

or

H. L. Mencken - "For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong."

Sunday, June 06, 2021

There Is Very Little Wonder The ADHA Is So Unaccountable And Just Ignores Most Australian Digital Health Expertise Given Senate Estimates Has Ignored Them For A Year.

As I usually do I looked this week to see what had happened with the Senate Estimates Hearings and questions on the ADHA’s performance and delivery of programs as per its strategy.

It seems to have been a long time since we heard from them. This is the most recent I can find:

https://aushealthit.blogspot.com/2019/11/senate-estimates-community-affairs.html

It is dated October 2019! Don't forget we have not seen Board Notes for at least another year before that. (Mid 2018)

A quick glance at the recent Estimates Program revealed that June 1, 2021 was the day we could expect the ADHA to appear:

Here is the link to the sessions and relevant text:

https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Senate_estimates/ca

Community Affairs

2021–22 Budget estimates

Tuesday, 1 June 2021
Health

Wednesday, 2 June 2021
Health

Program 1 to 4 June 2021 (PDF 204KB)

The Hansard transcripts of both day’s sessions are now available.

The links for the 2 days is  here:

https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Hansard/Estimates_Transcript_Schedule

On both days the ADHA was meant to testify – with these executives attending:

Australian Digital Health Agency

Ms Amanda Cattermole, Chief Executive Officer [by video link]

Mr Steve Momcilovic, Chief Financial Officer

Mr Mal Thatcher, Chief Technology Officer

But no luck – I have searched through the 2 days of testimony and it is clear most of the time has been spent on matters of quarantine, vaccination and the like.

What might they have been asked?

Well things like:

Is the present strategic direction of the ADHA, focused on the #myHR still appropriate?

Where are the cost / benefit studies that justify running and expanding the #myHR?

Where are the statistics showing actual clinical use of the #myHR?

Why is the ADHA spending money running educational sessions on the #myHR for pensioners in Gympie and other such places?

What user satisfaction data on the #myHR for clinicians and patients does the ADHA have?

How do staff satisfaction and turnover rates in the ADHA compare with the APS averages?

Why does the ADHA seem to think Telehealth is an ADHA success?

What has the actual adoption of e-prescribing been over the last few years and how much of the credit belongs to the software providers rather than the ADHA?

Why does the ADHA keep producing obfuscatory press releases on ADHA non-achievements?

You get my drift! There are a lot of answers needed and no chance to ask the questions. This really needs to change on way or another of mistakes will keep being made.

We need some accountability for what is going on I believe!

Feel free to add your own questions!

David.

 

3 comments:

Bernard Robertson-Dunn said...

David,

The original value proposition was that myhr would reduce the fragmentation of health data and save billions of dollars.

That suggests two questions

1. Has its implementation reduced data fragmentation?

2. How much has it reduced the Health budget, or returned to the budget, and spent on other healthcare activities?

In either case, how was it measured?

Juanita said...

Going to the see a doctor these days is like being interviewed by a journalist, you have to start each sentence with "This is off the record" to ensure the consult is confidential!

Anonymous said...

Juanita that is as powerful summary of the state of affairs digital health in the wrong hands has delivered. Don’t think government administrators adhere to - And whatsoever I shall see or hear in the course of my profession……