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
The big news today is that the myHR opt-out period starts today and goes for 3 months.
If you have even the tiniest concern about just letting the government have and gather your personal health information I suggest you visit and read from the following link.
There are many reasons you may want to stay away so it is worth reading and making an informed decision.
The perspective provided here I believe to be balanced and trustworthy.
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It's crunch time for the 'My Health Thing'
9 July 2018
OPINION
It's less than a week until the opt-out period for My Health Record starts. If patients don’t opt out between 16 July and 15 October, they will have a record created automatically, filled with two years of MBS and PBS data for starters.
The Australian Digital Health Agency has to persuade patients of the importance of My Health Record while also ensuring they know about opting out if they don’t share the agency’s optimism.
The deadline has coincided with a qualitative study detailing exactly why some patients aren’t hot on joining the billion-dollar system.
Conducted by a professor of communication at the University of Canberra, it highlights some unexpected concerns, particularly among patients who registered when My Health Record was first launched but are disillusioned with their records lying empty.
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Cyber security experts warn patients over online medical record plan for all Aussies
2:32pm Jul 12, 2018
My Health Record site set to launch
Cyber security experts have warned patients to be wary of a new $2 billion system which will see their medical details put online.
While Health Minister Greg Hunt said the new My Health Record site will “save and protect lives”, internet experts said the system is liable to be breached - not by hackers but thanks to lapse medics who use it.
Australians have three months from next week to decline to be part of the new system run by the Government’s Australian Digital Health Agency.
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My Health Record: the Government wants to access your data until 30 years after you die
By George Roberts on AM
Unless you opt-out by mid-October, the Federal Government will create an online record of your health details that it can access for the rest of your life and beyond - even if you ask for it to be deleted.
The Federal Government has budgeted more than $370 million to make digital health records for all Australians by the end of the year.
But privacy advocates are warning people to opt out of the database and IT specialists say it's impossible to completely safeguard the information.
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My Health Record could be our worst government data breach yet
The Turnbull government has demonstrated its willingness to use private information against critics, and we know how poor third party contractors can be at securing data. My Health record is too dangerous not to opt out of.
Bernard Keane
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Message from the CEO: My Health Record
July 12, 2018
In response to concerns raised by our members, CoMHWA is investigating the impact of My Health Record for people with personal experience of mental health issues. My Health Record is an online health record containing an individual’s health information that can be shared across health care providers.
My Health Record aims to prevent medication errors and hospital admissions, reduce duplication of medical tests, help inform treatment decisions and better coordinate the care for people who have multiple health issues. However, CoMHWA has found My Health Record may not benefit everyone equally. There are a number of unresolved issues that raise concerns for people’s rights and may cause unintended consequences including people’s information being shared without their knowledge and consent.
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The $2billion plan that could give hackers access to your medical records
Cyber security experts have issued a warning to Australians as their health records go online under a new $2 billion government-backed scheme.
Millions of patient records will be uploaded as part of the My Health system in a bid to help the medical industry go digital.
Online data security experts have warned patients to be wary of their medical details being put online but not only because of hackers but because of careless doctors.
Nigel Phair, director of the University of New South Wales’ Canberra Cyber, said he worries patients ‘sensitive’ records might be compromised by the lack of security in doctor surgeries.
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The risks and benefits of your new online health record
Sue Dunlevy, National Health Reporter, News Corp Australia Network
July 13, 2018 10:00pm
AUSTRALIANS are being asked to trust the federal government with their deepest medical secrets as a new $1 billion online health record is rolled out for everyone.
Every Australian will have a My Health Record created for them that will reveal if they’ve had an abortion, mental illness, sexually transmitted disease or drug addiction unless they tell the government they want to opt out from next week.
The government says the My Health Record will reduce medication errors and the duplication of medical tests and make it easier to keep track of your health but some privacy and IT security experts are urging people to opt out.
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My Health Record: information about your options
There is a new medical record system called My Health Record. It is an online database designed to keep all your medical records in one place, operated by the Australian Government. This article describes the benefits and risks to help you make an informed decision, and talks about how to opt out if you do not want a My Health Record.
Every Australian will have a My Health Record account set up, unless they choose not to have one. If you choose not to have a record you can opt out from 16 July to 15 October 2018.
If you want a My Health Record, you don’t need to do anything. After October 2018, health services will upload the past two years of your Medicare and pharmacy records into the system. Already, 5 million people have a My Health Record. There is now a 3-month period for people to opt out to close their record or stop one being created.
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Your Privacy, My Health
Australia May 17 2018
It may be surprising to some that, in Australia at least, there is no fundamental right to privacy. There are laws that protect aspects of your confidential information, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and associated Privacy Principles, that impose sanctions on those who fail to properly deal with private data. Common law remedies also exist in theory, however there is no readily accessible statutory cause of action that allows a privacy breach victim to claim their emotional distress and other damages. This gap in our law was the subject of a 2014 Australian Law Reform Commission Report, to which the Australian government has never formally responded.
Instead, since late February 2018 we now have a mandatory requirement for various entities including government and larger businesses, to report breaches of privacy. If your data is compromised (accessed by those who are not authorised), you must be notified and suggestions offered on ways to mitigate any impact. If your credit card details are leaked, for example, a suggestion might be to cancel those cards to prevent unauthorised use.
Under this new law, you will know exactly when your privacy was compromised. Cold comfort perhaps, however the intent is that a process of reporting will ultimately lead to better protections.
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Where is NSW’s real-time monitoring?
Pharmacy Guild NSW Branch president David Heffernan has expressed exasperation with the state’s inaction when it comes to real-time monitoring
“It is confounding to hear that the NSW Ministry has no strategy in place for a real-time monitoring system, as reported from a recent NSW coroner’s hearing,” he writes in his President’s Desk address to NSW Guild members.
“The AIHW report clearly demonstrates deaths from prescription medications have soared past deaths from illicit drug use.”
In May 2018, Mr Heffernan and PSA NSW president Peter Carroll wrote to NSW’s Health Minister Brad Hazzard and its Chief Pharmacist Judith Mackson, urging them to implement such a system.
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- Updated Jul 8 2018 at 10:30 PM
Embattled HealthEngine has heavyweight investors
by Myriam Robin
As besieged medical booking startup HealthEngine announced an overhaul of its business model on Friday, its public face remained GP-turned-CEO Marcus Tan.
The business he co-founded has been the subject of weeks of critical media revelations about its practices. Turns out, before Friday's capitulation, it used to do things like refer user information to law firms keen for new clients, as well as edit negative comments made in reviews about participating GP practices. Which perhaps is unsurprising: HealthEngine is free for patients but not for the doctors who are listed on it, and we don't imagine negative reviews would encourage doctors to keep paying.
In summary, it's been a bruising few weeks. But while the public-facing stuff has been left to Tan, HealthEngine has some of Australia's country's most experienced tech entrepreneurs among its directors and investors to guide it through the maelstrom.
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My Health Record: battle looms on medical privacy
Posted by Michael West | Jul 8, 2018 |
Care for your medical information to fall into the public domain? Say details of a pregnancy termination, depression or your drug history?
In October, everyone who has not opted out gets a My Health Record. The government has attempted to put safeguards in place to protect privacy but with one important exception: access control.
Consider this: if any doctor can access a MyHR then whether or not you have ever been treated for depression, have taken RU-486, naltrexone, methadone, all will be in plain view.
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Healthcare IT News Australia wins global awards
Lynne Minion | 13 Jul 2018
One year after its launch, Healthcare IT News Australia has been recognised with two global awards for its work in reporting on the digital health revolution that is transforming healthcare worldwide and saving lives.
Announced in New York this week, HITNA won the international Content Marketing Awards for ‘Best New Digital Publication – Editorial’ and ‘Best Overall Editorial – Digital’ for its coverage of the most consequential disruption of our time.
A member of the HIMSS stable of global publications, HITNA is also one of five finalists for the most prestigious award, 'Project of the Year', with the winner to be announced in Cleveland on September 5th.
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https://www.pharmacynews.com.au/news/pharmacies-be-paid-my-health-record-medication-compliance-trial
Pharmacies to be paid for My Health Record medication-compliance trial
Discharged hospital patients will undergo medication reviews
9th July 2018
Pharmacies will be paid to prevent medication-related hospital readmissions as part of an $8.5 million test of My Health Record.
The 5000 Victorian patients to be recruited for the trial will be asked to visit one of 290 pharmacies for a medication review after being discharged from hospital.
The pharmacies will access each patient’s discharge medications through their My Health Record.
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Digital trials to provide post-hospital support to Australians by reducing medication errors
By: Teresa Umali
Published: 9 Jul 2018
Patients from all over Australia will benefit from 15 new projects that will utilise the information from a consenting patient’s My Health Record to improve the delivery of their healthcare.
Patients from all over Australia will benefit from 15 new projects that will utilise the information from a consenting patient’s My Health Record to improve the delivery of their healthcare.
As announced by the Australian Digital Health Agency, digital trials will be conducted to help patients manage their medication better after they leave the hospital in order to reduce unplanned and early hospital readmission due to medication errors.
The A$8.5 million Digital Health Test Beds program will be testing new approaches to chronic health, palliative care, and post hospital support.
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Fed Govt shells out $85 million on My Aged Care to allow doctors to track residents – but rules out integration with My Health Record
Published on July 10, 2018
Doctors and specialists will be able to send referrals directly from their clinical information systems, and track the progress of their clients under the changes, but integration with the national health record will not be part of the revamp.
Industry advice is instead being sought on how to implement two-way messaging, integration with clinical systems, built-in decision support and integration into other health and aged care sector systems.
My Aged Care has been maligned by users since it launched in July 2014.
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My Health Record increases pathology and diagnostic imaging connections with Victorian and Queensland services
Pathology and diagnostic imaging services such as blood tests, x-rays, ultrasounds, and MRIs help healthcare providers make diagnoses and monitor their patients’ progress. An increasing number of healthcare providers and their patients are now benefiting from convenient, safe, and secure access to these reports via My Health Record where they may not have access to these reports before.
Today, the Australian Digital Health Agency announced new My Health Record system connections by Victorian Cytology Service (VCS) Pathology, and Queensland based Mater Pathology, Mater Medical Imaging, and Paradise Ultrasound.
VCS Pathology Executive Director Professor Marion Saville said the company has over 50 years of experience serving Australia’s population, providing large-scale services and solutions supporting public health programs.
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Media Release - My Health Record kits being distributed to Australian healthcare providers to assist with conversations about the expansion of My Health Record
New toolkits to better inform and educate all Australians about My Health Record are being distributed across Australia. The kits will equip health practitioners and other Agency partners with information and resources to help them advise all Australians about My Health Record.
Nearly 20,000 My Health Record education kits are being distributed to health practitioners and Australia Post offices across the country.
“The distribution of My Health Record toolkits is a significant moment in the Australian Digital Health Agency’s efforts to inform and educate all Australians about the benefits of My Health Record,” said Agency CEO Tim Kelsey.
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Media Release: My Health Record increases pathology and diagnostic imaging connections with Victorian and Queensland services
11 July 2018
Pathology and diagnostic imaging services such as blood tests, x-rays, ultrasounds, and MRIs help healthcare providers make diagnoses and monitor their patients’ progress. An increasing number of healthcare providers and their patients are now benefiting from convenient, safe, and secure access to these reports via My Health Record where they may not have access to these reports before.
Today, the Australian Digital Health Agency announced new My Health Record system connections by Victorian Cytology Service (VCS) Pathology, and Queensland based Mater Pathology, Mater Medical Imaging, and Paradise Ultrasound.
VCS Pathology Executive Director Professor Marion Saville said the company has over 50 years of experience serving Australia’s population, providing large-scale services and solutions supporting public health programs.
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LASA partners with Digital Health Agency to promote My Health Record
Published on July 10, 2018
Leading Aged Services Australia (LASA) is joining with the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) to promote the benefits of My Health Record to its member organisations.
The ADHA is introducing a digitised My Health Record for all Australians except those who opt out.
LASA’s press release, which bills them as ‘Australia’s voice of aged care’, says they will provide information to its members and stakeholders about the Expansion Program, and advise those who choose not to have one how to opt out of the process.
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11 July 2018
NSW Government Backs Digital Prescription App
Patients will soon be able to receive medical prescriptions from their doctor via a world-first smartphone app being developed by startup company ScalaMed with support from the NSW Government.
Deputy Premier, Minister for Small Business, Skills and Regional NSW John Barilaro said ScalaMed has received a $25,000 Minimum Viable Product grant from the NSW Government-backed Jobs for NSW to develop the app.
“This is a fantastic idea generated out of NSW which aims to revolutionise how patients get their medical prescriptions – from paper to digital – while also helping millions of people manage their medication,” Mr Barilaro said.
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13 July 2018
College presses for direct MHR payments
As the advertising blitz to encourage the take-up of the My Health Record gets under way, the RACGP is pressing for GPs to be paid directly for their key role in adding patient data.
In a revised position statement, released ahead of the July 16 start of the MHR opt-out phase, the college reiterates its disdain for the current eHealth Practice Incentive Payment, which pays benefits to practices rather than doctors.
The so-called ePIP is paid to practices that meet targets for uploading shared health summaries to the electronic record system.
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People Plus Technology a Promising Home Care Combination
An Australian-first home-based treatment trial that includes holographic virtual doctors, promises to reduce hospitalisation and help older people remain living independently for longer.
6 July 2018
An Australian-first home-based treatment trial that includes holographic virtual doctors, promises to reduce hospitalisation and help older people remain living independently for longer.
Minister for Aged Care, Ken Wyatt AM, today launched Silver Chain’s Integrum Aged Care+ trial, designed to support senior Australians with complex care needs and chronic health conditions to remain in their homes for as long as possible.
“This trial aims to overcome the challenges of fragmented care and poorer patient experiences, which can happen when a person is transferred between hospitals, specialists and aged care providers,” Minister Wyatt said.
Minister for Aged Care, Ken Wyatt AM, today launched Silver Chain’s Integrum Aged Care+ trial, designed to support senior Australians with complex care needs and chronic health conditions to remain in their homes for as long as possible.
“This trial aims to overcome the challenges of fragmented care and poorer patient experiences, which can happen when a person is transferred between hospitals, specialists and aged care providers,” Minister Wyatt said.
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A single identity to engage with government agencies
By Tom Burton • 11/07/2018
The federal government is investing over $90 million to build a federated identity system, to give citizens and firms, control and choice over their digital interactions with government and businesses.
Known as GovID, the new identity solution means citizens will only need to establish their identity once, and can then re-use it numerous times to access multiple government services.
The aim is to build a robust identity system, among all the main government and non-government players – not dissimilar to the BPay and EFTPOS systems.
Several major pilots are now in planning to test the solution under high volumes. This system of trust includes a digital identity exchange to connect Commonwealth services to users. This will be operated by the Department of Human Services and for privacy and security reasons will be separate to the actual identity providers.
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Counties Manukau Health writes off millions on IT project
Tuesday, 10 July 2018
eHealthNews editor Rebecca McBeth
Counties Manukau Health wrote off $8.6 million between 2015–2017 on a ‘transformational change programme’ called Project SWIFT.
Project SWIFT (System Wide Integration for Transformation) defined a four-year roadmap for technology investment by the DHB with the help of IBM.
It focused on improving the performance of core hospital IT systems, enabling access to CM Health systems for community teams on mobile devices, better use of shared care records and enabling enhanced models of care.
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National Primary Care Data Service to go live next year
Thursday, 12 July 2018
eHealthNews editor Rebecca McBeth
A new National Primary Care Data Service will go live in 2019, GP leader Richard Medlicott has told a health IT conference.
Medlicott, who is medical director of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, spoke at the HiNZ Health stream of the ITx 2018 conference in Wellington on 12 July.
He says the Ministry of Health has confirmed the National Primary Care Data Service project can move ahead with procuring a system and he expects to see the first reports from the national service in 2019.
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Global HL7 experts to converge on Sydney in 2020 as Australia wins its hosting bid
Lynne Minion | 13 Jul 2018
HL7 Australia will be bringing together its global collective of standard bearers in February 2020 with news the next international working group meeting of experts to be held outside North America will be in Sydney.
The successful bid, which was supported by the Australian Digital Health Agency, will see more than 1000 members of the network working to solve one of healthcare’s great challenges – the exchange of health data – converge on the harbour city.
It is the culmination of a series of success for the influential Australian arm of the global not-for-profit.
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Primary care research: a field in crisis?
Authored by Hugo Wilcken
THERE was much dismay and hand-wringing in the medical research community when in early 2016, the government pulled $300 000 in funding from the BEACH (Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health) program. Based at the University of Sydney, BEACH was a paper-based survey that tracked the clinical activity of GPs across Australia. It was a widely used treasure trove of data on what goes on behind the surgery door, covering everything from consultation times to disease management and prescription habits of GPs. But without government funding, BEACH found itself unable to continue.
The loss of BEACH was not the only blow to primary care research. In 2012, the Annual Survey of the Divisions of General Practice, carried out by the Primary and Health Care Research and Information Service, was stopped. And in 2015, the government defunded the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute, which was based at the Australian National University. This series of funding setbacks has led some in the field to muse that the government has some sort of vendetta against them.
“Primary care research has taken an absolute beating,” says Kirsty Douglas, Professor of General Practice at the Australian National University Medical School, who has co-authored new research into general practice using a novel methodology. “BEACH was a huge loss to general practice and to policy makers. And I say that having never been involved with BEACH, but having used it often as a resource and in my teaching.”
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What’s in the PIP pipeline?
10 July 2018
Government reform of the Practice Incentives Program has been delayed. Zilla Efrat investigates
While there appears to be plenty of talk taking place behind closed doors, GPs remain in the dark about what to expect from the delayed revamp of the Practice Incentives Program (PIP), which includes the introduction of a new Quality Improvement (QI) incentive.
The start date of the proposed program, which involves the scrapping of incentive payments for five items and redirecting funding towards encouraging quality improvements in practices, has now been moved to 1 May next year.
The delay has generally been welcomed as it will allow more time for consultations and for general practice to prepare. As the Department of Health noted in a letter advising around 5500 practices of the delay in March: “[It] is important that we get this right.”
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AI and big data in the healthcare sector
Artificial intelligence algorithms and big data are already being used in hospitals and other areas of healthcare and diagnostics. What exactly does this mean for patients and for those seeking to overcome the legal challenges?
How is AI used in hospitals?
Artificial Intelligence, machine learning (an application of AI), and big data, are used in a wide range of applications in hospitals. For example, cognitive computer systems are used to facilitate repetitive processes and to create sample analyses in the context of radiological diagnostics. Where a learning or predictive function is added, then we are into the realms of AI.
Other examples are the Deep Learning Model of Stanford University and Google Brain. These tools are used to determine the most probable time of death of seriously ill patients and the best treatments as a result, including enabling patients to be transferred to palliative care in good time in order to give them a dignified farewell.
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Greg Hunt’s vision for Health Care Homes 2.0: fewer patients for longer
Health Minister will nut out the details with MBS Review Taskforce, RACGP and AMA
12th July 2018
Minister for Health Greg Hunt says the next version of Health Care Homes will focus on allowing GPs to “see fewer patients for longer”.
The troubled chronic disease care program, once the government’s signature health policy reform, is now set to be canned as soon as its trial period closes in November 2019.
Nine months in, just 1600 patients have signed up for a Health Care Homes package — far below the program’s target of 65,000.
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https://www.doctorportal.com.au/mjainsight/2018/26/promoting-health-online-surviving-the-revolution/
Promoting health online: surviving the revolution
Authored by Arjun Rajkhowa
WHEN we use social and new media (which usually refers to anything that came after television), we only occasionally pause to reflect on the huge paradigm shifts that have occurred in the ways that we consume information.
But perhaps one of the most important paradigm shifts in information use and dissemination has occurred in public engagement in and with health care.
New media, scientific discourse and education
Health practitioners are using a variety of online platforms (including blogs associated with academic journals, specialty blogs, university blogs, newsletters, social media and others) to educate, debate and interact with colleagues and the public.
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A year after WannaCry: How the NHS is securing its systems
NHS Digital's cyber security wing CSOC has announced a partnership with IBM as part of a £30 million deal to bolster threat intelligence.
09 July, 2018 08:55
NHS Digital's cyber security wing CSOC has announced a partnership with IBM as part of a £30 million deal to bolster threat intelligence, a year after the WannaCry ransomware outbreak hobbled some systems within the NHS.
(NHS Digital is the IT provider for the NHS.)
However, the head of operations for CSOC, Chris Flynn, says that bringing the vendor on board is more about continuously improving the NHS's data security capabilities than directly avoiding that sort of incident again.
The three-year partnership will see IBM bring its technical expertise in to CSOC to improve threat monitoring, detection and response capabilities, as well as providing access to IBM's X-Force threat intelligence unit.
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Are health apps good for your health? Have your say
MEDIA RELEASE THURSDAY 12 JULY 2018
The Consumers Health Forum today introduces an innovative online mechanism to gauge community trust in health apps, the rapidly growing component of modern health care.
Australia’s Health Panel is CHF’s new online platform which will survey consumers on the health issues that matter. The first Panel project is a survey asking participants to rate who they would trust to give them sound advice about health apps and their views on whether the Federal Government should be regulating them.
The CEO of the Consumers Health Forum, Leanne Wells, said it was appropriate that health apps should be the inaugural topic of Australia’s Health Panel.
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9 July 2018
Are there any good apps for rheumatoid arthritis?
“Arthritis? But that’s not possible! I’m too young.”
Carly, a 33-year old from the Yarra Valley in Victoria, couldn’t believe she had rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at first: “I have to keep saying it in my head because it doesn’t seem real.”
Six months after her diagnosis, she wasn’t feeling much better. Just trying to feed her toddler sapped all her energy: “I’ve tried loads of things, but I’m still so exhausted! I’m trying to stay positive. What is this going to mean for my career? My family?“ She was angry too: “Why me? I just want to be normal again.”
Carly’s rheumatologist assured her that there were a range of biologic medicines; they just needed to find the right one. It took almost three years for Carly to get her RA under control.
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NDIA sat on serious system meltdown for a whole month
- The Australian
- 12:00AM July 10, 2018
Rick Morton
A second major computer system meltdown in as many years at the National Disability Insurance Scheme still hasn’t been fixed two months after it began, blocking access to plan-development tools for thousands of external staff.
Despite learning of the problem, which involved a breakdown in the ability of contractors outside of head office to work remotely, near the beginning of May, the National Disability Insurance Agency’s chief information officer Ian Frew did not speak with staff and partners until June 1, the same day the issue was raised at a Senate estimates hearing.
Internal documents leaked to The Australian show the system experienced “total remote connection failure” throughout the month of May — a spokeswoman for the agency claims the problems began “from mid-May” — which resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of worker hours.
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NBN Co's HFC sales freeze hits 1.38m premises
By Ry Crozier on Jul 6, 2018 4:43PM
Stakes are high.
NBN Co’s decision to pause new orders on its hybrid fibre coaxial network has now impacted around 1.38 million premises.
The new figure was revealed this afternoon by Telstra, which is now battling the flow-on effects of the freeze both in terms of its direct financial hit and its obligations to switch customers over to the NBN.
NBN Co announced the freeze in late November last year, with it coming into effect on December 11.
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Enjoy!
David.
