It looks like the Government has not thought its plans through again.
This appeared last week.
Should patients be able to immediately access results via MHR?
The DoH is looking to modernise My Health Record to include the default sharing of pathology and imaging reports, but the RACGP has concerns.
22 Nov 2023
The seven-day delay rule for uploading
pathology and diagnostic imaging results to My Health Record (MHR) should
remain in place, the RACGP has said.
The recommendation was included in a recent submission to the Department of Health and Aged
Care (DoH), which is planning to ensure all pathology and diagnostic imaging
providers share their reports to MHR by default by the end of 2024.
According to the DoH, this change has emerged out of the Strengthening Medicare
Taskforce to ‘empower’ patients and make it easier for healthcare providers to
coordinate care and make clinical decisions.
However, while the college supports default sharing as it could reduce
duplicate testing, lowering both Medicare and patient out-of-pocket costs, it
also indicated there are risks associated with making those results immediately
available to patients.
‘Maintaining the seven-day rule allows consumers to have access to their health
information, albeit with a small delay that allows their GP or other clinician
to discuss their results with them,’ the submission states.
‘We do not consider the benefit of real-time access to results outweighs the
potential harm of consumers misinterpreting results or receiving unfortunate
results with no immediate clinical support.
‘If the seven-day rule is to be removed, the RACGP recommends evaluation is
undertaken to provide data that this change to the My Health Record has
achieved the goal of supporting better patient health outcomes.’
In addition to opposing the immediate sharing of pathology and diagnostic
imaging results, the college has also said any updates to MHR need to be
supported by a ‘thorough and wide-reaching’ communication campaign, targeted at
both consumers and healthcare providers.
‘Communication with healthcare providers should begin well in advance of any
changes coming into place,’ it states.
‘Peak primary healthcare organisations should be engaged to deliver information
to their members to raise awareness of these changes, discuss potential impacts
and provide direction on where to obtain assistance if required.
‘[Public] messaging should include information reinforcing the My Health Record
is a consumer-controlled record and consumers are able to manage the privacy
controls of their record to restrict access to specific healthcare
organisations.
‘GPs should not be expected to explain the changes to patients during
consultations, so consumer resources available through practices, such as
posters or flyers that GPs can refer their patients to, would be helpful.’
The submission goes on to point out that practical barriers need to be overcome
ahead of the changes being adopted.
‘Some RACGP members have described the My Health Record interface for viewing
test results within their clinical information systems as “clunky, hard to
navigate, and slow”,’ the RACGP said.
‘It has also been noted it is particularly difficult to see each result where
multiple test reports are available and that it is difficult to access images.
‘Results will need to be sent to My Health Record as atomic data to support the
seamless integration of reports into general practice clinical systems.’
Once the mandatory uploading of pathology and diagnostic imaging is in place,
the college says general practice systems will need to:
- efficiently search large volumes of data to ensure ease of access to relevant reports
- be responsive to ensure there are no system delays when displaying data
- display reports in a way that is easy to read and accessible
- provide consistency in terminology and reporting to support safe quality care.
More here:
https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/professional/should-patients-be-able-to-immediately-access-resu
You can view the full RACGP response here:
Modernising My Health Record:
Sharing pathology and diagnostic imaging reports by default and removing consumer access delays’ consultation
Response by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
October 2023
The RACGP makes some good points but really avoids the elephant in the room by not suggesting that the myHealthRecord is a useless pile of crock and really should be put out of its misery.
It is important also to note that the myHR modernisation is still to happen as best I can tell but that when it does upload of all results needs to be clinically tailored for the patient.
Some routine results are fine ASAP and others need to be controlled by the ordering clinician IMVHO!
Readers here will be aware that the Government has been trying to enthuse clinicians regarding the myHR since 2012 as I recall and if it is not a raging success by now one wonders how long they will persist with it? After my experience discussed in the blog before this it is clear the myHR is dead!
I reckon the bureaucrats are plain misleading the Minister on most aspects of the myHR and that he needs to take a close look for himself and take serious advice on what to do! My experience of my record was a total bust! Time to give up on it…..
David.
Well, the bureaucrats are too busy getting blind drunk or very open to being paid for their opinions and influences if the current news is to be trusted.
ReplyDeleteEnough vested interests are ready to bolster the Minister, the private health league, consultants (small and large), and random hangers-on. They will all cry foul and call out greed, demand the minister makes uploads compulsory and tied to Medicare payments (again weaponising patients).
The challenge is the federal and state health care sector is riddled with those who subscribe to the hypocritical oath.
re ‘If the seven-day rule is to be removed, the RACGP recommends evaluation is undertaken to provide data that this change to the My Health Record has achieved the goal of supporting better patient health outcomes.’
ReplyDeleteHow about they establish a baseline first to see how it is being used. That would tell the world how much it currently supports patient health outcomes - if any?
Only then can it be proven that removing the seven-day rule supports better patient health outcomes.
It's not rocket science, it's called evidence based decision making.