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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Always very quiet before Christmas and indeed it was this year. Biggest news was clearly Oracle buying Cerner. Will have an impact all over OZ!
The APS employee survey for ADHA are really a pretty sad reflection of incompetent management of high level technical staff!
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https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/about-us/policies-privacy-and-reporting/aps-employee-census-results
APS employee census results
Posted 24 December, 2021
In 2021, Australian Digital Health Agency staff took part in the annual Australian Public Service (APS) Employee Census. The Highlights Report below compares Australian Digital Health Agency results in 2021 with 2020, as well as several other APS benchmarks.
The Australian Digital Health Agency staff are made up of APS employees, common law employees and a large proportion of labour hire contractors. Staff in all three categories participated in the 2021 APS Employee Census, so results are best compared to those agencies with a similar cohort.
The Agency is focussed on culture and continuous improvement and we are implementing a range of activities, including a Workforce Strategy.
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Millions face cyber attack via compromised Log4j Java-based software
The Australian Cyber Security Centre and law enforcement agencies have launched ‘around the clock’ monitoring of cyber attacks linked to the compromised Log4j Java-based software
December 22, 2021
Millions of Australians face a “cyber security ticking time bomb”, with children, parents and businesses under threat of being “hunted” and attacked by sophisticated cyber actors exploiting new software vulnerabilities across more than 100,000 devices, apps and online games.
The Australian Cyber Security Centre and law enforcement agencies have launched “around the clock” monitoring of cyber attacks linked to the compromised Log4j Java-based software and stepped up high-level co-operation with US cyber security counterparts.
After the software vulnerability was publicly identified by Chinese company Alibaba on December 10, ACSC acting head Jess Hunter confirmed that cyber actors had already successfully breached Australian devices.
“In my experience, this is the most serious cyber risk Australia has faced. We consider the Log4j a cyber security ticking time bomb. The fact that it is so commonly used is what makes this a big deal,” Ms Hunter told The Australian.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/oracle-makes-398-billion-play-for-cerner-574252
Oracle makes $39.8 billion play for Cerner
By Ry Crozier on Dec 21, 2021 6:59AM
'Huge additional revenue growth engine for years to come'.
Oracle has made a US$28.3 billion (A$39.8 billion) all-cash bid for medical software maker Cerner.
The purchase is anticipated to “contribute substantially” to Oracle’s earnings, Oracle CEO Safra Catz said.
"Healthcare is the largest and most important vertical market in the world - US$3.8 trillion last year in the United States alone,” Catz said.
“Oracle's revenue growth rate has already been increasing this year - [but] Cerner will be a huge additional revenue growth engine for years to come as we expand its business into many more countries throughout the world.
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Western Diagnostic Pathology in WA and NT connected to My Health Record
Published 21 December 2021
Consumers in Western Australia and Northern Territory can now have access to their pathology reports from local provider Western Diagnostic Pathology (WDP), when and where they need them.
This completes the Healius Pathology group connection with labs in all states and territories now able to support consumers and share their reports with My Health Record.
According to Gerry Mabarrack, General Manager Western Diagnostic Pathology (WDP), “The large number of regional communities in WA and NT will benefit from being able to have all of their results in the one place.”
“It’s not like the big cities over east where there is easy access to services.”
“Being able to share pathology results with a range of healthcare providers can ease the stress for patients.”
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https://www.miragenews.com/western-diagnostic-pathology-in-wa-and-nt-698223/
21 Dec 2021 8:06 am AEDT
Western Diagnostic Pathology in WA and NT connected to My Health Record
Australian Digital Health Agency
Consumers in Western Australia and Northern Territory can now have access to their pathology reports from local provider Western Diagnostic Pathology (WDP), when and where they need them.
This completes the Healius Pathology group connection with labs in all states and territories now able to support consumers and share their reports with My Health Record.
According to Gerry Mabarrack, General Manager Western Diagnostic Pathology (WDP), “The large number of regional communities in WA and NT will benefit from being able to have all of their results in the one place.”
“It’s not like the big cities over east where there is easy access to services.”
“Being able to share pathology results with a range of healthcare providers can ease the stress for patients.”
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Artificial intelligence watches hospital workers put on PPE to check for COVID safety
December 23, 2021 — 3.04pm
There are 103 ways a doctor can make a mistake when putting on or taking off personal protective equipment and any one of the errors can expose them to COVID-19, forcing them off the frontlines and into isolation.
Incorrectly fitting a surgical mask, touching one’s face before removing gloves, even a droplet on a gown, are among the missteps and risks that can result in self-contamination.
Doctors at Macquarie University in Sydney believe they have found a way to close the gap on human error with a smart app that uses artificial intelligence to guide healthcare workers step-by-step through “donning” and “doffing” of PPE.
The app, created by cardiothoracic surgeon Michael Wilson in collaboration with software developer Terry Carney, audits healthcare workers in real time, using facial recognition technology and a phone or computer camera to “observe” the process. When it detects an error, workers are blocked from proceeding to the next step unless they make a correction.
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Number of Australians using myGovID doubled to 6 million in past six months
The ATO Tax Time period was a factor in the rise in myGovIDs being created this year.
Written by Campbell Kwan, Journalist
on December 17, 2021 | Topic: Innovation
Over 6 millions Australians have used myGovID to access online government services, said Stuart Robert, the Minister responsible for digital transformation.
myGovID, handled by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), is the Australian government's digital identity provider and allows citizens to have their identity verified through a single channel to access government services rather than having to be verified individually by each Commonwealth entity.
Of that number of myGovIDs, more than half of them -- around 3.3 million -- were created in the past six months, the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) said.
According to an ATO spokesperson, the sharp uptick was due to a variety of factors, such as the ATO Tax Time period commencing in July which drove significant volume in online transactions for individuals and business, more users linking their myGovID to myGov to access linked agencies, and more government services being added over that period.
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Canberra throws another AU$253m at digital economy initiatives in MYEFO
An additional AU$252.5 million over four years will be spent on implementing further initiatives under the digital economy strategy.
Written by Aimee Chanthadavong, Senior Journalist
on December 16, 2021 | Topic: Digital Transformation
In delivering his mid-year budget update, Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has underscored the federal government's commitment to growing the country's digital economy as part of plans to help the country recover from what he described as "the greatest economic shock since the Great Depression".
In the 2021-22 Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) [PDF], Treasury detailed that the federal government would part with an additional AU$252.5 million over four years to implement further initiatives under the digital economy strategy.
The total amount will be split up across several projects, with the biggest share of AU$161 million to be used for the digital identity system; AU$27 million to the Office of the National Data Commissioner to improve the sharing and promote greater use of public sector data; and nearly AU$3 million for the Australian Bureau of Statistics to scope enhancements to the data.gov.au website to improve public access to government data.
AU$111 million will be used to support the commercialisation, adoption, and use of quantum technology, which includes AU$70 million for the quantum commercialisation hub that was announced recently by the federal government under its new Blueprint for Critical Technologies [PDF].
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Independent living with a bit of support from Mable
11:00PM December 23, 2021
Peter Scutt has told the story many times, but it still makes an impact.
A few years back he joined other family members trying to find solutions for his ageing parents living in Wagga Wagga in country NSW. It wasn’t easy. Scutt’s mother, in her mid-80s, had been a teacher but was now suffering dementia. His father was in his early 90s, having immigrated to Australia from Britain after serving in World War II and had a full but pretty tough life.
They wanted to stay in their own home but the burden of care fell on Scutt’s sister, who lived in the area, and their parents were frustrated by services delivered by an ever-changing cast of carers assigned by the providing agency.
“With dementia, you need familiarity,” says Scutt. “And some sense of how the day is going to evolve. My mother was a bit fearful if she didn’t know what was about to happen. Dad was very private. He didn’t like different people showing up.
“So he was saying to us, ‘We don’t need these strangers in our lives. Leave us alone, we’ll cope on our own.’ We knew that wasn’t an option.
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https://marketplace.service.gov.au/2/digital-marketplace/opportunities/18292
Australian Digital Health Agency
Project Officer x 2
Opportunity ID 18292
Deadline for asking questions Monday 3 January 2022 at 6pm (in Canberra)
Application closing date Wednesday 5 January 2022 at 6pm (in Canberra)
Published Tuesday 21 December 2021
Category Support and Operations
Overview
• Coordinate and provide support to monitor, track and report on the status of project, program and operational deliverables to ensure schedules, cost and quality metrics are in line with approved project plans. • Assist in implementing work plans, setting tasks and priorities to implement project, program and operational outcomes, changes and enhancements; ensuring resource availability and allocation • Conducting reviews to ensure risks and issues related to projects, programs and/or operations under their responsibility are identified, assessed and mitigated and are in alignment with applicable Agency frameworks. • Provide a range of administration, project, program, support services to facilitate the delivery of outcomes within the Branch. • Work with teams, partners and/or clients to track progress and compliance against the requirements contained in detailed program, project, governance, communication and reporting plans. • Ability to work independently, subject to limited direction against established Agency project and operational priorities, framework and methodologies to deliver quality outcomes ensuring project tools, templates and processes are adhered to. • Make decisions within the documented program, project and/or operations plans, taking direction from managers on activities and requirements that have considerably more complexity and sensitivity • Provide expertise and technical knowledge in the Agency’s project and/or operations management framework including the provision of accurate and specialised advice for project related activities including consultation, planning, schedules, reporting, change control, and administrative and logistical support • Manage contracts, service agreements and purchase orders; monitor expenditure and emerging issues that may impact on Agency priorities engaging with risk and undertaking risk management activities for area of responsibility, ensuring compliance and delivery of outcomes
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Introduction to My Health Record for Software Developers (17 March, 2022)
Thursday, 17 March 2022 - 1:00pm to 2:00pm
Online Webinar (Note times are AEST)
The Australian Digital Health Agency is presenting a one hour introduction to integrating software with the My Health Record system.
The objective of this session is to provide participants with foundational information about the HI Service and My Health Record system.
Topics covered include:
- The Healthcare Identifier (HI) Service
- The Healthcare Identifier (HI) Service conformance
- The National Authentication Service for Health (NASH)
- Retrieve a IHI and HPI-I
- My Health Record system
- My Health Record system services
- My Health Record integration
- My Health Record views
- My Health Record conformance
- Software types
- Clinical documents
- Support and other resources
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Oh what a Webb they wove, but Hubble’s heir to the universe should be worth the wait
By Pat Sheil
December 24, 2021 — 5.00am
Barring yet another last-minute hitch (of which there have been many), at 11.20 Christmas night, Australian Eastern Standard Time, NASA will finally attempt to launch Hubble’s enormous successor, the James Webb Space Telescope.
Originally approved in 1996 with a budget of $US500 million, and scheduled to fly in 2007, it has at last been put on top of a European Ariane 5 rocket in French Guiana, South America, with a price tag of more than $US10 billion. To say that astronomers and engineers are on the edge of their seats is to wildly understate what’s at stake here. This is the ultimate one-shot deal.
Unlike the Hubble, which NASA managed to repair in 1993 by sending shuttle astronauts to fix its dodgy optics, the JWST will be in an orbit more than a million kilometres away, so if something goes wrong, that’s $10 billion dollars and 25 years wasted on a useless telescope floating around for eternity. It will be simply too far away for any possibility of repair.
Then again, if it works, it will be the finest telescope ever built, and revolutionise astronomy.
The hurdles and controversy have not been purely technical or budgetary. Earlier this year hundreds of scientists and academics called for the telescope to be renamed. James Webb was NASA’s administrator in the heady days of the 1960s, and the telescope was named after him by his successor (such things are usually named after astronomers), and now it appears that Webb was deeply homophobic and is thought to have ruined the careers of several senior NASA staff during his tenure due to his loathing of gays.
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Enjoy!
David.
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