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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Certainly last week saw many more back at work and the news flow pick up. Some minor progress I think!
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https://www.innovationaus.com/nsw-first-state-to-incorporate-rat-results-in-app/
NSW first state to incorporate RAT results in app
Denham Sadler
National Affairs Editor
12 January 2022
New South Wales has become the first Australian jurisdiction to launch in-app reporting of positive rapid antigen tests, with a $1000 fine threatened for those who don’t comply.
While the NSW government has launched a reporting system after most other states and territories, it is the first to incorporate this system in its existing Service NSW mobile app.
Most other states, including Victoria, require the reporting of positive rapid antigen tests (RATs) via a webform.
New South Wales residents will face a $1000 fine if they test positive for COVID-19 on a RAT and do not record it on an app.
Digital government minister Victor Dominello announced the update to the Service NSW app on Wednesday morning, with more than 50,000 people already registering positive tests by the mid-afternoon.
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https://www.govcms.gov.au/gallery/australian-digital-health-agency/my-health-record
My Health Record
Organisation Australian Digital Health Agency
Type Service
Jurisdiction Commonwealth
Version Drupal 7
Hosting SaaS
Visit this website
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Telehealth changes ‘devastating’ for psychiatry patients in regional areas
Mental health workers fear for patients’ wellbeing after the federal government removes 50% loading for some rural psychiatric services
Tory ShepherdTue 4 Jan 2022 03.30 AEDT
Australians in regional areas with severe mental health problems will go without help, after “devastating” changes to the telehealth system, psychiatrists warn.
Recent federal government reforms removed a 50% loading for some rural psychiatric services, meaning some types of consultations providers will no longer be able to bulk-bill. They will have to absorb the costs or pass them on to patients.
Dr Vivienne James, a psychiatrist at Sydney’s Gordon Clinic, says she is “devastated” and her patients will be “distressed” about the changes, which came into effect on 1 January.
“It is simply not financially viable for us to continue seeing these patients,” she said.
“This will leave many patients distressed and, dare I say it, suicidal, as some of these people are extremely isolated and have little support. They will not be able to pay to see us and will have to be discharged back to their GPs.
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16 Jan 2022 10:43 AM AEST
RACGP welcomes telehealth announcement but warns more long-term investment needed
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has cautiously welcomed the federal Government’s move to temporarily restore telehealth to peak COVID-19 pandemic settings.
This morning, Health Minister Greg Hunt and Regional Health Minister David Gillespie announced an additional $24 million for a range of measures to give GPs and other specialists more flexibility to support patients.
It comes after RACGP President Dr Karen Price met with Minister Hunt and Minister David Gillespie this week, along with other peak general practice and medical organisations, to discuss the challenges facing general practice and support needed to ensure GPs can stay open and deliver the essential care to Australians at this time.
The announcement outlined the following measures:
· an additional $24 million for temporary changes to telehealth to give GPs and other specialists more flexibility to support patients, including the continued supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and online support
· the introduction of temporary specialist inpatient telehealth MBS items (video and phone) and initial and complex specialist telephone consultation items, including longer telephone consultations for GP’s (level C) until 30 June 2022. These services will be available nationally, rather than targeted at Commonwealth hotspots
· expanding the MBS item for GPs caring for COVID positive patients in the community through face-to-face consultations to include patients that have tested positive through a rapid antigen test (RAT)
· packages of personal protective equipment (PPE) to GPs, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services and GP Respiratory Clinics to support GPs providing face-to-face care. Over 20 million units of PPE will be provided for primary care over the next three months, including nine million p2/n95 masks for GPs.
· Healthdirect will develop a national assessment, triage and notification infrastructure to connect people who test positive with the care they need and advice, based on guidelines developed by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, (soon to be available in multiple community languages). This is expected to commence in Queensland on 17 January 2022 with other states to follow.
RACGP President Dr Karen Price said that the announcement was a step in the right direction.
https://itwire.com/business-it/%242m-project-will-enhance-telehealth-capabilities.html
Friday, 14 January 2022 11:31
$2M project will enhance telehealth capabilities
A $2 million project led by Monash University aims to improve telehealth delivery for patients, clinicians and caregivers.
The project – funded by the Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre (DHCRC) and led by Monash University's Faculty of Information Technology – will deliver user-centred and research-based software solutions to enhance telehealth services such as real-time transcription, smoother integration of personal diagnostic data from medical devices, and better accessibility for the elderly or Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
Other participants include Monash Health, researchers from the University of Melbourne, unidentified industry partners, Healthdirect Australia and the Victorian Department of Health.
The focus will be on mental health and palliative care, and – once developed – the improved video telehealth solutions will be available to Victorian clinics using Healthdirect Australia Video Call
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Monash University project to enhance telehealth for mental health, palliative care services
New software solutions will be delivered to boost telehealth services like real-time transcription and diagnostic data integration.
By Adam Ang
January 13, 2022 10:14 PM
A new project in the Australian state of Victoria aims to improve the telehealth capabilities of mental health and palliative care services.
Researchers at Monash University have received A$2 million ($1.4 million) funding from the federal government-backed Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre (DHCRC) for its Enhanced Telehealth Capabilities project.
The project will be led by the university's Faculty of Information Technology and supported by affiliates, Monash Health, University of Melbourne, Healthdirect Australia and Victoria's Department of Health.
WHY IT MATTERS
With over 16 million Australians remotely accessing health services since the start of the pandemic, it has become essential for telehealth to be robust, especially for those in areas unreachable by major hospitals, said Rahina Hoda, Monash University Faculty of IT associate professor and project lead.
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Vic gov opens online child vaccination bookings after system 'issue' fixed
By Ry Crozier on Jan 5, 2022 1:46PM
Microsoft worked on the fix since Monday.
The Victorian government has started accepting online bookings for Covid vaccinations of children aged five to 11 at state-run centres, meaning an earlier “issue” with the Microsoft-based booking system is now resolved.
The government had intended to open online bookings for vaccination at state-run centres on Tuesday, but had to push back the timing after encountering an undefined system issue the previous day.
“Unfortunately due to an issue with the booking system, bookings for the five to 11 age group are not able to open [Tuesday] for state-run vaccination centres,” the government said in its daily coronavirus statement on Monday.
“Microsoft is working to implement a solution as fast as possible.”
It appears that a fix has now been applied to the booking system, with Acting Premier Jacinta Allan saying that online bookings would be taken “from 1pm today”.
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https://www.innovationaus.com/deloitte-gets-another-4-5m-for-mygov-work/
Deloitte gets another $4.5m for myGov work
Denham Sadler
National Affairs Editor
13 January 2022
US consulting giant Deloitte will be paid a further $4.5 million in the first half of this year by the federal government for continued work on the new myGov platform, which is still yet to emerge from beta testing.
The federal government has now paid Deloitte more than $45 million since the start of 2020 to lead the “enhanced” myGov project, which is aiming to develop a new version of the government services platform which is more user friendly than the existing offering.
More than two years after the project kicked off, the platform is now in its final beta testing phase after more than $80 million has been spent in total on contractor fees.
Deloitte will be paid $4.5 million in the first six months of 2021 to work on myGov across three separate contracts. All of the contracts are listed publicly as being merely for “information technology services”, but a spokesperson for Services Australia confirmed that they all relate to the myGov project.
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https://www.afr.com/companies/sport/former-gymnast-raises-2-5m-for-mental-health-app-20220107-p59mji
Former gymnast raises $2.5m for mental health app
Ayesha de Kretser Senior Reporter
Jan 9, 2022 – 3.00pm
A wellness app aimed at addressing mental health issues faced by young athletes has raised $2.5 million in seed funding, with increasing support from the lucrative United States market.
iNSPIRETEK, which is valued at $8.5 million, has floated a preliminary valuation exceeding $50 million for its Series A raise, which it intends to commence next month.
Founder and chief executive Annie Flamsteed said the wellness app was designed to address the mental health crisis in sport and help counter the dropout rate among young, burnt-out athletes.
“Athletes like Simone Biles and Serena Williams have been instrumental in putting a spotlight on a systemic problem that clearly needs to be addressed,” said Ms Flamsteed, who is a former elite gymnast.
“Investor interest is high because, rather than focusing on the elite, our program works to build better habits when athletes are young and in grassroots sports. It is an increasingly visible problem that is particularly relevant in places like the US.”
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https://www.afr.com/markets/equity-markets/asx-to-open-flat-tech-stocks-slide-again-20220110-p59mzy
Careteq tumbles on ASX debut
William McInnes 10-Jan-22
Assistive living technology company Careteq has endured a tough first day of trading on the ASX.
The company, which had listed at 20¢ a share, had tumbled 25 per cent to 15¢ after just over two hours of trading.
The company issued 30 million shares as part of the IPO to raise $6 million, and had listed with a market capitalisation of $24.7 million.
“The global aged and disability care sector is primed for a technological disruption due to a dire need for productivity improvements,” said Careteq’s chief executive Peter Scala.
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New AI health accelerator encourages start-ups to work smarter
By Stuart Layt
January 9, 2022 — 8.05pm
The minds behind a new digital health accelerator want to ensure the local industry takes full advantage of the artificial intelligence revolution sweeping the medical practice.
Artificial Intelligence company Max Kelsen has set up a “digital health practice” in Brisbane to connect with developers wanting to enter the AI healthcare space but who do not have the ability to scale up their projects.
Max Kelsen chief executive Nick Therkelsen-Terry said the AI healthcare market was already worth $2 billion in Australia, and was expected to balloon to $150 billion by 2026.
With so much new capital entering the space, there was a lot of potential for error, which was not acceptable in a healthcare setting, he said.
“Obviously there are patients involved, physicians, and we’re asking a machine to make diagnostic and therapeutic decisions, so the risk we’re putting into that system is much higher than, say, deciding what product you should see next to your Amazon purchases,” he said.
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https://medicalrepublic.com.au/protect-your-practice-from-healthcare-hackers/60586
12 January 2022
Protect your practice from healthcare hackers
By Wendy John
If your new year’s resolutions include “don’t get hacked”, this is the podcast for you and your practice staff.
According to cyber-security expert Troy Hunt, sophisticated cyber hackers are trying to trip up your systems and your staff “every hour, every day” because health data can fetch a lot more than other personal information on the black market.
Mr Hunt kicks off our first podcast for 2022 with simple, practical actions to protect doctors, businesses and patient privacy.
The OAIC’s Guide to Health Privacy is intended to help health service providers understand their obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 and embed good privacy in their practice. The OAIC has also published a data breach action plan for health service providers.
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WA reminded My Health Record has all Covid information including proof of vaccinations
11 Jan 2022 2:06 pm AEST
Australian Digital Health Agency
The Australian Digital Health Agency is reminding people in WA that My Health Record has proof of COVID-19 vaccinations, as that state faces expanded proof of vaccination requirements and rules, with border controls easing.
Agency Acting CEO Paul Creech said more and more Australians were using My Health Record and WA consumers should take advantage of theirs to help manage the impact from Covid-19.
“COVID-19 test results come from pathology providers and the majority of pathology providers in Australia routinely upload test results to My Health Record. We’ve seen huge demand since last July, with more than one million views a month by consumers across Australia,” he said.
“Normally, people need to wait seven days to view their test results, however for COVID-19 test results, consumers can read them as soon as they are uploaded to their record and in the majority of cases this would be sooner than they would receive an SMS.”
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Mar. 03 2022
Digital health tools in practice for specialists
by Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN And With The ADHA
Event Information
Inviting all healthcare professionals working in specialist practices to attend a local digital health tools session.
About this event
Key topics:
- Digital health tools that save you time
- Techniques to streamline business practices
- How to improve continuous care for patients
- Networking opportunities
Digital health tools - Electronic prescribing, e-Ordering, secure messaging, telehealth, PRODA/HPOS, NASH Certificates, My Health Record and HealthPathways.
Facilitators:
- Ben Cohn - Australian Digital Health Agency
- Dr Theresa Johnson BSc, MBBS, FACRRM - Darling Downs General Practice Liaison Officer
RSVP: By Tuesday, 1 March 2022
Date and time
Thu., 3 March 2022
6:00 pm – 7:30 pm AEST
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Webinar • My Health Record
Renew NASH PKI certificates - Electronic Prescribing and My Health Record
Event details
When
Tuesday, 18 January 2022 1:00pm - 1:30pm (AEDT)
Where Online
Hosted by Australian Digital Health Agency
Contact us
General enquiries
Phone: 1300 901 001
8am - 5pm (AEST/AEDT) Monday - Friday
Email: help@digitalhealth.gov.au
In order for organisations to maintain access to important digital health tools such as electronic prescribing and My Health Record, they need to ensure that a current NASH PKI certificate is installed. NASH PKI certificates may be expiring in March 2022 for many organisations.
This session is designed to step you through the process of requesting and renewing a NASH PKI certificate for your organisation to ensure you can continue to use these digital health tools. It is recommended staff members acting in the role of Organisation Maintenance Officer (OMO) in your organisation attend the session as they are responsible for renewing NASH PKI certificates.
OMOs are also encouraged to check they can log into PRODA prior to attending, to ensure the demonstrated steps can be easily completed following the session.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nab-to-acquire-lanternpay-574624
NAB to acquire LanternPay
By Kate Weber on Jan 13, 2022 12:45PM
From Australian fintech.
NAB is set to acquire healthcare claiming and payments platform LanternPay, owned by Australian fintech InLoop, for an undisclosed sum.
The proposed acquisition, which is subject to regulatory approval, would allow NAB to augment its Health Industry Claims and Payments Service (HICAPS) with LanternPay's technology.
LanternPay's platform is used by the healthcare, disability, insurance and aged care sectors, and was "purpose-built to standardise the claims and payment experience for all providers of services to government and private healthcare schemes," NAB said in a statement.
The bank said that integrating LanternPay with HICAPS would "simplify administration and increase payment options when visiting a healthcare provider."
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Improvements in Data Quality Could Yield Up to US$42.1 Million for Healthcare Organisations
New research reveals the costly impact of bad data on staffing, decision making and clinical care
SYDNEY, Australia, January 13, 2021 — Data is an invaluable resource that informs nearly every choice we make, but poor data quality can have devastating effects on the decision-making process and financial outcomes. When it comes to health and patient care in particular, the stakes are at their highest. New research from Sage Growth Partners commissioned by InterSystems, involving C-level leaders from top healthcare organisations, reveals just how critically and financially important harmonised data is, and how investing in higher quality data can yield better benefits and decision-making for patient care.
Hospitals and healthcare organisations (HCOs) currently face a number of bad data challenges, from a growing number of disparate data sources to erroneous and siloed data in fragmented repositories. These inefficient practices can impose a significant financial burden. Research shows that 43% of IT staff time is spent on data extraction and harmonisation. Cutting that time in half alone could save an HCO upwards of nearly US$1.6M in three years.
The report suggests that implementing what has come to be known as a smart data fabric can unify and democratise information, ultimately improving the finances, management and operations of a health system. A smart data fabric can embed a wide range of analytic capabilities, including business intelligence, natural language processing and machine learning to make it easier and faster for HCOs to process and share more accurate data. By implementing a smart data fabric and true interoperability standard across an entire health enterprise, HCOs could save upwards of US$42.1 million over the course of three years.
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NBN Co asks ACCC to closely police any functional separation of TPG Telecom
By Ry Crozier on Jan 13, 2022 3:41PM
Over competition concerns.
TPG Telecom’s plan to functionally separate has received cautious backing from NBN Co, conditional on the Australian competition watchdog closely policing the conditions of the arrangement.
TPG lodged a functional separation bid with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in November last year.
If approved - a decision could be made as early as next month - the arrangement would free TPG Telecom from some of the rules that currently prevent it from engaging in infrastructure-based competition with the NBN.
In a submission [pdf] to that process, NBN Co called “the undertaking submitted by TPG … broadly appropriate”, but sought some assurances in specific areas, as well as around the competitive impact more generally.
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NBN Co applies fix to get hundreds of Sky Muster satellite services back online
By Ry Crozier on Jan 6, 2022 12:58PM
Premises impacted by a fortnight-long internet outage.
NBN Co has restored internet connectivity for about 85 percent of premises impacted by a fortnight-long outage to part of its Sky Muster satellite network.
The outage started on December 21 and initially impacted about one-third of active premises in the satellite footprint.
Services for all but 573 premises were recovered in the first 24 hours, however the remaining premises could not be reconnected to the network, despite a number of attempts.
As reported by iTnews on Tuesday, NBN technicians believed they had found a fix to get the remaining premises online.
The efficacy of that fix has been confirmed in the 48 hours since, with most premises brought back online.
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James Webb telescope unfolds to study history of the cosmos
By Lucie Aubourg
AFP
4:40PM January 9, 2022
The most powerful space telescope ever built completed a tricky two-week-long deployment phase on Sunday, unfolding its final golden mirror panel, as it readies to study every phase of cosmic history.
Engineering teams in the James Webb Space Telescope’s control room cheered as confirmation came back that its final wing was deployed and latched into place.
“I’m emotional about it – what an amazing milestone,” Thomas Zurbuchen, a senior NASA engineer, said during the live video feed as stargazers worldwide celebrated.
Because the telescope was too large to fit into a rocket’s nose cone in its operational configuration, it was transported folded up.
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Enjoy!
David.
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