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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Blanket coverage of the first hospital to actually introduce the PSML. We seem to have been waiting a while or have I missed something.
Lots also on tech recovery from the floods. #myHR not mentioned as a critical application that I could see.
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https://www.miragenews.com/royal-victorian-eye-and-ear-hospital-leads-737668/
Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital leads efforts to reduce medicine related mishaps
Australian Digital Health Agency
The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital (Eye and Ear) is the first hospital in Australia to implement the Pharmacist Shared Medicines List (PSML) medicine safety initiative.
PSML is a clinical document produced only by pharmacists and uploaded to My Health Record. It is a consolidated list that includes information about prescription and non-prescription medicines such as over-the-counter and complementary medicines, including vitamins and herbal remedies. It also includes the health practitioner’s reasons for prescribing each medicine and how and when patients should take them.
The PSML helps patients and healthcare providers manage medicines safely throughout a patient’s healthcare journey, including when they are discharged from hospital and go home or into a residential aged care facility.
When this information is available in My Health Record it can help patients and healthcare providers avoid medicine-related mishaps and ensure continuity of care. According to Australian research by the Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, UniSA, an estimated 250,000 hospital admissions are medicine-related and two-thirds are potentially preventable.
The Australian Digital Health Agency (Agency) and the Victorian Department of Health have worked closely with The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital in East Melbourne to deliver PSML at the hospital.
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Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital implements PSML
Monday, 07 March, 2022
The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital (Eye and Ear) is said to be the first hospital in Australia to implement the Pharmacist Shared Medicines List (PSML) medicine safety initiative.
Produced only by pharmacists and uploaded to My Health Record, it is a consolidated list that includes information about prescription and non-prescription medicines such as over-the-counter and complementary medicines, including vitamins and herbal remedies. It also includes the health practitioner’s reasons for prescribing each medicine and how and when patients should take them.
The PSML helps patients and healthcare providers manage medicines safely throughout a patient’s healthcare journey, including when they are discharged from hospital and go home or into a residential aged care facility.
When this information is available in My Health Record it can help patients and healthcare providers avoid medicine-related mishaps and ensure continuity of care.
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Eye and Ear Hospital leads the way to reduce medicine-related admissions
rhiannon bowman 11 March 2022
The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital (RVEEH) is the first hospital in Australia to implement a new medicine safety initiative designed to reduce medicine-related mishaps.
Known as the Pharmacist Shared Medicines List (PSML), it contains information about the medicines a patient was known to be taking at the time the list was created. This includes prescription and non-prescription medicines (such as paracetamol), and over-the-counter and complementary medicines, including vitamins and herbal remedies.
It also includes the health practitioner’s reasons for prescribing each medicine and how and when patients should take them.
According to Australian research, an estimated 250,000 hospital admissions are medicine-related and two-thirds are potentially preventable.
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Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital first to implement Pharmacist Shared Medicines List in Australia
It is a consolidated list of a consumer's prescription and non-prescription medicines uploaded on My Health Record.
By Adam Ang
March 07, 2022 03:32 AM
The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital has been the first hospital in Australia to adopt the Pharmacist Shared Medicines List, the latest medicine safety initiative of the Australian Digital Health Agency.
Based on a media release, the PMSL is a consolidated list of a consumer's prescription and non-prescription medicines, uploaded on My Health Record. It also includes a clinician's reason for prescribing medicine and how and when patients should take them.
The list can only be created by pharmacists after completing an in-pharmacy medicine review and by pharmacists who are preparing a dose administration aid. Hospital pharmacies can also produce the list for discharged patients.
ADHA CEO Amanda Cattermole said they are working closely with the Victorian Department of Health to further roll out the PSML to other providers across the state.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/prime-ministers-department-loses-longtime-cio-576902
Prime Minister's department loses longtime CIO
By Justin Hendry on Mar 7, 2022 6:50AM
Search for successor begins.
The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) has lost its chief information officer of more than six years, Nathan Heeney.
Heeney left the information services assistant secretary role in February after a brief stint as the department’s acting first assistant secretary for technology and business services.
He took up that interim role in December, with director Samantha Portelli in turn taking the vacated CIO role on an acting basis.
But PM&C last week put out the call for a new permanent CIO to lead the information services branch, covering both IT and security duties.
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ANDHealth - Special Announcement: March 8, 2022
ANDHealth is delighted
to announce the appointment of leading digital health executive and CEO and
Group Managing Director of Alcidion Group Limited (ASX:ALC), Kate Quirke, to
its Board of Directors in the role of Non-Executive Director.
Making the announcement on International Women’s Day, the appointment
represents another example of Australia's digital health industry setting the
bar higher for female representation in health technology.
Quirke brings more than 25 years’ experience in the healthcare information
sector to the ANDHealth Board. Her background includes senior management roles
with several global healthcare software firms and experience in product
management, operations delivery, and business development, including shaping international
markets for Australian-developed software.
Quirke is also one of a small number of female CEOs of an ASX-listed health
technology company, giving her a unique view into the later-stage capital
markets facing ANDHealth’s program participants.
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https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/telehealth-existing-relationship-rule-dropped-flood-victims
Telehealth 'existing relationship rule' dropped for flood victims
Patients in 60 local government areas in NSW and Queensland are now eligible for unrestricted telehealth
11th March 2022
More than one million patients affected by flooding have regained automatic eligibility for Medicare-funded telehealth, with the ‘existing relationship’ rule temporarily scrapped in disaster areas.
The exemption applies to any local government area declared a natural disaster zone as a result of the floods, which have already claimed the lives of more than 20 people after sweeping the eastern states.
It covers any phone or video consult by a GP, backdated to 22 February until the disaster declaration expires, according to the Department of Health.
The 'existing relationship' rule means most patients can't claim rebates for telehealth consults unless they have visited the GP practice in the previous 12 months.
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xhttps://www.itnews.com.au/news/critical-ptc-axeda-bugs-jeopardise-healthcare-iot-devices-577113
Critical PTC Axeda bugs jeopardise healthcare, IoT devices
By Juha Saarinen on Mar 9, 2022 8:55AM
Devices from over a hundred high-profile vendors vulnerable.
Security researchers have identified critical, trivally network-exploitable vulnerabilities in commonly used remote servicing software for healthcare and internet of things products, affecting over 150 devices from well-known vendors.
Forescout researchers discovered that the PTC Axeda xGate agent software contains flaws that let attackers run arbitrary code remotely, access device file systems, and change their system configurations at will.
More than half of the affected devices are used in the healtcare sector, Forescout said.
Forescout listed a number of vendors such as Abbott, Agilent, Bayer, Carestream, GE Healthcare, and Varian whose devices have been confirmed to be vulnerable.
However, the security vendor believes devices from other, well-known companies such as WindRiver, Supermicro, Texas Instruments, Sakura, Roche, Netcomm, Leica, HP, Intel and Dell could also be affected by the PTC Axeda vulnerability.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/medibank-lands-new-ciso-576797
Medibank lands new CISO
By Kate Weber on Mar 9, 2022 6:30AM
Alex Loizou joins the team.
Health insurer Medibank has appointed Alex Loizou as its latest chief information security officer.
Loizou officially joined Medibank late January after Stuart Harrison left the role for NBN Co as its general manager for cyber defence.
As CISO, Loizou will report to long-time executive general manager of technology and operations John Goodall.
He will direct Medibank’s security strategy and oversee security operations, business engagement and the company's security uplift.
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Thursday, 10 March 2022 09:28
Monash Health digitally transforms delivery of patient care
By Wolters Kluwer
COMPANY NEWS: Wolters Kluwer, the leading global provider of trusted clinical technology, has been selected by Monash Health to provide UpToDate, the only clinical decision support solution associated with improved patient outcomes, to medical practitioners across Victoria.
In the current healthcare climate, there’s a critical need for health professionals to have high digital literacy and leverage faster, evidence-based clinical decision-making tools at scale.
Monash Health is a leading academic clinical service that delivers safe, high-quality care across the entire lifespan from pre-birth to end-of-life. As the largest public healthcare service in Victoria, its team of more than 22,000 professionals work across 40 locations in Southeast Melbourne, providing roughly 3.6 million episodes of care each year to the community.
Now one of the latest Australian healthcare institutions to embrace digital transformation, Monash Health is leveraging clinical decision support solution UpToDate, which produces an actionable answer to a clinical question within a five-minute time frame.
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https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/anz/digital-health-crc-appoints-annette-schmiede-acting-ceo
Digital Health CRC appoints Annette Schmiede as acting CEO
She will be taking on the new role immediately.
March 10, 2022
The Digital Health CRC has announced the immediate appointment of Annette Schmiede as acting CEO after former CEO Terry Sweeney resigned this week.
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Schmiede was senior advisor at the DHCRC but has been active since its establishment in 2018. According to a media release, she brings a wealth of experience to the table due to her extensive expertise in system performance issues, policy establishments and funding models of health and aged care, which she acquired through numerous positions in both government and non-government organisations.
Formerly the executive leader of the Bupa Health Foundation, Schmiede has recently completed 10 years as deputy chair on the board of the Northern Sydney Local Health District.
With her at the helm, the organisation aims to enhance digital workforce capacity, develop commercially viable digital health solutions and expand research in overlooked areas of Australian healthcare, such as the aged care sector.
As of now, the DHCRC has allocated over $25 million to fund digital health research initiatives in Australia.
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https://wildhealth.net.au/hospitals-thrown-an-escript-life-line-for-another-year/
8 March 2022
Hospitals thrown an eScript life line for another year
By Wendy John
Hospitals have been granted an extension of image-based prescribing to March 2023, but private specialists have been left out of the game.
Hospitals will retain the ability to fax or email an image of a prescription to pharmacies while non-GP specialists with their own clinics will be unable to from 31 March this year.
A Department of Health (DoH) spokesperson said that hospitals have been given the extension because “electronic prescribing capabilities are not available for most hospitals until 2023”.
Wild Health’s sister publication Rheumatology Republic advised the DoH that most patient-management systems used by non-GP specialists are also not ePrescription compliant.
The Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) has offered a second round of incentives to the software sector and is currently working with software vendors to support “full” electronic prescribing functionality, according to the DoH.
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https://marketplace.service.gov.au/2/digital-marketplace/opportunities/19944
Australian Digital Health Agency
DH4237 Development of Digital Health Standards Gap Analysis
Opportunity Type Professional Services and Consulting (Seek proposals and quotes)
Opportunity ID 19944
Deadline for asking questions Wednesday 16 March 2022 at 6pm (in Canberra)
Application closing date Friday 18 March 2022 at 6pm (in Canberra)
Published Friday 11 March 2022
Panel category Strategy and Policy
Overview
Procurement to engage experienced sellers who have capability to assist the Agency to: • Understand how different health jurisdictions (local and international) support the promotion and adoption of digital health standards • Design and develop a framework, methodology (and corresponding toolkit) that would support the Agency to: o Assess and evaluate relevant health priorities, use-cases or standards to identify the gaps and shortfalls that are still required to be developed for their successful implementation o Conduct an indicative Risk/Impact/Cost analysis of the standards gap; and to o Prioritise standard development needs in an objective manner • Consider foreseeable barriers to change and adoption in the use of the designed framework and gap-analysis toolkit by the Agency and the broader digital healthcare ecosystem.
Estimated start date 1 April 2022
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https://www.seek.com.au/job/56235050?type=standout
Clinical Information Architect
Australian Digital Health Agency
Brisbane CBD & Inner Suburbs
Information & Communication Technology
Architects $125,047 - $142,618 TRP incl superannuation
Full time Posted 20h ago
The EL1 Clinical Information Architect plays a critical role in providing technical leadership and guidance for clinical information architecture and information modelling for the Australian Digital Health Agency’s products and solutions.
Working with their team and various stakeholders, the Clinical Information Architect will have a deep and up-to-date understanding of accepted and evolving standards and specifications for clinical information architecture and clinical modelling. Based on this expert-level insight, the position continuously coaches clinical information modellers and clinical specification developers to ensure the Agency’s specification products lead the industry and provide a solid foundation for interoperable digital health solutions across Australia.
This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing and vibrant business with a high-profile national program.
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https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/598229/Southerns-Digital-Hospital-design-plans-progress.htm
Southern’s Digital Hospital design plans progress
Monday, 7 March 2022
NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth
Southern DHB has appointed engineering firm WSP to design the digital infrastructure and facility systems for the country’s first Digital Hospital, being built in Dunedin.
The DHB went to tender for the
role last year, describing it as a “unique opportunity” as the consultant would
have responsibility for the design and assurance of the digital infrastructure
across the entire project.
Peter Ganter, director of Ganter Consulting in Australia, is working with
Southern on its digital plans and says the DHB has two parallel work streams,
one for infrastructure and one for software solutions.
The commercial model for the infrastructure workstream was to appoint a design
consultant to lead all aspects of the digital facilities and digital
infrastructure process.
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https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/598245/Covid-response-tech-improved.htm
Covid response tech improved
Monday, 7 March 2022
NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth
The Covid-19 self-reporting tool
has been streamlined, capacity has been increased for the Covid Clinical Care
Module, and a bug in the RAT requester site has been fixed, the Ministry of
Health says.
Group manager national digital services, Michael Dreyer gave an update on
improvements to technologies supporting the Covid response at a press conference on 8 March, saying the systems had been “designed, developed,
tested and delivered at pace”.
“However, with all new IT systems, there are initial bugs and process flows to
sort out,” he said.
“We are constantly refining our systems, taking on board feedback from our
health workers and health consumers.”
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Being Digital: My Health Record - Woodcroft Library
1181 followers
Free
On Sale 15/06/2022 at 8:00 am
Event Information
Making it easy to improve your computer skills and confidence in today’s digital world
About this event
My Health Record is a service that allows you and your healthcare providers to see and keep track of important details about your health all in one place.
Key Topics
· how to set it up and get started
· how to navigate and edit personal details
· how to access your record online
These sessions consist of an online webinar followed by a Q&A. Sessions start promptly.
Bookings Essential. Suitable for adults.
Basic computer skills required.
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https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/anz/synergy-radiology-implements-foxos-communication-platform
Synergy Radiology implements Foxo's communication platform
It has fully integrated Foxo's communication platform with its RIS.
By Adam Ang
March 07, 2022 03:47 AM
Australia-based Synergy Radiology has implemented an integrated communication and clinical workflow platform by health tech company Foxo.
The cloud-based enterprise platform offers a tailored and customisable solution to healthcare organisations that enables real-time communication with triaging and rapid protocolling. It is also interoperable with radiology information systems (RIS).
Citing findings from a commissioned report, Foxo says its platform has helped cut down administrative work for radiology firms by 94% and the time for scheduling appointments by 68%.
The Foxo platform is now being used in over 120 healthcare locations across Australia and New Zealand.
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https://itwire.com/telecoms-and-nbn/optus-recovers-92-of-flood-affected-sites.html
Thursday, 10 March 2022 14:31
Optus recovers 92% of flood-affected sites
Optus says it has brought back online 335 of its flood-affected sites in Queensland and New South Wales.
The state of play at noon today was that four sites in New South Wales were still down, but 97 had been recovered since 28 February.
In Queensland, 22 sites (17 of them standalone) are still down, four generators have been deployed, and 238 sites had been recovered since 25 February.
"While some site locations continue to be a dangerous environment for Optus technicians due to water levels, our teams on the ground continue to work under emergency services' direction to bring impacted Optus sites back up as fast as possible," the company said.
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https://itwire.com/5g/optus-delivers-5g-in-tasmania.html
Friday, 11 March 2022 10:43
Optus delivers 5G in Tasmania
Customers in Hobart, Tasmania who have compatible handsets (Samsung S21/22 and Oppo Find X3) can enjoy fast internet as Optus delivers 5G and 4G services that use 2100MHz and 1800MHz spectrum.
Working with Ericsson, one out of nine Optus 5G sites has been deployed in Hobart while the remaining eight will be switched on in June this year.
Optus says it achieved delivering 5G by using a frequency division duplex (FSS) carrier with massive mimo capability on a dual band 1800MHz/2100MHz 4G/5G Active Antenna integrated radio unit (Air 1641).
This technology allows Optus to offer 5G services in areas where 5G 3.5GHz spectrum is currently unavailable.
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Wednesday, 09 March 2022 10:32
Telstra making progress to restore connection; latest stats slightly changed
Telstra is making progress to restore connection in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales following severe storms last week, it announced.
Telstra reports that 90% of its mobile base stations are now back online and are delivering coverage to communities. It also said it restored nearly 75% of landline services (excluding nbn).
Seventy-five percent of communities in isolation were brought back online overnight.
The percentage of mobile base stations and landline services remains the same but the stats slightly changed compared to the last update.
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Tuesday, 08 March 2022 09:34
Telstra restores majority of its mobile base stations and landline services
Nearly 90% of mobile base stations affected by thunderstorms and floods are now back online and delivering coverage to their communities, Telstra announces.
Telstra has also restored nearly 75% of landline services (excluding nbn). Communities in isolation were brought back online overnight with 75% now reconnected.
However, Telstra noted there are still areas inaccessible due to floods and road infrastructure damage or without power and it needs to assess whether there is damage in its network.
Telstra found significant damage and said it will take time to fix.
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Monday, 07 March 2022 11:36
Telstra working to restore connection in New South Wales and Queensland but hampered due to inaccessibility and network damage
Telstra provides updates on its restoration efforts on reconnecting communities in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales following severe storms last week.
Telstra said around 80% of its mobile stations were affected and now back online and delivering coverage to communities and has restored nearly 75% of landline services (excluding nbn).
In a statement released to the media, Telstra brought more than half the number of communities that were in isolation back online.
“More power outages, likely due to severe weather late yesterday, has affected a small number of sites in northern NSW,” it said.
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Friday, 11 March 2022 10:39
Telstra continues to restore services in Sydney and Queensland; impacts in Sydney and Hawkesbury slightly change restoration figures
Telstra continues to make progress reconnecting communities in Queensland and New South Wales following severe storms last week, and have assessed impacts in northwest Sydney and Hawkesbury regions, which slightly affected percentage of restoration figures.
Telstra reported that 90% of its mobile base stations are now back online and is delivering coverage to communities.
Telstra says it has restored nearly 70% of landline services (excluding nbn). Ninety-five percent of isolated communities have now been reconnected.
Severe weather in northwest Sydney and Hawkesbury affected Telstra’s mobile and landline services.
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Slow NBN sees Geoff Quattromani try other solutions
By Geoff Quattromani
March 11, 2022
Despite the NBN rollout costing more than $40bn, there is still a large number of Australians unable to experience speeds promised a decade ago.
The pandemic has seen many work from home, and many workers relocating to the outskirts of cities. It’s in those fringes and further into rural Australia where the benefits of the NBN are yet to be realised. Fortunately, there are alternatives.
In December 2021, we relocated from the growing suburb of The Ponds, 40km northwest of Sydney, to a home a further 10km away in Windsor Downs. This 10km gap provided a home with more land for our family, but saw us shift from the preferred fibre to the home NBN to a fibre to the node NBN.
When we were in the process of moving, our internet service provider told us that while they could place us on the NBN 100 plan in our upcoming location, we were unlikely to experience speeds anything close to 100Mbps.
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Aussie Broadband lands Mitsubishi Motors as enterprise NBN customer
By Richard Chirgwin on Mar 11, 2022 10:13AM
Corporate sites, data centres on one network.
Mitsubishi Motors has signed Aussie Broadband to provide enterprise NBN and on-net (connections within data centres) services to locations Australia-wide.
A company spokesperson told iTnews the three-year deal is one of the top ten contracts for Aussie Broadband’s enterprise team.
General manager sales Aaron O’Keefe called the contract a “major accomplishment for our company”.
“Mitsubishi Motors Australia is one of the most recognisable car brands in Australia with a longstanding, and loyal, customer base,” O’Keefe said.
“Through this partnership, we will deliver business telco services to their corporate and regional sites, including data centres.”
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https://itwire.com/business-telecoms/netvault-facilitates-starlink-internet-access-to-northern-rivers-locals.html
Thursday, 10 March 2022 10:15
Netvault facilitates Starlink internet access to Northern Rivers locals
Brisbane telecommunications provider Netvault has granted Starlink internet access to parts of flood-ravaged Northern Rivers in Australia to allow locals to contact their family, friends, and first responders.
After hearing surf legend Mick Fanning’s call to billionaire Elon Musk, Netvault senior systems consultant Radek Tkaczyk decided to donate more than ten Starlink https://www.starlink.com/ Rapid Deployment Kits (worth $10,000) to some of the worst affected areas in the Northern Rivers.
Terminals are being deployed to places like Upper Wilsons Creek and Upper Main Arm that are currently still isolated due to recurring landslides, along with the Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter Service and Medical Rescue Group (who has a vital health truck based in Murwillumbah).
Tkaczyk is delivering Starlink terminals to give free internet access to people who have been affected by the Brisbane floods.
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Enjoy!
David.
2 comments:
Quote from the ADHAs tender ..... "Agency’s specification products lead the industry and provide a solid foundation for interoperable digital health solutions across Australia."
Forgive me for asking but - Does the ADHA really and truly believe this?
"Does the ADHA really and truly believe this?"
More importantly, does anyone else?
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