Monday, November 28, 2022

Weekly Australian Health IT Links – 28 November, 2022.

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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NSW eHealth deciding to throw every thing out and go with Epic is the big news. Will be fun to watch if I live that long!

A few other bits not to be missed as well so read on!

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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nsw-health-taps-epic-for-statewide-single-digital-patient-record-588153

NSW Health taps Epic for statewide, single digital patient record

By Jeremy Nadel on Nov 23, 2022 6:48AM

To unify core clinical and laboratory information systems.

NSW Health has selected US healthcare software provider Epic to unify its core clinical and laboratory information management systems under a state-wide, single digital patient record (SDPR).

NSW Health currently uses nine electronic medical record systems (EMR), six patient administration systems (PAS) and five pathology laboratory information systems (LIMS).

Currently, Cerner and Orion Health provide NSW Health’s EMR instances, Cerner and DXC provide its PAS instances, and Citadel (Auslab) and Integrated Software Solutions (OmniLab) provide its LIMS.

NSW Health Pathology chief executive Tracey McCosker said the modular, cloud-based environment would give healthcare teams across NSW real-time access to comprehensive medical records

“Patients and our busy staff will benefit from clinical insights gained from the capture of important new data that enables ongoing innovation across the state," McCosker said.

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https://wildhealth.net.au/epic-battle-for-nsw-health-unseats-a-giant/

24 November 2022

Epic battle for NSW Health unseats a giant

By Wendy John

Epic has won the bid to transform NSW Health’s digital health ecosystem by usurping long-term incumbent Cerner.

The IT transformation is expected to take six years and aims to achieve NSW Health’s goals including single patient identifiers, patient information portals and embedding virtual care as a part of routine care. In all, 350 expert stakeholders weighed in on the tender and favoured Epic over Cerner.

Michelle O’Brien is a digital health thought leader and former business executive for Medical Director and MediRecords. She said the decision to move away from Cerner was unexpected given the extent that Cerner is embedded in NSW Health.

“What is surprising though is the thought that you would put two global competitors into NSW Health together and expect them to be able to work together. I think that’s what shocked everyone in the market,” Ms O’Brien said.

Ms O’Brien added that although the market may be surprised, some users of NSW Health digital health systems were probably not as shocked by the decision.

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https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/anz/epic-chosen-deliver-nsw-healths-single-digital-patient-record-system

Epic chosen to deliver NSW Health's Single Digital Patient Record system

The EMR system will first go live at Hunter New England LHD.

By Adam Ang

November 23, 2022 04:24 AM

NSW Health has picked Epic to deliver its Single Digital Patient Record project, which seeks to unify all EMR and pathology information systems across the state. 

Subject to the successful completion of contractual negotiations, Epic's supply contract will replace nine existing EMR platforms, six PAS, five pathology LIMS and several other clinical support systems, which have been provided by Cerner, Orion Health, DXC, Citadel, and Integrated Software Solutions.

The SDPR will provide comprehensive, real-time electronic access to medical records across NSW Health, covering 15 Local Health Districts (LHDs), two specialty health networks and all NSW Health pathology laboratories.

According to eHealth NSW chief executive and CIO Dr Zoran Bolevich, they engaged more than 350 expert stakeholders, including clinicians, scientists and technical experts, to evaluate Epic's supply proposal. 

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https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/anz/nsw-health-seeks-best-change-management-practices-virtual-care-integration

NSW Health seeks best change management practices for virtual care integration

It is part of its Smarter Hospitals project which seeks to optimise virtual care technologies in NSW health facilities.

By Adam Ang

November 23, 2022 07:33 AM

Health Infrastructure, an agency under NSW Health that delivers infrastructure solutions and services, is set to review global best change management practices to deliver digitally enabled health facilities in the state.

This research, in partnership with the Australian Institute of Health Innovation at Macquarie University and partner health services, has recently received backing from the National Health and Medical Research Council with a A$1.27 million (about $840,000) grant. 

WHY IT MATTERS

According to Health Infrastructure chief executive Rebecca Wark, every health facility requires "some level of change management" to help hospital staff adapt to new facilities or new models of care. 

Wark hopes that their research on best change management practices will guide the implementation of virtual care technologies in their health facilities, from initial clinical needs planning, health facility planning, design and construction, through to asset repurposing.

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https://www.innovationaus.com/nsw-to-consider-patient-access-to-new-digital-health-record/

NSW to consider patient access to new digital health record


Justin Hendry
Editor

24 November 2022

A future version the statewide digital health record to be rolled out in New South Wales over the coming years could give patients access to their clinical record, much like the national My Health Record system.

NSW Health this week announced its partnership with US-based electronic medical record (EMR) vendor Epic to deliver the state’s Single Digital Health Record (SDHR), ending a three-year search for a provider.

Epic has spent the last two years delivering the Australian Capital Territory’s Digital Health Record (DHR), having won a $128.3 million contract in July 2020. The DHR went live across Canberra last week.

New South Wales’ SDHR will replace nine existing EMR platforms provided by Cerner and Orion Health, six patient administration systems from Cerner and DXC and five pathology laboratory information management system.

It will be used across all 15 Local Health Districts, two Specialty Health Networks and NSW Health Pathology laboratories, giving clinicians access to real-time NSW Health medical records regardless of where a person is admitted.

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https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/anz/act-switch-covid-19-contact-tracing-app

ACT to switch off COVID-19 contact tracing app

The app will no longer be in use starting in December.

By Adam Ang

November 23, 2022 08:32 PM

The ACT government is decommissioning the Check in CBR mobile app that was used for contact tracing during the pandemic.

In a statement, ACT Minister for Health Rachel Stephen-Smith said the app will be shut down from 1 December. 

"[A]s the ACT continues to move towards managing COVID-19 in a manner that is more consistent with other infectious diseases, the app is no longer required and will be switched off," she said.

THE LARGER CONTEXT

Check in CBR was launched in September 2020 to support the contact tracing of suspected COVID-19 cases in the ACT. It logs a user's location after scanning a QR code in public establishments. Later versions of the app allow it to hold a person's vaccination certificate and provide a link to report a positive COVID-19 test. 

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https://www.hospitalhealth.com.au/content/technology/news/pain-assessment-app-ready-for-hospital-sector-597565501

Pain assessment app ready for hospital sector

Monday, 21 November, 2022


PainChek, developer of a smartphone-based pain assessment and monitoring application, has partnered with InterSystems IRIS for Health to integrate its application with electronic medical record (EMR) systems.

Combining the companies’ platforms will facilitate PainChek’s hospital global market entry as it aims to transform pain management in the hospital sector.

PainChek’s software-as-a-service (SaaS), artificial intelligence (AI) platform uses smart devices with cameras to accurately evaluate patients’ pain levels — saving time and money for healthcare providers since different clinicians may record different verbal assessments. Many patients cannot or do not reliably describe their pain levels, are pre- or non-verbal, or are not lucid at the time.

PainChek’s application is contracted for use in more than 1300 aged care facilities in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Singapore.

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https://wildhealth.net.au/pain-assessment-app-enters-hospitals/

24 November 2022

Pain assessment app enters hospitals

By Talia Meyerowitz-Katz

In its first move into hospitals, Australian smartphone app PainChek has partnered with technology provider InterSystems to integrate the tool with electronic medical records (EMRs).

PainChek is the world’s first smartphone-based pain assessment and monitoring app.

It uses AI and facial recognition to detect pain in patients who cannot accurately self-report, such as patients who are non-verbal, not lucid, or experiencing cognitive decline.

It works by using the smart phone camera to look at the patient’s face, and then uses AI to identify muscle movements indicative of pain.

The app then provides a framework to record pain related behaviours. It generates a pain score and records the result, supporting ongoing monitoring of the effectiveness of pain management interventions and consistency in pain reporting.

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https://www.hospitalhealth.com.au/content/technology/news/nationwide-huntington-s-disease-registry-to-improve-research-625766448

Nationwide Huntington's disease registry to improve research

Monday, 21 November, 2022


Australia’s first nationwide registry to map people living with the rare, neurogenerative Huntington’s disease (HD) has reached its first 100 participants, a significant step towards paving the way for better care and services across the country.

The Map-HD Registry is an initiative of the Huntington’s Disease Network of Australia (HDNA), led by Professor Julie Stout at Monash University’s Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health.

Adults and children in Australia affected by HD are invited to sign up, enabling the registry to map participants’ locations, obstacles in accessing HD clinical care, community services and experiences with Commonwealth-supported disability insurance entitlements.

It’s estimated that around 2160[1] Australians have a diagnosis. There is currently no cure for the condition and too many people are not receiving the care and services they need.

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https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/anz/surgery-admission-now-takes-12-minutes-regional-health-network

Surgery admission now takes 12 minutes in this regional health network

It has also brought back 40 hours per week of staff time back to nursing care.

By Adam Ang

November 25, 2022 06:24 AM

The Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network has moved on from a paper-based admission process for surgery patients to using digital pathways to enhance communication, patient risk assessments, and surgery preparation.

The regional health network provides public acute, residential aged care, community health and mental health services through 11 hospitals and health facilities across Barossa, Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island in South Australia.

WHAT IT'S ABOUT 

BHFLHN has recently implemented Personify Care's digital pathways, which have been customised for each site of the network. All its locations have varied and adjusted pathways based on their needs.  

A digital pathway streamlines and individualises communication of timely and relevant information with patients, including appointment times and reminders, patient education, COVID-19 screening and testing instruction, surgery date and time confirmation, advanced discharge plan, and feedback forms.

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https://itwire.com/it-industry-news/enterprise-cloud/splunk-helps-sa-health-enhance-patient-outcomes.html

Tuesday, 22 November 2022 22:14

Splunk helps SA Health enhance patient outcomes

By David M Williams

Splunk has awarded SA Health with the Splunk Asia Pacific innovation award for best practices, recognising the organisation's platform design, implementation, collaboration, and leadership in the health sector.

The award was not given lightly; SA Health, along with Splunk, Hannan and Partners, and Chamonix IT Consulting, has designed and built one of the largest and most advanced Splunk deployments in Australia.

The result is a blend of Splunk Cloud, Splunk Enterprise Security, and Splunk IT Service Intelligence giving vast service visibility, increased operational efficiencies, and a technology skills uplift for approximately 100 staff.

SA Health is the first Splunk customer to receive this award, which focuses on organisations that innovate and leverage the Splunk platform to its fullest.

“SA Health has delivered outstanding deployment of the Splunk platform, impacting the health sector so positively in a moment when it was more critical than ever. We couldn’t be more proud to recognise them for the exceptional platform implementation and collaboration,” said Splunk area vice president of Australia and New Zealand Ernie Hug. “Splunk has demonstrated continuing investment into South Australia, not only growing our team locally but also further expanding with new resources. This is an important result of this commitment to the state.”

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https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/623803/Spectacular-result-for-clinician-led-quality-improvement-project.htm

 

‘Spectacular result’ for clinician-led quality improvement project

Monday, 21 November 2022  

NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth

The introduction of clinician-designed, electronic forms into nurses’ existing electronic workflow at Christchurch Hospital increased documentation of IV-line insertion from 32 to 85 percent.

Leah Wilkins, Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury clinical nurse specialist, infection prevention and control service, says international evidence shows documentation of peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVC) insertion and management is generally poor globally, and especially in Australia and New Zealand.

A quality improvement project saw the introduction of PIVC documentation into Christchurch Hospital’s shared electronic notes system Cortex.

Wilkins, who will be presenting on the project at Digital Health Week in Rotorua this December, says its success shows improved electronic documentation can be achieved despite high workloads and resource constraints.

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https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/624337/Digital-first-GP-service-expands-into-South-Island.htm

Digital first GP service expands into South Island

Thursday, 24 November 2022  

NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth

Kiwi digital health company Tend Health has become a 50 percent shareholder in the South Island-based general practice company, Better Health Limited.

Tend is a digital-first general practice provider that allows patients to book appointments online (including in evenings and weekends), see a doctor using telehealth and access their clinical notes and prescriptions, via an app.

The partnership between Tend and Better Health Limited will cover 14 medical centres with more than 90,000 patients across Christchurch, North Canterbury and the lower South Island.

Tend integration will occur as a managed process at select South Island clinics over time. The company already operates three medical centres across Auckland.
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https://developer.digitalhealth.gov.au/events/adha-msia-joint-information-sharing-and-qa-28-november-2022

ADHA & MSIA Joint Information Sharing and Q&A - 28 November 2022

Monday, 28 November 2022 - 1:00pm to 2:00pm

Online Webinar

To register, click on the button below: 

Register to attend

About this event

A joint Q&A session where MSIA members will receive agency updates, and have the chance to ask general questions about any projects or programs of work.

Who runs the event?

Medical Software Industry Association (MSIA) & Australian Digital Health Agency

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https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/your-health-in-your-hands-tickets-464743800217

Feb. 22

Your health in your hands

Featured in

Learn about My Health Record, telehealth, eScripts and other digital health topics.

By Castlemaine Library

When and where

Date and time

Wed., 22 February 2023, 10:00 am – 11:00 am AEDT

Location

Castlemaine Library 212 Barker Street Castlemaine, VIC 3450

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https://developer.digitalhealth.gov.au/resources/news/conformance-services-end-year-availability

Conformance Services end of year availability

The Agency would like to advise all vendors of the availability of its conformance services, including conformance assessments and support, throughout the end of year holiday period and Agency office closure.

Healthcare Identifiers (HI) Service bookings

HI Service conformance assessment bookings for 2022 have now concluded. Bookings are now being taken for conformance assessments in 2023, with availability from 16 January 2023. Preparatory documentation, such as Implementation Conformance Statements, may continue to be submitted through this period as required.

Electronic Prescribing (EP) and eNRMC assessments

EP and eNRMC conformance assessments will continue to be processed until the Agency's end of year office closure on 23 December 2022 and will resume on 16 January 2023. Throughout December and January, EP and eNRMC conformance assessments may be subject to processing delays of up to 10 business days due to the end of year office closure. Vendors are requested to consider appropriate additional lead time in product delivery planning, to account for any delays.

We thank you for your understanding and look forward to continuing to support your conformance activities in the new year. Please contact us at help@digitalhealth.gov.au should you require any further assistance.

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https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/nasa-s-orion-capsule-reaches-the-moon-passes-over-apollo-11-landing-site-20221122-p5c057.html

NASA’s Orion capsule reaches the moon, passes over Apollo 11 landing site

By Marcia Dunn

November 22, 2022 — 1.23am

Cape Canaveral: NASA’s Orion capsule reached the moon on Monday, passing within 128 kilometres of the lunar surface on its historic space flight.

The close approach occurred as the crew capsule and its three test dummies were on the far side of the moon. Because of the half-hour communication blackout, flight controllers in Houston did not know if the critical engine firing went well until the capsule emerged from behind the moon, more than 375,000 kilometres from Earth.

It’s the first time a capsule has visited the moon since NASA’s Apollo program 50 years ago, and represented a huge milestone in the $US4.1 billion test flight that began last Wednesday. Orion’s flight path took it over the landing sites of Apollo 11, 12 and 14 — humanity’s first three lunar touchdowns.

The moon loomed ever larger in the video beamed back to Earth as the capsule closed the final few thousand kilometres since blasting off on November 16 from Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre.

“This is one of those days that you’ve been thinking about and talking about for a long, long time,” flight director Zeb Scoville said.

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Enjoy!

David.

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