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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It is that time of the year for quarterly results for small public companies and we have a couple mentioned below. Also a few capital raisings are mentioned!
Otherwise, now Australia Day is past is should really be back to normal!
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https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/anz/st-vincents-rolls-out-safescript-telephone-service
St. Vincent's rolls out SafeScript telephone service
The service supports prescribers and pharmacists in issuing safe and appropriate monitored medicines.
By Adam Ang
January 27, 2022 09:46 PM
Sydney-based St. Vincent’s Alcohol and Drug Service has launched SafeScript NSW's Clinical Advice Line, a telephone advice service supporting prescribers and pharmacists.
SafeScript NSW, a real-time prescription monitoring system, provides medical professionals with access to real-time information about their patient's prescription history for certain high-risk medicines.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
The phone service provides advice related to the safe and appropriate prescription and dispensing of monitored medicines. It is staffed by clinical advisors, such as senior nurses and clinical nurse consultants. The SafeScript team at St. Vincent's is also joined by the hospital's experts in the fields of addiction, pain medicine, and psychiatry.
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How data can help prevent overdiagnosis
By Dr Daniel Capurro, Dr Douglas Pires and Dr Simon Coghlan
Monday, 24 January, 2022
Can knowing too much harm us? When it comes to medicine, in some cases, yes, absolutely.
Finding and treating diseases early saves lives and reduces health costs. It is why health systems have been increasingly undertaking proactive screening – administering clinical tests on individuals who don’t have any symptoms but may be at risk. Examples include screening for diseases like bowel cancer or breast cancer.
The ubiquity of digital technologies in our lives has the potential to take proactive screening to a new level – digital screening. This involves using information collected by our smartphones, smartwatches, keyboards, social networks, and wearable technology and analysing it using artificial intelligence algorithms to identify at-risk individuals.
For example, the early onset of Parkinson’s Disease could be identified from the changing patterns of how someone types, while the risk of heart problems can be identified from abnormal heart rhythms detected by a smartwatch.
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https://wildhealth.net.au/who-won-and-who-lost-the-covid-app-wars/
Who won (and who lost) the covid app wars?
By Fran Molloy
You know you’re in an ongoing pandemic when neither TikTok nor Instagram feature in Australia’s top five free iPhone apps for 2021.
In fact, they were bumped off the list by government apps – from Express Plus Medicare app at number one (handy for downloading your vaccination certificate), to Check In QLD, Service NSW, Service Victoria and finally myGovID.
Stark in its absence was the Federal government’s eye-wateringly expensive and much-hyped COVIDSafe app, launched with much fanfare in April 2020. The advertising bill alone for the disappointing app came in at $6.9 million, with the total cost for app development and ongoing maintenance pegged at more than $9 million.
Despite limp assertions that the COVIDSafe tool had “made a positive contribution to identifying and verifying Covid-19 contacts” made in the government’s own report on COVIDSafe’s effectiveness from May to November 2021 – the same report shows in that six-month period just 13 Australians testing positive for covid agreed to share their data, and only two potential close contacts were identified.
Meanwhile, state-government-run QR check-in apps have seen record user numbers; by November 2021, NSW Minister for Digital Victor Dominello told Parliament that Service NSW had seen more than 7.5 million users rack up more than one billion check-ins via the app, which also integrated the digital vaccine certificate.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/accenture-wins-163m-deal-for-single-nsw-gov-erp-system-574968
Accenture wins $163m deal for single NSW gov ERP system
By Justin Hendry on Jan 24, 2022 1:04PM
Platform to be used by at least 40 agencies.
Accenture has won a $163.7 million deal with the NSW Department of Communities and Justice to deliver a single enterprise resource planning (ERP) system for four initial state government clusters.
The contract for the first phase of the government ERP systems consolidation known as the Process and Technology Harmonisation (PaTH) program was revealed by the department last month.
It comes more than two years after the Secretaries Board first endorsed the consolidation of ERP systems at five clusters, and the Department of Customer Services began initial scoping work.
But as reported by iTnews, the Communities and Justice department recently assumed responsibility for the project, with Customer Services now not expected to take part in the first phase.
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https://wildhealth.net.au/whats-your-emergency-paramedics-the-final-digital-frontier/
27 January 2022
“What’s your emergency?” – paramedics the final digital frontier
Big Data Hospital Interoperability Technology
By Fran Molloy
As the Omicron variant of covid surges around Australia and the world, ambulance ramping is commonplace, and paramedics can queue for hours in hot PPE while they wait to hand over an endless stream of inebriated, injured, sick and distressed people to hospital staff.
But despite the advent of paperless hospitals and the inexorable adoption of electronic medical records, patient handovers from ambulance to ED remain an analogue process, involving at best a printout of patient vital signs, treatment and trends, and the call details from 000 – but usually perhaps just a verbal summary to an admitting nurse or doctor.
“Over the 20 years that I have been a paramedic, the information flow in this job has barely changed,” says Gary Wilson, secretary of the Australian Paramedics Association (NSW).
Wilson says that 000 call-takers record the call, sending details to the ambulance mobile data terminals (MDTs) – and the quality and quantity of that information varies widely.
“Sometimes there’s a lot of information, which can be overwhelming when you’re driving with lights and sirens responding to a scene – other times you have hardly anything to go on.”
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UNSW researchers use silicon in quantum computing breakthrough
By Digital Nation Staff on Jan 24, 2022 7:00AM
UNSW researchers have established a viable solution for 99 percent accurate quantum computing processing using silicon.
The UNSW team, led by Professor Andrea Morello and the Netherlands’ Delft University of Technology, led by Professor Lieven Vandersypen used a method called gate set tomography to certify their quantum processors’ performance.
According to Morello, “When the errors are so rare, it becomes possible to detect them and correct them when they occur. This shows that it is possible to build quantum computers that have enough scale, and enough power, to handle meaningful computation.”
"This piece of research is an important milestone on the journey that will get us there.”
This breakthrough in the emerging technology paves the way for real world manufacturing and application of quantum chips that are compatible with current silicon chip factories.
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https://medicalrepublic.com.au/aged-care-provider-rolls-out-cloud-based-smart-wfm/61772
28 January 2022
Aged care provider rolls out cloud-based Smart WFM
By Holly Payne
A new workforce management system has helped Sydney aged care provider Montefiore decrease its reliance on temporary agency staff, creating better continuity of care.
Smart WFM has deployed a cloud-based central application system to monitor staff availability and rostering at Sydney’s Montefiore.
Importantly, the app enables reallocation of shifts when staff are unable to attend because they are self-isolating or can work at only one facility because of pandemic working arrangements.
The implementation was timely, given that the final report from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Safety and Quality was especially critical of substandard staffing levels, which the commissioners said fell “well short of good or even acceptable practice standards”.
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https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/593625/Tech-key-to-Omicron-response.htm
Tech key to Omicron response
Tuesday, 25 January 2022
NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth
The three phases of the
government’s response to Omicron will involve greater use of technology,
including text notifications for cases and close contacts and automated contact
identification.
A number of technology solutions are being developed ‘at pace’ and more
information will be available over the coming weeks.
Associate Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall has announced a three phase Omicron
response plan that aims to slow down and limit the spread of an outbreak.
She says a ‘self-service model’ for contact tracing and rapid antigen testing
will be key to responding to a high volume of cases.
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Aged care provider Third Age Health taps Celo for internal communications
The sign-in with the messaging platform comes as the aged care provider braces for an Omicron surge.
By Adam Ang
January 27, 2022 09:48 PM
New Zealand-based aged care provider Third Age Health has set up its internal communications in partnership with HIPAA-compliant messaging platform Celo Health.
Third Age Health runs over 50 residential aged care facilities, as well as some primary healthcare services across New Zealand.
Its partner offers a messaging system that enables seamless and secure collaboration among healthcare teams. One notable feature of its app is On-Call, which allows staff to instantly reach one another. Another feature is a reporting dashboard which provides insights for improvements in resource allocation and other processes.
Celo Health currently partners with around 800 healthcare organisations in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
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https://www.miragenews.com/telstra-health-secures-five-year-contract-to-711504/
24 Jan 2022 2:44 pm AEDT
Telstra Health secures five-year contract to deliver 1800RESPECT
The Morrison Government is pleased to announce Telstra Health as the successful provider to deliver 1800RESPECT – the national family, domestic and sexual violence counselling service, following an extensive open and competitive procurement process.
Minister for Women’s Safety Anne Ruston said the Government was committed to ensuring 1800RESPECT continues to provide the highest quality support as the national front door for all Australians seeking help when affected by family, domestic and sexual violence.
“Through this process we are ensuring the future service meets the diverse and complex needs of people seeking support, as our understanding of trauma and the pervasive nature of gendered violence continues to evolve,” Minister Ruston said.
“New technology will be built into the service from July to provide additional options for users including text messages, video calls and follow-ups on referrals with users when safe to do so.
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https://www.themandarin.com.au/179554-new-1800respect-provider-to-expand-tele-support-options/
New 1800RESPECT provider to expand tele-support options
Thursday January 27, 2022
Australia’s 1800RESPECT telephone counselling line will have extra options for clients, including text messages, video calls and referral follow-ups, from July 2022.
Minister for women’s safety Anne Ruston announced the new measures on Monday, noting that Telstra Health would implement them in delivering the national family, domestic and sexual violence support.
Telstra Health was chosen for the five-year government contract, valued at around $200 million, after ‘an extensive open and competitive procurement process’, the minister added.
Telstra Health was chosen for the five-year government contract, valued at around $200 million, after ‘an extensive open and competitive procurement process’, the minister added.
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Doctor Care Anywhere in funding push as telehealth booms in pandemic
7:24PM January 28, 2022
ASX-listed telehealth outfit Doctor Care Anywhere has more than doubled its full-year revenues, exceeding expectations and sending the company’s shares surging by more than 9 per cent.
Doctor Care Anywhere chief executive and former psychiatrist Bayju Thakar said telehealth consultations had managed to save healthcare funders more than 20 per cent while improving clinical outcomes.
For this reason, he is pushing for the federal government to permanently fund virtual appointments beyond the end of June.
“We have been lobbying and actively pushing for those Medicare rebates to stay because the most disadvantaged people in the Australian geography need that opportunity to be able to access where the supply is rich – in urban not rural,” Dr Thakar said.
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Q2 FY22 Quarterly Activities Report and Appendix 4C
Melbourne, Australia – Alcidion Group Limited (‘Alcidion’ or the ‘Company’) today releases its Appendix 4C for the quarter ended 31 December 2021 (Q2 FY22) and a business update detailing operational highlights.
Highlights:
- Signed largest contract, as part of a Consortium led by Leidos Australia, to deliver key capability for a Healthcare IT project for the Commonwealth of Australia - $23.3M TCV over 6 years
- Q2 positive operating cashflow of $1.5M, driven by Q2 cash receipts of $9.9M with total YTD cash receipts of $16.4M
- New contracted revenue sold in Q2 of $27.7M with $6.2M of that to be recognised in FY22
- Acquired Silverlink PCS Software Ltd (Silverlink), positioning Alcidion to become a cloud-native, modern, and modular Electronic Patient Record (EPR/EMR) provider
- Successful $55.0 Million capital raising via Institutional Placement and Entitlements issue to fund the Silverlink acquisition
- At the end of Q2, total contracted revenue to be recognised in FY22 stands at $27.1M - up 25% on prior year Q2 (this includes $3.8M from Silverlink)
- A further $1.9M of scheduled renewal revenue is expected to be converted to contracted revenue over the course of FY22
- Cash balance of $18.9M as at 31 December 2021
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Canaccord Genuity pushed Alcidion shares pushed ahead of raising
6:18PM January 27, 2022
Canaccord Genuity recommended clients buy shares in Alcidion less than a fortnight before it was named as the lead manager of the company’s $55m capital raising.
The equities research note – titled “Finger on the digital pulse” – was distributed to clients on November 24, placing a 42c per share price target on the health technology company and flagging the potential for “new contract announcements and expansions”.
On December 7, the company put its shares into a trading halt and said it would provide an investor update about a capital raising.
At the time, Alcidion shares were trading at 34c. On Thursday, shares rose 1c to close at 24c.
An investigation by The Australian has revealed numerous instances where Canaccord – which runs one of the country’s most active investment banks specialising in smaller companies – has made share recommendations to clients without explicitly disclosing there may be a conflict of interest. Earlier this week, The Australian reported that Canaccord had placed a “speculative buy” rating and published a highly favourable research note about Eagle Mountain Mining eight days before the copper explorer said it was undertaking capital raising – which was being conducted with the assistance of the bank.
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Eucalyptus raises $60m, eyes off new obesity-management drugs
Jessica SierJ ournalist
Jan 27, 2022 – 6.00am
One of Silicon Valley’s most respected technology investors has led a $60 million funding round in Eucalyptus, a fast growing Sydney-based online health start-up, as it weighs up the potential of bringing new weight loss drugs to Australia.
The Series C round, which was first flagged by Street Talk was led by big name Silicon Valley investor Mary Meeker’s Bond Capital, with Blackbird, NewView Capital, W23 Ventures, OneVentures, Airtree and Athletic Ventures also tipping in funding.
Eucalyptus builds and launches various digital healthcare brands and services from a centralised platform.
It has five offerings in the market: men’s health brand Pilot, women’s fertility and telehealth service Kin, skincare brand Software, sexual wellness company Normal, and menopause service Juniper.
The fresh funding – which adds to $30 million raised last year – will be used to double down on the software development of the centralised platform, and a planned launch in the United Kingdom which has similar health regulations to Australia.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-sheds-1200-satellite-customers-since-december-575010
NBN Co sheds 1200 satellite customers since December
By Ry Crozier on Jan 25, 2022 12:05PM
Operator says change is mostly 'seasonal'.
NBN Co lost over 1200 active satellite customers between the start of December and early January, and 1772 customers since its active user base peaked at 112,600 in early September 2021.
The downward trend is captured in the company’s weekly progress reports, which also show that the company is approaching an active satellite user base level that is par with the first quarter of 2021 - about a year ago.
An NBN Co spokesperson told iTnews that the “small decline in Sky Muster active premises is largely seasonal” and that the end of Covid-related lockdowns also played a part in this year’s numbers.
“Historically, we see declines in incremental active premises growth in the Christmas and school holiday period,” the spokesperson said.
“This is typically followed by an increase as people start returning to work and school in mid-to-late January.
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Enjoy!
David.
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