Here are a few I have come across this week.
Note: Each link is followed by a title and a paragraph or two. 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 payment.
General Comment:
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There really was only one issue that emerged this week in my mind. That was, with an election looming in the next six months, we are probably not going to get any policy sense from either side on the e-Health front.
It is a pity because both sides know they need a credible plan to take development of the use of Health IT in Australia but somehow neither seem prepared to invest the intellectual effort to get there.
In an ideal world we would have bi-partisan agreement that implementation of the already agreed National E-Health Strategy would be a very sensible way forward – but I won’t hold my breath.
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http://www.ovum.com/news/euronews.asp?id=8633
Steve Hodgkinson
Australian government commits to national e-health record system
The Australian government last week announced a significant budget commitment to the implementation of a national e-health records system. Details are sketchy, but the aim is to launch a person-controlled, opt-in, online system to enable patients and providers to better share health information. The government needs the project to be out of the blocks quickly, so vendors with ready-to-go solutions should be fine-tuning their proposals.
At last a positive commitment to a national e-health records system
In last week's budget the Australian government committed A$466.7 million over two years for a national e-health records initiative. Few details were forthcoming beyond statements that the funding is to create a person-controlled system that will enable Australians to check their medical history online. It is claimed the system will provide summaries of patients' health information such as medications, immunizations, and medical test results, and will provide patients and healthcare providers with secure any-time, any-place access to records.
The announcement was a welcome follow-up to recent decisions regarding reform of the country's health-sector funding regime with a shift to a national case-mix model and the creation of local hospital networks (clusters of hospitals) and primary healthcare organizations (community-level clusters of GPs and other primary healthcare providers). These decisions reinforce the fragmented nature of the sector, so an announcement to fund the creation of a national e-health records system is regarded as a vital boost to information-sharing between healthcare providers.
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GP, dentist finance records released by mistake
- BRYAN LITTLELY
- From: The Advertiser
- May 20, 2010
THE confidential financial records of many South Australian health professionals have been inadvertently revealed by the nation's largest medical financier.
Medfin Finance, a subsidiary of National Australia Bank, this week sent the details of up to 4000 SA doctors' and dentists' bank accounts and borrowings by email to its state members.
It is understood the document included details of SA health professionals only.
The finance company, which has about 20,000 clients, tried to recall the email message, which contained a spreadsheet detailing the accounts and personal information of its members, however, it has no way of stopping the recipients from viewing the material.
One affected health professional, who did not wish to be named, told The Advertiser the incident was "a complete breach of privacy".
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http://www.australiandoctor.com.au/articles/82/0c069a82.asp
Email of bank details puts 4000 at risk
21-May-2010
By Louise Wallace
THOUSANDS of doctors are at risk of identity theft and having their money swindled after their personal information was accidentally leaked by the nation's largest medical financier, AMA warns.
Medfin Finance inadvertently revealed financial records and confidential information of up to 4000 doctors and dentists based in SA after an email containing private information was accidentally sent to 500 doctors.
Bank amounts, transaction details and debt expenses were included in the email, as well as personal details, contact information and private business data.
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http://www.rustreport.com.au/ (May 21, 2010)
Aust tech helps Canadian health fixes
Researchers at Alberta Health Services in Canada are using Australian software to help them devise better methods for the delivery of primary healthcare services in the province. The NVivo 8 analytical software from Melbourne-based QSR International is being used by researchers undertaking a large multi-disciplinary mixed methods research project to investigate different models of healthcare and how they support collaboration among primary healthcare professionals, explained John Owen, CEO of QSR.
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http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/tony_collins/2010/05/-should-hospitals-study-mortal.html
Doctors criticise Cerner system six months after it went live
The Daily Examiner, which is one of the oldest newspapers in Australia, reports on the controversial installation of a Cerner-based hospital system in New South Wales.
It's not clear whether the controversy is because the IT is making the lives of doctors more difficult - and therefore potentially dangerous for patients - or whether clinicians are critical of a system that, given time, could make their working lives more productive and improve outcomes for patients.
Or both?
Cerner is one of two software products that are at the heart of the NPfIT, the other being iSoft's Lorenzo.
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In digital-age politics it's duelling transcripts at ten paces
- Cut & paste
- From: The Australian
- May 22, 2010
What about those e-health commitments, Tony? Abbott as health minister on March 1, 2006:
ANOTHER issue I just want to touch on briefly is the importance of e-health. The technology is not really a problem; I think privacy issues can be dealt with. What has been missing is the will to make it happen. And I believe that with the creation of the National E-Health Transitional Authority we do have the opportunity to really make a difference over the next few years.
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http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/games/tick-of-approval-wii-a-healthy-choice-20100518-v9vw.html
Tick of approval: Wii a healthy choice
May 18, 2010
Talk about strange bedfellows. The American Heart Association and Nintendo are teaming up to promote the popular Wii video game console, as the health advocacy group concedes that its campaign for traditional exercise isn't working
The surprising partnership comes amid growing concern about obesity among kids who spend much of their time watching television and playing video games.
Nintendo will be able to brand its Wii products with the AHA's iconic heart logo to let consumers know that the organisation considers the items a healthy choice. Nintendo will donate US$1.5 million ($1.7 million) to the AHA as part of the partnership.
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CSIRO program to aid e-health
Friday, 21 May 2010 | Rachael Bolton
A new program developed by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) will be employed to aid the roll out of standardised electronic health records by patching existing systems to match internationally agreed standards.
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http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/189201.php
E-health Will Talk For The Unconscious And Elderly, Australia
19 May 2010
The Australian Nursing Federation are disappointed that the shadow treasurer, Joe Hockey, at his Press Club address, failed to discuss Coalition health policy while also dismissing the benefits of e-Health.
Ged Kearney, ANF federal secretary, said the initiative could save many lives each year because hospital nurses would have instant access to the health details of new patients.
"Everyday you have people who have been in a car accident or are victim of attack or have fallen ill suddenly, they arrive by ambulance unconscious and unaccompanied by family and friends needing immediate treatment. Nurses are forced to decide instantly how to initiate care for that person without knowledge of their medical histories," she said.
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http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/189229.php
e-health Has Huge Potential And Challenges For Rural Australia
19 May 2010
Australians living in rural and remote areas stand to benefit substantially from e-health. However, those areas also have the poorest infrastructure in Australia - particularly access to Broadband - presenting huge challenges for rural and remote GPs.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) says that e-health strategies need to take this into account and find out how rural and remote GPs can receive the resources and support they will need.
Dr Kathryn Kirkpatrick, Chair of the RACGP National Rural Faculty and rural GP in Dalby, Queensland, said that GPs often have to deal with incomplete and fragmented information and waste time collecting information and duplicating treatment activities.
"Rural and remote GPs may not have access to the required health information and have to manually coordinate care with other providers. This can often be exacerbated in rural and remote areas where health system access and equity issues have long been recognised.
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http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/347269/royal_flying_doctor_service_backs_e-health/?eid=-6787
Royal Flying Doctor Service backs e-health
RFDS says devil is in the details but supports Federal Government’s decision
- Trevor Clarke (Computerworld)
- 20 May, 2010 12:48
The Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS) has come out in support of the Federal Government’s $466.7 million commitment to personally controlled electronic health records.
RFDS chief executive officer, Nigel Milank, said that, while the initial burst of publicity in the Budget was around the metropolitan issue of hospital beds, the famed healthcare provider was pleased that there is more money for primary healthcare.
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Fines for refusing to take part in ABS health survey
- By Sue Dunlevy
- From: The Daily Telegraph
- May 19, 2010
- Fines for refusing to answer
- Up to 50,000 people face fines
- ABS says participation is compulsory
UP TO 50,000 people face a fine of $110 a day if they refuse to divulge information on their health and lifestyle to Australian Bureau of Statistics researchers.
The Australian Health Survey announced in last week's Budget will be the most comprehensive research on the health of Australians ever undertaken and will be jointly funded by the National Heart Foundation.
But the 50,000 people chosen to take part will be compelled to do so.
Participants will be weighed and measured and will be asked to give a blood and urine sample.
Comment: Surely a ‘beat up’!
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Joe Hockey takes swing at e-Health scheme
- Patricia Karvelas, Political correspondent
- From: The Australian
- May 19, 2010
JOE Hockey will today map out the Coalition's return to economic conservatism, promising to cut the Rudd government's controversial new e-Health scheme to save $467 million and announcing a review of the Trade Practices Act to help small business.
In a speech to the National Press Club, the opposition Treasury spokesman will announce that the review -- which he will describe as the most significant in decades -- will not be headed by Treasury secretary Ken Henry. That is an apparent swipe at the independence of the Treasury boss.
The "root and branch" review will be charged with easing burdens on small business and infrastructure projects through the laws defining business conduct.
And the Coalition will kill the e-Health scheme which was announced with the budget and which will cost $467m over the next two years.
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http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/347102/hockey_wants_blood_over_e-health/?eid=-255
Hockey wants blood over e-health
Shadow Treasurer says he always takes a “strong line” on IT projects, but deflects question on whether e-health will be cut by the Opposition
- Trevor Clarke (Computerworld)
- 19 May, 2010 14:49
The shadow treasurer, Joe Hockey, wants blood over e-health.
After giving his detail-scarce budget response speech to the National Press Club this weel, Hockey was asked if dumping e-health, a rumoured part of Liberal's election policy, was “short-sighted and stupid”.
But Hockey predictably side-stepped giving a real answer, a familiar theme in all of his responses to questions.
“I’ve always taken a strong line on investment in IT,” he said. “When I was Human Services minister there were programs in IT in health and Medicare that I wanted closed down because they were not delivering what I promised. Sadly, my successor re-birthed them and put more money into them and I suspect not much has been done.
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Govt calls Abbott a risk to health system
AAP
The federal government has used the coalition's plan to cut $467 million worth of funding for electronic health records to renew attacks on Tony Abbott as a risk to the health system.
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http://www.pharmacynews.com.au/article/mixed-views-on-coalition-e-health-plan/517412.aspx
Mixed views on Coalition e-Health plan
20 May 2010 | by Nick O'Donoghue
Plans by the Coalition to abandon the Federal Government’s $467 million investment in e-health should they gain power have received mix reactions from pharmacy’s leading bodies.
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia president Warwick Plunkett said the decision would be detrimental to the health of consumers.
“There is no doubt that the development of the e-health policy has been overly expensive and its implementation delayed far too long, but at this stage it would be unwise to simply abolish this strategy.
“It will give pharmacists access to essential patient health information to allow better outcomes to be delivered by the pharmacy profession. Through e-health, the delivery of e-prescribing is now within our grasp with little additional investment required,” Mr Plunkett said.
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http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/20/2904819.htm?section=justin
Aboriginal health group slams Abbott over e-health
By Alex Johnson
Posted
A Northern Territory Aboriginal health alliance has called on the Federal Opposition to reconsider its election policy to abolish an electronic patient information system.
The Coalition says abandoning the online medical filing system would save more than $460 million over four years.
But the chief executive of the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance, John Paterson, says the system has been vital in the fight against chronic disease among Indigenous people.
"It enables those clinicians where Aboriginal people are visiting to quickly access electronically all their health records, their medication records."
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http://www.australiandoctor.com.au/articles/6f/0c06996f.asp
E-health funds, super clinics on the block
19-May-2010
By Sarah Colyer
The Federal Opposition has vowed to scrap half-a-billion dollars in promised e-health funding and discontinue the planned establishment of 23 GP super clinics if it wins government in this year’s federal election.
The measures were announced today as part of Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey’s promise to “get the budget back to surplus as quickly as possible”.
In total, the Coalition would scrap more than 40 funding proposals announced by the Rudd government that it claims would save $46.7 billion.
AGPN chair, Dr Emil Djakic, said Mr Hockey would “send Australia back to the health care dark ages” if he pulled funding on e-health initiatives and infrastructure funding for general practices.
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http://www.medicalobserver.com.au/news/abbott-attracts-criticism-for-plan-to-axe-ehealth-program
Abbott attracts criticism for plan to axe e-health program
21st May 2010
THE Opposition’s controversial about-face on e-health has come under fire from all sectors, with doctors arguing the plan would be an enormous backward step.In his Budget response, Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey said the Opposition would reap savings of $467.2 million by abolishing the e-health program – a project it has previously supported.
The Rudd Government was quick to pounce on the backflip, referring back to previous statements from Opposition leader Tony Abbott where he advocated a fully-functioning e-health system. In 2007, Mr Abbott, then Health Minister, said “failure to establish an electronic patient record system within five years... would be an indictment against everyone in the system”.
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http://www.medicalobserver.com.au/news/ehealth-budget-below-expectations
E-health budget below expectations
16th May 2010
The Federal Government’s commitment to e-health has been called into question, following the news its latest investment of $466.7 million will span just two years.
The funding is well below the $1.5 billion investment, over five years recommended in the National E-health Strategy developed for the Government by consultants Deloitte.
Health IT consultant Dr David More said the amount of funding and time-frame demonstrated a lack of confidence from the Government.
“Who is going to get involved in a program which has two years of funding and then it stops cold? What does that tell you about their level of confidence?” he asked.
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e-health needs more funds and a rethink
Monday, 17 May 2010 14:51
The Government’s fooling itself if it thinks that the $466.7 million allocated in last week’s Budget will buy it a national e-health record system, but nor should it pony up billions to pay for a big bang electronic health network as the UK’s £30 billion e-health initiative has proved a squib.
Health IT experts say it’s time for a rethink on both funding and strategy – and some long overdue clarity about who should drive Australia’s e-health initiatives.
Although consulting firm Booz & Co earlier this month found that a comprehensive e-health system could lead to healthcare savings of more than $7.6 billion a year by 2020, the report’s co-author and Booz principal, Klaus Boehncke told iTWire today that $466.7 million wasn’t enough to buy such a system. That would require an investment of $200-$400 per Australian – as much as $8.6 billion given the current population of almost 21.5 million.
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http://www.medicalobserver.com.au/news/eprescribing-guide-needed
E-prescribing guide needed
14th May 2010
STANDARDS to ensure the quality and safety of electronic prescribing systems could be based on key software features identified by a recent study.
The study, conducted by the National Prescribing Service (NPS), singled out 27 key features of prescribing software currently used by general practitioners.
These ranged from warnings on patient contraindications, clearer designs, and automatic medicines lists that can be printed out for each patient to take away with them.
“In the absence of national standards, we hope these provide vendors with guidance about key features to include,” said NPS CEO Dr Lynn Weekes (PhD).
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http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/brain-tumour-link-to-mobiles/story-e6frg6n6-1225867464272
Industry study shows brain tumour link to heavy mobile phone usage
- UPDATED: Adam Cresswell
- From: The Australian
- May 17, 2010
A LONG-awaited international study of the health risks of mobile phones has linked extended mobile phone use to an increased risk of developing brain tumours.
The 10-year Interphone study, the world's biggest study of the health effects of mobile phones, found while there was no increased risk of cancer overall, those in the top 10 per cent of phone use are up to 40 per cent more likely to develop glioma, a common type of brain cancer.
Just 30 minutes of mobile talk time daily was enough to put participants into the top 10 per cent category in the study, carried out in 13 countries, including Australia, and involving more than 5000 brain cancer patients worldwide.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer, which conducted the study and has repeatedly delayed its publication, summarised the findings by saying there were "suggestions of an increased risk of glioma, and much less so meningioma, in the highest decile (10 per cent) of cumulative call time, in subjects who reported phone use on the same side of the head as their tumour".
It added "biases and errors limit the strength of the conclusions that can be drawn . . . and prevent a causal interpretation".
Note: The study is basically inconclusive – despite all the headlines see here.
Cancer risk from mobiles 'a riddle'
- Adam Cresswell, Health editor
- From: The Australian
- May 18, 2010
RESEARCHERS will seek access to individuals' mobile phone records as part of further studies to pin down the cancer risks from mobile phones, after the world's biggest study found disturbing but inconclusive evidence of a danger to heavy users.
The long-awaited final analysis of the 13-nation Interphone study involving more than 5000 cancer cases, to be officially released today, found adults who talked on their mobiles for longer than 30 minutes a day had an average 40 per cent increased risk of developing glioma, the commonest type of brain cancer.
But the study's authors also said there was no overall increased cancer risk from mobile phone use. The finding has triggered controversy among other scientists over the reliability of the long-awaited research.
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http://inside.org.au/inside-conroys-implement/
Inside Conroy’s Implement
What does $25 million worth of consultancy conclude about the national broadband network, asks Jock Given
17 May 2010
FIBRE-TO-THE-HOME is supposed to let you do pretty much anything. Anything except look into it. Side-on is okay, but peering down a live optical fibre cable is like staring into a tiny, focused sun. A lot of light bores straight into your eyeball. Definitely not a good look.
Staring at fibre is what consultants McKinsey & Company and accountants KPMG have been doing for the last several months. The federal government paid them around $25 million; broadband minister Stephen Conroy got a 534-page Implementation Study. Value for money? That depends on what you were looking for.
Comment: Invaluable Independent Analysis
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Seagate spins out a storage marvel: GoFlex
- DOUBLECLICK: David Frith
- From: The Australian
- May 18, 2010
EXTERNAL hard disk drives tend to all be much the same, no matter who the manufacturer. Inside the casing there's one or two disks, magnetically encoded, and spinning at 5400, 7200 or, in a few cases, 10,000rpm.
The two top makers, Seagate and Western Digital, are always looking to come up with a new twist that will set their brand apart. Seagate reckons it may just have done it, with its latest range of "GoFlex" models, due to hit the Australian market this month.
It claims they'll change the way people store, access and share digital content, though others are not so sure.
Missing from the rear end of each GoFlex drive is the usual array of USB, FireWire or eSATA sockets for connecting to a PC.
Instead there's a single interface into which you can plug any of a range of special GoFlex cables: USB 2, USB 3, FireWire 800, eSATA 6, even an automatic backup cable. The "bridge card" that normally sits inside a conventional hard drive enclosure, translating the output to suit each socket, is instead contained in each cable itself.
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Enjoy!
David.
