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
-----
Quite a fun week with a diverse collection of bits of news with a few being a little unexpected – like the ADHA not following its own rules or getting others to!
Lots of discussions on vaccine apps etc.
Lots of private sector stuff also. Enjoy
-----
My Health Record imaging services security failed ADHA password standards
Australia submitted 7% fewer data breach notifications compared to last year, according to the agency responsible for dealing with these notifications.
By Campbell Kwan | October 22, 2021 | Topic: Security
My Health Record system's physical and information security measures used to access the My Health Record system for pathology and diagnostic imaging services did not meet the ADHA's recommended standard for passwords, according to assessments made by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner's (OAIC).
"In relation to physical and information security measures, while most assessment targets reported good physical security measures, most did not meet the ADHA's recommended standard for passwords used to access the My Health Record system," the OAIC said.
Detailed in the OAIC's annual digital health report [PDF], the agency did note, however, that most of My Health Record's assessment targets reported having a procedure in place for identifying and responding to My Health Record-related security and privacy risks even though there were areas for improvement in relation to recording matters relevant to security breaches.
During the 2020-21 financial year, three data breach notifications were submitted to the OAIC in relation to My Health Record. Two of the three have been finalised.
-----
https://medicalrepublic.com.au/healthengine-expands-into-drug-delivery/56079
18 October 2021
Healthengine expands into drug delivery
By Holly Payne
Patients can now use online platform Healthengine to order prescriptions directly to their door, thanks to an integration with delivery startup Chemist 2U.
Healthengine is primarily used by consumers to book appointments with GPs, dentists, physiotherapists and chiropractors.
Earlier this year, the Perth-based software company won a Department of Health contract worth almost $4 million to build the centralised covid-19 vaccine booking system.
Chemist 2U, meanwhile, is a relatively new player in the space, having been launched in 2020 as a response to the pandemic.
Under the partnership between the two companies, consumers can use the Healthengine platform to order same-day prescription medication delivery free of charge.
-----
https://www.afr.com/street-talk/medical-booking-platform-hotdoc-raising-30-million-20211019-p591by
Medical booking platform HotDoc raising $30 million
Anthony Macdonald, Yolanda Redrup and Kanika Sood
Oct 19, 2021 – 9.33pm
It turns out HealthEngine isn’t the only medical appointment booking software company raising capital.
As HealthEngine talks to institutional investors ahead of its ASX debut, rival HotDoc is approaching venture capital funds, high net worth investors and institutions for a $30 million Series D raise.
Like HealthEngine, its business has boomed off the back of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it wants to make the most of the traffic.
Thanks to the vaccination surge, an additional 1.25 million Australians used HotDoc to book an appointment in the September quarter. In total, its service has been used by 11 million Australians, having added 4 million first time users in the past year.
In comparison, HealthEngine recently revealed it had 3.9 million users.
-----
Gov to begin issuing vaccine passports for international travel
By Justin Hendry on Oct 18, 2021 10:48AM
As SA begins mySA GOV app integration pilot.
The government will begin issuing internationally recognised vaccination certificates to Australians fully immunised against Covid-19 this week in preparation for the resumption of travel.
From Tuesday, those with a valid passport who have had two jabs recorded in the Australian immunisation register will be able to obtain a pass through myGov or the Medicare Express Plus app.
It will allow Australians to depart the country when borders begin to open, starting with NSW from November 1.
The cross-border certificate, which will be available to print or download, features a QR code that border officials can scan to verify a person’s Covid-19 vaccination status.
The Visible Digital Seal (VDS) technology uses the ePassport public key infrastructure that has been recognised by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) since 2004.
-----
https://www.itwire.com/health/australians-who-travel-abroad-can-get-proof-of-covid-vaccinations.html
Monday, 18 October 2021 18:27
Australians who travel abroad can get proof of COVID vaccinations
By Sam Varghese
Australians who wish to travel abroad after the country's international borders open on 1 November can obtain proof of their COVID-19 vaccinations to show at immigration control points abroad.
A statement from the Australian Government on Monday said the proof of vaccination would be available from Tuesday for those who had valid passports or valid visas and had their vaccinations recorded on the Australian Immunisation Register.
The names of six ministers were listed at the start of the statement, but not a single quote was provided.
The statement said the easiest way to obtain this proof of vaccination was through Medicare on one's my.Gov account or by using the Medicare Express app.
-----
https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/anz/australia-rolls-out-covid-19-vax-cert-international-travel
Australia rolls out COVID-19 vax cert for international travel
There are now three ways Australians can show their proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
By Adam Ang
October 21, 2021 01:26 AM
The Australian government has started producing COVID-19 vaccination certificates for safe overseas travel.
Citizens and Australian visa holders with valid passports and who have COVID-19 vaccination records on the Australian Immunisation Register can obtain this international proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
The certificate can be downloaded digitally or printed and is compatible with COVID-19 travel apps, such as the International Air Transport Association Travel Pass.
The proof of vaccination features a QR code that border authorities can scan to prove a user's COVID-19 vaccination. According to a government media release, it is "as secure as an Australian passport and authenticated in the same way". It also meets the global standard specified by the International Civil Aviation Organization and conforms with the guidance set by the World Health Organization.
-----
COVID-19 Coronavirus: Getting proof of COVID-19 vaccinations
Find the best way to get proof of your COVID-19 vaccinations
There are 2 ways to show proof of your vaccinations:
- COVID-19 digital certificate (external link) shows proof of only your COVID-19 vaccinations.
- Immunisation history statement (external link) shows your COVID-19 vaccinations and all other vaccinations you have had.
The quickest way to get proof is using your Medicare online account through myGov, or through the Express plus Medicare mobile app.
If you’re not eligible for Medicare or don’t have a myGov account, you can still get proof of your vaccination.
A step by step guide is available on how to create a myGov account (external link). This link includes translated resources.
-----
https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/vaccine-passports-covid-19-digital-certificates-an
How can Australians prove their COVID vaccination status?
UPDATED: General practices are fielding questions on proving vaccination status and vaccine passports. newsGP looks at some common queries.
22 Oct 2021
This
article has been updated, most recently on 22 October 2021, to reflect new
information about the use of the COVID-19 digital certificate in check-in apps.
With New South Wales already in the process of opening up following a prolonged
lockdown, and metropolitan Melbourne preparing to follow suit, the need for
people to prove their vaccination status is in the spotlight. These are among
the most frequent questions.
How
can patients get proof of their vaccination status?
Services
Australia is encouraging people to access their vaccination proof online,
either through a COVID-19 digital certificate or Immunisation History Statement
(IHS). Both should appear via the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR)
shortly after patients receive their second vaccination dose – although this has
not always worked smoothly.
Both are available online through Medicare and can be accessed via the
patient’s myGov
account.
Patients should be able to view PDFs of the Immunisation History Statement or
the COVID-19 digital certificate here and print them off if required.
-----
Telehealth to play bigger role as mental health disorders soar
6:37PM October 22, 2021
Covid-fuelled mental-health disorders are not expected to peak until two years after the pandemic subsides, according to listed telemedicine group Doctor Care Anywhere.
As Melbournians eagerly await to join Sydneysiders as ‘‘freedom day’’ draws near after more than 260 days of lockdowns, mental illnesses are on the rise and are set to continue as health services combat backlogs and pent up demand.
Doctor Care Anywhere chief executive and founder Bayju Thakar, who is also a psychiatrist, said mental health disorders usually peak about 18 months to two years following the end of a pandemic and does not expect Covid-19 to be any different.
It comes after Australia’s biggest private hospital operator, Ramsay Healthcare, launched a $3m public private partnership with the NSW government to provide more mental health services to adolescents and young adults.
-----
https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/anz/amcal-guardian-rollout-healthengines-covax-booking-system
Amcal, Guardian to roll out Healthengine's Covax booking system
The Australian government has gotten support from pharmacies to increase vaccinations.
By Adam Ang
October 22, 2021 02:24 AM
Sigma Healthcare's Amcal and Guardian pharmacies have partnered with Australian consumer healthcare platform Healthengine to deploy a COVID-19 booking system.
The Healthengine Patient Appointment Management System (PAMS) offers COVID-19 bookings for AstraZeneca and Moderna jabs, as well as appointment settings for other health services.
WHY IT MATTERS
Their partnership comes as Australia is ramping up vaccinations through the support of community pharmacies.
As part of their partnership, Amcal and Guardian have been included in Healthengine's directory of healthcare providers, allowing them to offer appointments via its marketplace and connecting them to its 4.3 million users.
THE LARGER CONTEXT
Various booking platforms to assist the federal government's COVID-19 vaccination drive have been rolled out across the country's health system.
-----
Australia-based FiveP launches communications tool initially developed for Austin Health
The solution was developed as the healthcare provider needed a way to streamline communications with staff rotating through the same clinical role within a 24-hour period.
October 19, 2021 04:57 AM
FiveP, a Melbourne-headquartered IT services company, has launched a role-based messaging solution that it initially developed to support clinical communications at Austin Health.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Developed with input from Austin Health, Baret is a role-based messaging solution that is built inside Microsoft Teams. The idea to create the app germinated from the deployment of Teams at Austin Health early last year because of the pandemic, and the need for office staff working remotely to communicate with clinical staff attending to COVID-19 wards.
As FiveP worked with Austin Health for this deployment and noticed some of the clinical use cases, they developed a prototype to demonstrate how role-based communications could be done on Teams.
The solution also offers EMR/PAS integration.
-----
https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/why-wont-gps-conduct-telehealth-video-consults
Why won't GPs conduct telehealth video consults?
The RACGP explores the issue in its latest Health of the Nation report
21st October 2021
GPs who don't offer telehealth consults by video say they have little clinical benefit compared with the phone, patients don't like them anyway and the system is blighted by bad internet, the RACGP says.
As parts of the country entered their first lockdown in April last year, only 1.3% of all GP attendances were conducted over video, while 33% were phone consults.
In May this year, before the latest lockdowns, these figures dropped to 0.29% and 17.1%.
Despite protests from GPs, the government rolled back MBS items for phone consults, saying that video should be the preferred telehealth option.
The college surveyed 342 GPs who had never attempted video consults last year, with one in four suggesting they did not have the appropriate software.
-----
Sydney LHD extends use of Miya Precision remote patient monitoring platform
The health district will also deploy the Miya Care mobile app.
By Adam Ang
October 21, 2021 01:29 AM
The Sydney Local Health District will continue using a remote patient monitoring platform by ASX-listed healthcare IT company Alcidion after extending their contract.
In July last year, Alcidion signed an initial 12-month contract with the LHD to deploy its Miya Precision system to support the virtual care delivery of Sydney's RPA Virtual Hospital (rpavirtual) for COVID-19 patients in home isolation.
With around 12,000 staff, Sydney LHD is serving over 700,000 people across central and inner-west Sydney. It oversees five hospitals, including the Royal Prince Alfred and Concord Hospitals, and a range of in-hospital and community-based support services.
WHY IT MATTERS
Miya Precision has been supporting the virtual hospital's doctors with a clinical monitoring dashboard that consolidates information, supporting their delivery of remote patient care. The platform is also helping to reduce hospitalisations and improve recovery outcomes.
-----
https://medicalrepublic.com.au/telehealth-restricted-to-contacting-the-dead/56331
20 October 2021
Telehealth restricted to contacting the dead
In 2023 GPs will only be able to use MBS-subsidised telehealth items to contact the dead, it has been confirmed.
The new proposal put forward by Health Minister Greg Hunt, following the cessation of Commonwealth covid hotspots, recommends that telehealth items be restricted to a small cohort of patients who can never, under any circumstances, be seen face to face; this basically rules out the living.
Hunt told TMR: “The plan draws on extensive consultation with the public and aims to promote equity of access to healthcare for all, including the dead.”
Ghost Agnes McIntyre said: “I’m so pleased that my GP will still be able to phone me. It gets awfully lonely in my attic and every time I’ve visited the practice the receptionist has freaked out.
-----
https://www.itnews.com.au/news/vic-gov-keeps-cost-of-microsoft-vaccine-system-a-secret-571567
Vic gov keeps cost of Microsoft vaccine system a secret
By Justin Hendry on Oct 22, 2021 7:00AM
Follow up contract remains undisclosed.
The Victorian government is refusing to reveal the cost of its latest multi-million dollar contract with Microsoft for the state’s Covid-19 vaccination management system (CVMS).
The system, which is used to manage the delivery of jabs to Victorians in settings like mass vaccination hubs, was rolled out in mid-2021 as Victoria’s vaccination drive ramped up.
The Department of Health (DH) entered a deal with Microsoft to provide the end-to-end platform based on its vaccination registration and administration solution in January for $5.8 million.
It followed a five-day approach to market by the department in late 2020 that began shortlisting candidates in a similar timeframe through a “rapid evaluation process”.
-----
https://wildhealth.net.au/are-menopause-apps-more-than-a-flash-in-the-pan/
21 October 2021
Are menopause apps more than a flash in the pan?
By Fran Molloy
Until recently, little attention has been paid to menopause in the digital-health space.
But, crunch the numbers, and it becomes apparent that this major life stage affects at least 2.4 million Australian women – or nearly 20% of the female population.
The long hot summer of peri-menopause – an often symptom-laden transition to menopause – takes an average of seven years. While it starts, on average, around age 50, some women can start menopause as early as their late 30s, sometimes after hormonal interventions for IVF or breast cancer.
Fortunately, attitudes to menopause are also going through a change, says Sydney GP Dr Ginni Mansberg, whose book The M word: how to thrive in menopause came out last year.
“Gen X are hitting menopause, and, unlike their mothers, they have full-time jobs and they are outspending their millennial sisters,” said Dr Mansberg. “And marketers are realising that this is a really important consumer group.
-----
https://www.itwire.com/deals/safewill-raises-%243-million-to-digitise-end-of-life-planning.html
Friday, 22 October 2021 11:23
Safewill raises $3 million to digitise end-of-life planning
Online end of life planning platform Safewill has secured a $3 million Series A funding from Westpac’s Reinventure fund.
Safewill says it will use the funding to further develop its product and expand its transparent approach to broader end of life services. These include digital powers of attorney, professional executor services, and Safewill’s own law firm to provide fixed-fee and end of life legal services.
Safewill plans to rethink the modern Australian funeral, as well as how people navigate through grief and death.
For Safewill CEO and co-founder Adam Lubofsky, his interest in changing how Australians die is a personal one.
-----
Wednesday, 20 October 2021 09:45
Macquarie Health's core IT infrastructure back online after ransomware attack
By Sam Varghese
Sydney-based Macquarie Health Corporation has started to bring its core IT infrastructure back online, following a "cyber incident" — a Windows ransomware attack — that was made public on 7 October.
In response to a query from iTWire, an MHC spokesman said: "We have started to bring our core IT infrastructure online and are currently rolling this out across our hospital network."
The FBI described a Hive attack this way: "After compromising a victim network, Hive ransomware actors exfiltrate data and encrypt files on the network.
"The actors leave a ransom note in each affected directory within a victim’s system, which provides instructions on how to purchase the decryption software.
-----
Speech therapy: overcoming service delivery challenges in rural settings
Coviu
By Dr Silvia Pfeiffer*
Tuesday, 19 October, 2021
Residents of rural and remote Australia often experience disadvantages and inequalities when it comes to healthcare access and delivery. There are only about 10 speech pathologists practising in remote and very remote regions of Australia per 100,000 inhabitants, while in major cities there are 26 per 100,000 inhabitants.
Traditionally, access to speech and language sessions for children has been restricted to in-person visits. As a result, access to speech therapy for children living in rural and regional areas has been extremely limited and non-existent in many remote areas.
However, the introduction of telehealth has played a critical role in increasing accessibility to health care, as speech pathologists across Australia have the resources to reach more children in remote areas. Telehealth is rapidly becoming an essential part of speech pathologists’ core business model, with research demonstrating that telehealth-delivered assessments achieve comparable results to in-person consultations.
Here, we delve into the role telehealth can play in overcoming the challenges of delivering speech therapy services for children in regional and rural Australia.
-----
Thursday, 21 October 2021 10:58
AustCare taps Cloud Assess to improve and maintain training quality for health workers
While Australia’s rapidly ageing population will increase the demand for qualified care workers, concerns about maintaining the quality of training for the sector have been raised by industry provider AustCare.
AustCare director Graham Surtees says there are approximately 179,000 jobs currently in the aged care sector, but with the government’s prediction that it will need to double by 2050, there is now a huge demand on the need for proficient training.
“The issues are not only keeping up with the increasing number of carers required in the aged care industry, but also addressing the quality of these carers, so they have the skills to take on such a huge responsibility, which is ultimately people’s well-being,” notes Surtees.
“We have experienced a huge increase in demand to upskill people quickly, and the easiest way to do this is via online study, but we also need to ensure this meets industry standards including proficiency and compliance,” adds Surtees.
-----
Friday, 15 October 2021 15:06
Storbie and Medmate partner for e-prescription fulfilment
Pharmacy websites running on the Storbie platform can now easily take advantage of Medmate's e-prescription and on-demand delivery capabilities.
A deal between healthcare platform operator Medmate Australia and website platform operator Storbie means pharmacists using the latter's e-commerce facilities can accept prescriptions and arrange delivery through Medmate's system.
Storbie already makes life easy for pharmacies thanks to its existing integration with the major pharmacy point of sale systems.
The partners say the new arrangement makes Medmate-enabled Storbie websites the most powerful e-commerce websites on the market for Australia's independent pharmacies.
-----
Broadband speeds no longer a big-name domain
A funny thing happened to the National Broadband Network (NBN) over the past year: it got faster, without getting more expensive.
It is no longer just the big-brand internet providers that are achieving top speeds. Some of the cheapest NBN providers are now hitting the mark during peak hours. This creates a money saving opportunity because you no longer need to pay top dollar for maximum speed.
Switching broadband providers can result in significant savings. You can keep $200-$400 a year in your pocket on a “standard” NBN plan, even more on a “fast” NBN plan.
The NBN is just like our roads: there are peak hours. In the network’s case, it is from 7pm to 11pm, when everyone goes online or turns to broadband streamers for their movie or TV shows fix.
-----
Gov asked to revise NBN SoE to cover field force work conditions
By Ry Crozier on Oct 21, 2021 12:43PM
After inquiry uncovered concerning issues.
The NBN statement of expectations should be amended to explicitly make NBN Co responsible for the working conditions of all members of its extended field force, a senate select committee has said.
Subcontractors performing NBN work described difficult working conditions to the inquiry, with jobs unevenly distributed, poorly paid, and handed to an unending supply of inexperienced ‘technicians’.
NBN Co, meanwhile, was accused of outsourcing the welfare responsibility for its field force, though the company denied this was the case.
The committee made a scathing assessment of the “subcontracting pyramid model” used to farm out NBN work, which it said “facilitates unsustainable employment arrangements for those at the bottom of the subcontracting chain.”
-----
https://www.itnews.com.au/news/aussie-broadband-watches-its-nbn-excess-bandwidth-bill-climb-571508
Aussie Broadband watches its NBN excess bandwidth bill climb
By Ry Crozier on Oct 20, 2021 10:27AM
Despite NBN Co downplaying industry-generated internet usage numbers.
Aussie Broadband said its NBN bandwidth expenses were up 137 percent quarter-on-quarter, resulting in a $3.3 million overage bill.
The retail service provider said that its excess usage bill would have been even higher - an estimated $5.1 million - for the three months to the end of September, had it not been for rebates from NBN Co and a ‘windfall’ of sorts from an NBN pricing promotion.
However, managing director Phillip Britt said in an ASX filing that the numbers supported the internet industry’s repeated calls for financial relief, similar to that offered throughout much of 2020.
NBN Co and its five main retail service providers (RSPs) have been at odds throughout 2021 on the extent to which RSPs bear the increased costs of supplying broadband services while several states are in lockdown.
-----
Enjoy!
David.
All this talk about vaccine passports.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone heard anything about a virus test result system? I have read where there are situations when you have to have had a test within a certain time when you want to do something such as travel.
Proof of vaccination is only half the requirements.
I can just imagine the ADHA salivating at the thought of using MyHr to allow you to prove you have been tested negative. The only trouble is that airlines are not providing healthcare so are not permitted to access it.
There is no virus testing equivalent to the AIR so any solution becomes quite complex and problematic.
Looks as though a good old paper solution might be the only option if international travel is to be feasible in the next 12-24 months while they design and role out another new system.
I wonder if the government has done any planning in this area. Their track record would suggest not.