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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Telehealth and its delivery and funding continues to excite.
Additionally we find the ADHA spends big on recruiting – which would only be happening with high staff loss needing replacement.
Fun also to note the Audit Office might be looking at the ADHA again!
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Telehealth compliance delay welcomed but industry urges further action
Monday, 04 July, 2022
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has welcomed the deferral of planned telehealth compliance rules but warned that Medicare rebates for longer telehealth phone consultations must be a permanent fixture of the nation’s telehealth scheme.
This comes following the announcement that the federal government will be postponing until at least September this year (a) the reintroduction of the existing 80/20 rule (amended to include video, telephone as well as face-to-face GP consultations) and (b) the implementation of a new 30/20 rule for phone services.
The RACGP Vice President Dr Bruce Willett said, “I welcome this further postponement because now is certainly not the time to impose new compliance rules on general practice.
“GPs and general practice teams are busier than ever. In addition to delivering COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, we are administering flu vaccines, helping patients who delayed or avoided consultations and screenings during the pandemic, and treating patients with serious mental health concerns. It is important to keep in mind that high rates of community transmission of COVID-19 and influenza as well as other viruses mean that many patients are still accessing care via telehealth. For most patients, particularly those not confident using video technology, consultations via phone are the preferred option.
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Medicare and telehealth cuts slammed as ‘utterly premature’
NCA NewsWire
July 7, 2022
The Australian government has been criticised for prematurely slashing access to telehealth consultations while Covid cases and influenza are still rife in the community.
The cuts, which came into effect on June 30, signify the end of more than 70 telehealth consultations, including 33 complex specialist items, 40 specialist inpatient items, and GP consultations that exceed 20 minutes.
Health Minister Mark Butler said six out of seven telehealth consultations would not be affected by the changes, and short telehealth consultations with general practitioners (GPs) would still be available.
For longer and specialist consultations, patients will have to use video services to ensure their doctor can visually assess their needs.
“We need to recognise that best clinical practice has a visual image between the doctor and their patient,” the Health Minister told 2GB’s Luke Grant.
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https://www.livedexperienceaustralia.com.au/
Concern over government withdrawal of telehealth arrangements
Lived Experience Australia
From 1st July 2022, Australians experiencing mental ill-health will no longer have access to some aspects of telehealth after the federal government failed to extend the measures introduced during the COVID19 pandemic.
In 2020-2021, according to the ABS, 15.8% of Australians (over 4 million) accessed a health professional for their mental health. Of these, 30.5% accessed these via telehealth, and 12% reporting delaying access to services due to cost. Many Australians struggle to access mental health services, to access them in a timely way, or with taking the first steps to seek help for mental health concerns, due to cost and perceived stigma and self-stigma.
Lived Experience Australia (LEA) welcomes the decision by the Australian Government to extend access to many video-conference options for people to connect with their General Practitioner and Specialist Psychiatrist, and increasing the video-conference option to many other MBS items. However, LEA is extremely concerned about the decision to remove the option of utilising the telephone for telehealth services from health professionals providing essential mental health care.
In 2021 LEA undertook a national survey with mental health consumers and carers about their experiences with telehealth psychiatry services. LEA Executive Director Professor Sharon Lawn reports, “Many identified the benefits of this technology which included convenience, a significant reduction in travel, waiting time, and costs to the person and any family/carers involved in helping navigate the system.” She said, “It is particularly helpful for those who might have difficulties travelling and getting out of the house either due to mobility/transport issues or anxiety triggers when leaving the house”.
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Telecare building ‘Australia’s leading virtual clinic’
2:32PM July 6, 2022
Healthtech start-up Telecare is moving to capitalise on a pandemic-driven shift towards telehealth and virtual clinics, bringing on new investors as it builds out its vision of creating Australia’s leading chronic disease management platform.
With 90 clinicians already signed up to its platform across 30 specialist areas, the Melbourne-based group has facilitated around 40,000 virtual appointments nationally including remote parts of the country such as Norfolk Island and the Cocos Islands.
The company, founded before the pandemic in 2019, has landed a $2.2m seed funding round led by MedAngels and supported by LaunchVic’s Alice Anderson Fund, valuing it at $20m. It follows a previous oversubscribed pre-seed round of $700k, of which $70,000 was derived from Telecare’s participation in accelerator program Startmate.
Telecare chief executive and co-founder Michael Wang said in an interview that the current processes within the specialist medical system are extremely fragmented, resulting in a need for a platform that closes the loop for patients.
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Delivery of a safe, secure and reliable digital health system
Potential audit: 2022-23
Portfolio : Health and Aged Care
Entity : Department of Health and Aged Care; Australian Digital Health Agency
Contact Please direct enquiries through our contact page.
Activity : Governance
This audit would assess the effectiveness of the Australian Digital Health Agency’s (ADHA’s) delivery of a safe, secure, and reliable digital health system.
The ADHA is responsible for delivering and enhancing Australia’s digital health capability. The National Digital Health Strategy identifies seven priorities, including ensuring Health Information can be exchanged securely, a commonly understood interoperable data standard is maintained, and support for the development of a thriving health app industry. The 2021–22 Budget included $32.3 million for interoperability within national digital health infrastructure, $87.5 million to improve system preparedness and responsiveness and $301.8 million for the ongoing development of the MyHealth Record portal.
The ANAO conducted a performance audit of the implementation of the MyHealth Record system in 2019 (Auditor-General Report No. 13 of 2019–20), which made five recommendations in relation to security, privacy and system assurance. The ADHA published an implementation plan outlining its approach to implementing these recommendations in February 2020. Following a Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit inquiry into the audit completed in December 2020, ADHA provided an update on its progress in implementing the audit recommendations to the Committee in June 2021. The ADHA noted that most of its key deliverables had been completed and monitoring and engagement was continuing.
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https://medicalrepublic.com.au/phns-want-patient-enrolment-within-the-year/72283
1 July 2022
PHNs want patient enrolment within the year
By Holly Payne
A summit attended by every major Australian medical organisation resulted in a roadmap for reform.
In the weeks before this year’s election, all 31 Primary Health Networks and the Consumers Health Forum went to Canberra to come up with their own solutions to the crisis facing primary care.
Representatives from the AMA, RACGP, ACRRM, some state-level departments, the Australian Primary Care Nurse Association, the National Rural Health Alliance and the Aboriginal Community Control Health Organisation sector also attended the summit.
“The idea really was to keep up the momentum and level of interest across all parties in primary care reform, and particularly the momentum and consensus that had been arrived at in the process of developing the Primary Health Care 10 Year Plan,” CHF CEO Leanne Wells told The Medical Republic.
The resultant document, Strengthening Medicare and investing in Primary Health Care: a Roadmap for Reform, is now available.
It calls for three “essential prerequisites” for reform, which the PHN Cooperative and CHF believe should be implemented within the next 12 months.
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Monday, 04 July 2022 11:30
Royal Rehab opens Australia’s ‘largest’ Advanced Technology Centre
By Staff Writer
Royal Rehab, not-for-profit provider of rehabilitation and disability support services, has announced that it is now home to Australia’s largest Advanced Technology Centre, Royal Rehab LifeWorks, providing Australians with access to a “comprehensive range of potentially life-changing technology, never-before-seen in one facility in Australia”.
Royal Rehab says LifeWorks is a purpose-built hub designed to improve the rehabilitation outcomes of people impacted by life changing illnesses and/or injuries - and the centre also caters for people living with disabilities, by providing expert support and access to technologies that aim to improve function, strength and wellbeing.
“The centre is the largest of its kind in Australia and is home to over 25 pieces of advanced technology, some of which have never been made available in Australia up to this point – like the C-MILL VR+ device,” says Royal Rehab.
“The C-Mill VR+ technology combines a treadmill with body weight supports and virtual and augmented reality to improve balance, gait, and gait adaptability in a controlled environment. The device provides a safe and comfortable training environment that mimics the challenges of real-life, helping users to navigate situations like walking in crowded areas and avoiding obstacles.
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Sydney project fixes interoperability woes by connecting 70 care sites via cloud
The project has so far facilitated the sharing of 10,000 documents from about 8,000 consenting patients.
By Adam Ang
July 05, 2022 09:43 AM
Disparate systems and scattered health information across the Australian healthcare system have kept clinicians from providing better care and securing better outcomes for patients. One primary health network rose to the occasion and worked on improving information sharing within the health ecosystem.
THE PROBLEM
Interoperability is a "perennial challenge" for healthcare delivery in Australia's healthcare system, says Dr Keith McDonald, CEO of the South Western Sydney Primary Health Network (SWSPHN).
"The out-of-sync and inefficient sharing of clinical datasets from multiple services and disparate systems often inhibits clinicians from being better informed to deliver improved patient health outcomes."
Dr Keith McDonald, CEO, SWSPHN
As interoperability continues to stagnate, it has been a major priority for the country's healthcare sector to ensure a continuum of care through accessibility, timeliness of information, and quality data.
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https://adelaidephn.com.au/our-work/what-we-are-doing-about/digital-health/
Digital Health
Our Digital Health team is dedicated to supporting health care providers with digital health initiatives and transformation. Digital technology is a key aspect of providing high quality healthcare by connecting different parts of the healthcare system.
Our team provides support and training for any of the digital health services below. For more information or to arrange a practice visit, please email digitalhealthinfo@adelaidephn.com.au
Data Extraction and Analysis (CAT Plus)
PIP-QI
Secure Messaging
Electronic Prescribing
Electronic Requesting of Pathology
Telehealth
NASH SHA-1 to SHA-2 Transition
Clinical Templates and Referral Letters
Our Digital Health team can assist with the creation of clinical templates and referral letters for clinical software including
- Best Practice
- Medical Director
- ZedMed
Access our Resource Library to find clinical and referral templates along with instructions on how to import them into your clinical software.
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Implementing and maintaining My Health Record policies in organisation
Event details
When
Thursday,
14 July 2022
10:00am - 11:00am (AEST)
Where
Online
Hosted by
Australian Digital Health Agency
General enquiries
Phone: 1300 901 001
8am - 5pm (AEST/AEDT) Monday - Friday
Email: help@digitalhealth.gov.au
In this session, you will learn how to implement and maintain a My Health Record Security and Access policy in your organisation. Understand the importance of the Responsible Officer (RO) and Organisational Maintenance Officer (OMO) roles in completing and maintaining the policy. The instructor will demonstrate the required information to complete a policy using a sample template.
Upon completion participants will be able to:
- Understand the legislative framework for accessing My Health Record
- Understand the roles and responsibilities of Responsible Officer (RO) and Organisational Maintenance Officer (OMO)
- Create and maintain security and access policy for My Health Record
- Manage My Health Record user accounts and training registers
- Understand responsibilities of practice staff accessing the My Health Record system
- Understand the importance of Health Identifiers and correct system configuration
This education is CPD accredited by AAPM and NAATSIHWP.
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Monday, 04 July 2022 11:25
Australians lost more than $2 billion to scams in 2021: ACCC
Australians lost more than $2 billion scams in 2021 despite initiatives set out by the government and the private sector, according to ACCC’s Targeting Scams report.
The report compiles data from Scamwatch, ReportCyber, major banks and money remitters, and other government agencies.
The study is also an analysis of more than 560,000 reports.
Reported losses to organisations amounted to almost $1.8 billion, but the organisations noted that one-third of victims do not report scams to the ACCC.
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National programme to significantly lift health security level
Thursday, 7 July 2022
NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth
The National Cyber Security
Uplift Programme is looking to significantly increase the security level of New
Zealand's health system.
An update from the programme says a long-term lack of investment in IT systems
and software has left the health system vulnerable and it will work to “reveal
the areas of greatest risk and mitigate where possible”.
The government has committed
up to $75 million over three years to improve
cybersecurity for the health and disability system.
The statement from the Te Whatu Ora, Health NZ cyber security team says this
programme of work “began in earnest” in early 2022 and recently appointed the
country’s first primary health chief information security officer (P-CISO) Nancy Taneja.
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Measurable increase in telehealth expected with national health service
Monday, 4 July 2022
NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth
A priority of the newly reformed health sector is to expand
access to digital models of care and the number of appointments delivered via
digital channels will be monitored over the next two years.
One of the 28 progress measures identified in the interim Government Policy
Statement on Health (iGPS) is the “proportion of medical appointments completed
through digital channels”.
This will initially be for hospital outpatients appointments and will expand to
include GP appointments when data is available, it says.
Ruth Large, chair of the NZ Telehealth Leadership Group, says early indications from the NZ Telehealth Forum's third telehealth survey are that standard coding and agreed terminology is not fully implemented across the country and this will be crucial in measuring activity and outcomes.
"Supporting good data gathering and upskilling the health workforce in digital literacy will be important precursors," she says.
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https://practiceconnect.com.au/programs-and-national-schemes/my-health-record/
My Health Record
Home > Programs and National Schemes > My Health Record
Western Victoria Primary Health Network (WVPHN) is available to help practices register with and manage staff access to the Australian Government's My Health Record system
Once a practice is registered to take part in the online My Health Record system, individual healthcare providers can be authorised to access the system on the organisation’s behalf through conformant software.
In addition to helping practices to register with My Health Record, WVPHN can also support practices to:
· identify their team members' roles and responsibilities
· develop policies and procedures for accessing the system
· identify available staff training programs.
More information on My Health Record
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https://gcphn.org.au/about/opportunities/positions-vacant-at-gold-coast-primary-health-network/
Positions vacant at Gold Coast Primary Health Network
Thank you for your interest in opportunities with Gold Coast Primary Health Network (GCPHN).
GCPHN has been established with the key objective of increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of medical services for patients, particularly those at risk of poor health outcomes and improving coordination of care to ensure patients receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time and by the right person.
GCPHN is an exciting and progressive organisation. Our staff enjoy working as part of a friendly and supportive team.
To receive notifications regarding future employment opportunities, please stay connected via our social media platforms i.e. Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter or by signing up to our monthly newsletter Your Local Primary Health Network News.
Please check this page regularly for current vacancies as they become available.
Current Vacancies at GCPHN
Health Needs Assessment and Planning Officer
Clinical Council Committee Nominations: GP (Employed) and Pharmacist
GCPHN Primary Health Care Improvement Committee
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https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/careers/policy-advisor-24072022
Policy Advisor
APS5
($90,901 - $98,303)
Policy
Programs and Engagement Division > Policy
Brisbane,
Canberra, Sydney
Closing - 24 Jul 2022
Division Overview
Policy programs and engagement – responsible for informing policies, managing external stakeholder relationships, and being the place of excellence for driving program delivery, reporting and outcomes.
Primary Purpose of Position
The Policy and Privacy Section supports a range of internal and external stakeholders to understand and implement the legislative and policy environment for digital health; develops policies to support digital health services and systems; and provides advice to inform critical decisions. The APS5 Policy Advisor works collaboratively with the team to deliver and support legislative policy and privacy services for the Agency. Key tasks include:
- drafting specialist advice to inform the development of digital health policies
- identifying policy and process improvements and developing solutions to improve work practices
- providing policy and privacy advice to support stakeholders, and
- contributing to strategic planning for the section.
The Policy Advisor also undertakes various administrative tasks to support the delivery of the Policy and Privacy Section functions. An APS Level 5 employee would generally be required to undertake work that is moderately complex to complex in nature and operate under limited direction.
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https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/careers/executive-assistant
Executive Assistant
APS4
($84,807 - $89,609)
Digital
Strategy Division > Administration
Sydney
Closing - 24 Jul 2022
Division Overview
Digital strategy – responsible for national digital health design and strategy, underpinned by strong clinical governance and digital health standards.
Primary Purpose of Position
As an APS4 Executive Assistant (EA), you will be required to work as part of a high performing Branch within a complex and fast-paced environment. You will be accountable under general direction to perform moderately complex work to provide a range of administration, corporate and executive support activities across a Branch within the Australian Digital Health Agency.
This is a position of trust that requires emotional intelligence, excellent judgement, advanced administration skills and high levels of personal integrity, sensitivity, and discretion.
Through the provision of support to the senior executive officer and senior managers, you will demonstrate high attention to detail, flexibility in your approach to work allocation and be solutions focused. In addition to these skills you must be able to:
- organise and prioritise work flows;
- apply a sound knowledge of the Branch’s operating requirements, procedures and guidelines; and
- apply sound judgement within defined parameters to make decisions.
You will be required to undertake some research and analysis activities; communicate clearly and provide advice to a range of internal and external stakeholders to progress work outcomes on behalf of the senior executive officers in the Branch.
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/introduction-to-my-health-record-tickets-378909347057
Learn how to use My Health Record
About this event
This session will introduce you to My Health Record. My Health Record is an online platform allowing healthcare professionals to share information with each other as well as the patient, to help give a clearer and more complete picture of a person’s health to aid in their treatment. This session will give you an overview of the platform, along with the opportunity to access and use My Health Record at the end of the session.
You will need an active email address and a MyGov account to access your health record.
Tea Tree Gully library has received a grant to deliver this course and is required to capture attendees details as part of this funding.
Introduction to My Health Record
Actions and Detail Panel
Date and time
Tue., 19 July 2022 10:30 am – 12:00 pm ACST
Location
City of Tea Tree Gully Library
571 Montague Road
Modbury, SA 5092
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https://medicalrepublic.com.au/case-studies-in-the-cloud/72229
4 July 2022
Case studies in the cloud
By TMR Staff
Eight case studies from the first Australasian Cloud Healthcare Summit will get you up to speed.
Interested in what’s new in cloud and healthcare?
At the Inaugural Australasian Healthcare Cloud Summit last month, we heard from eight companies about what they are doing right now to innovate in this area.
Case Study 1: HCI to Hybrid Cloud with Nutanix 2.0
Speaker: Matt Maw, Head of Channel, ANZ
Topic: After completely reinventing the enterprise storage market, Nutanix now stands at the crease of our second innings.
We started with a mission to make infrastructure invisible. Over the past decade we’ve executed that vision by collapsing the silos between compute, storage, and networking. Now we have our sights set on another target – making cloud invisible.
Our vision for the future of cloud is one where businesses aren’t locked-in to providers or platforms, where they have the freedom to operate in any environment they choose, and the flexibility to change at the same pace their business needs change.
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Tuesday, 05 July 2022 11:47
Frankston Hospital taps Honeywell to redevelop its facilities
Multinational conglomerate Honeywell will be the joint facility services provider for Frankston Hospital’s $1.1 billion redevelopment.
The new facility will integrate with the existing hospital and facilitate the Peninsula Health’s Model of Care.
As member of the Exemplar Health consortium, Honeywell will provide the hospital the Honeywell Forge enterprise performance management software to create a more secure facility backed by a 25-year service contract.
Honeywell Forge will allow the Frankston Hospital redevelopment to conduct condition-based maintenance to reduce unplanned reactive work and lower energy costs with a machine learning solution that studies a building’s energy consumption patterns and automatically adjusts to optimal energy saving settings without compromising occupant comfort levels.
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https://www.tenders.gov.au/Cn/Show/?Id=931f9133-aefa-49ae-8856-8d805a88ea61
Contract Notice View - CN3777031-A1
Branch: Australian Digital Health Agency
Division: AUSTRALIAN DIGITAL HEALTH AGEN
Office Postcode: 2000
Amendment Publish Date:
4-Jul-2022
Category: Personnel recruitment
Contract Period: 3-May-2021 to 28-Apr-2023
Contract Value (AUD): $653,375.29
Amendment Value (AUD): $331,682.79
Amendment Start Date: 28-Jun-2022
Description: Labour Hire
Parent CN:
Procurement Method:
Open tender
Supplier Details
Name:
HITECH GROUP AUSTRALIA LIMITED
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https://itwire.com/business-telecoms/telstra-blocks-185-million-scam-texts.html
Thursday, 07 July 2022 10:57
Telstra blocks 185 million scam texts
Telecommunications company Telstra announced it has blocked 185 million malicious texts—1,500 malicious texts blocked every minute—three months after it launched a SMS scams filter feature last April.
According to Telstra’s company blog written by chief information security officer Narelle Devine, messages blocked have included lures to install malware on the user’s device, invitations to hand over personal details to scammers, and impersonation scams requesting financial data.
The scam messages are a reminder that scammers will do anything to lure unsuspecting victims.
Devine also claimed Telstra blocked over 200 million scam calls.
“These calls are everything from fake tech support scams, so-called ‘Wangiri’ call-back scams through to phishing campaigns,” Devin wrote.
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God particle team turns to dark matter search
By Rhys Blakely
The Times
6:06PM July 4, 2022
A decade after its discovery of the “God particle”, the world’s most powerful physics experiment is setting out on a new quest – the hunt for dark matter.
The Large Hadron Collider is a 27km-long track built for smashing protons into each other at velocities close to the speed of light. Ten years ago on Monday, its scientists announced that by analysing the wreckage of billions of these collisions, they had detected the Higgs boson, the subatomic particle that gives other particles mass.
This anniversary coincides with the collider, built in a tunnel beneath the French-Swiss border, being switched back on after a three-year upgrade.
Improvements to energy levels and sensitivity mean that researchers expect to collect as much data from it in the next three years as they have in the past 13. During its first two runs, in 2009-13 and 2015-18, it tested accepted ideas. The results – including the discovery of the Higgs – reaffirmed the Standard Model, our best description of the forces and particles that form the universe.
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Enjoy!
David.
2 comments:
re: Sydney project fixes interoperability woes by connecting 70 care sites via cloud
The project has so far facilitated the sharing of 10,000 documents from about 8,000 consenting patients.
Gee, if interoperability is sharing documents, I don't know what all the fuss is about.
Haven’t we been sharing documents successfully for sometime now? I can do that via the post, courier or even via fax or email. 10k shared from 8k of participating people? I do hope that is not counting the test document used by each account on creation.
And the National Audit office is back to visit ADHA. Another round of doughnuts and friendly chats with fellow bureaucrats.
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