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, November 07, 2021

The ADHA Seems To Me To Be Moving In Entirely The Wrong Strategic Direction!

Late last week the Medical Software Industry Association held its Annual Summit.

It was held on November 3, 2021 and here is the link to the program:

https://hopin.com/events/msia-summit-agm

There was a good line-up of speakers with the ADHA CEO (Amanda Cattermole) giving a presentation which I found pretty concerning.

While spruiking the work of the Agency on Electronic Prescriptions etc. there was also the following:

Digital Health AU Retweeted

My Health Record will be key to efforts to allow health information sharing between aged care facilities and hospitals,  @AuDigitalHealth CEO Amanda Cattermole tells the #MSIAsummit

----- End Tweet.

So there you have it – the ADHA is seeing the centralised #myHR as central to their efforts into the future. It is clear they are attempting to embed a failed core system in as many information flows as possible while ignoring simpler, cheaper and better ways to solve the needs they are trying to address – namely transferring patient care information between an aged care facility and a receiving hospital. and back

A later slide confirms the picture with the ADHA Portal joining everything to everything.

To me this is fundamentally the wrong way to be moving!

Surely we should be moving towards a distributed, connected health system and not a simple minded approach based on a huge centralised system which might have looked appropriate circa 1990!

With this mistake at the centre of their approach it seems almost inevitable to be yet another expensive and strategic fail!

By the way – don’t be confused by the claims that are made about all the extra use of the #myHR. It is surely driven by the widely advertised suggestion that going via the #myHR is the best way to get your vaccination record and COVID test results – and not mentioning other routes. Frankly I am surprised the spike in usage is not far greater!

It is really time to put this failed monstrosity out of its misery and move on with more secure, modern and reliable approaches.

What do others think? Is the ADHA ‘barking up the wrong (strategic) tree’ or not?

David.

 

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

David, the Board sets the strategic direction. The Executive implement it. Ask the Board members, Directors, for clarity.

Dr David G More MB PhD said...

Hi,

I think I knew that. What I am interested in is what readers here think.

David.

Anonymous said...

I think the tail is wagging the dog

Anonymous said...

One really does have to ask - why some Directors stay on the Board. I can understand State Health Department Secretaries, but people like Emma H & Sam H - why are they there? Surely it can't be for the money! What do they get out of it? What have they contributed? Have they been effective? In what way? It's a mystery?

G. Carter said...

I suggest some stay on the board to simply be on the board and for networking purposes. Does the board and directors set the strategy? I doubt it. ADHA is an Agency- part of a larger department or departments as it seems to be in transition. Even the current “strategy” consultation is more about validating a predefined trajectory. It will be the same 5 things will new irrelevant images of some digital wonderland.
Even the boards terms of reference no longer exist.

Anonymous said...

So the Board is a smokescreen to give the false impression of good governanance, accountability and fiscal responsibility?

Anonymous said...

That is a perfect description of the Board - a big smokescreen no less

G. Carter said...

AnonymousNovember 08, 2021 8:49 AM

Thanks is pretty much what I think.

Anonymous said...

ADHA wants to dehumanise healthcare through algorithms. Their whole approach to service is based on some odd assumption people like talking to service bots not humans.

A surprising number of people look up Doctor google not as an alternative to seeing their GP/Specilist but more often so they can have a two way conversation with a flesh and bone GP/specialist. Health is a very personal thing. This little fact is lost on them I believe

ADHA Staffer said...

You want to see a Doc? Oh I see you want to see a doctor, we thought you meant a document.

A bit of change going on as usual, the great replacement is underway with old roles and remunerations being given warning to convert to APS or leave the Agnecy.