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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Sorry it is mostly about the app – but it seems all our futures rest on it and worryingly it may not actually work!
A few other bits of commercial and NBN news!
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Australia launches COVIDSafe contact tracing app
But still no source code.
The federal government has launched its much-anticipated contract tracing app to help state and territory health professionals identify individuals who have come into contact with coronavirus.
Health minister Greg Hunt revealed the voluntary Android and iOS app, dubbed COVIDSafe, and its privacy impact assessment on Sunday afternoon.
It comes after weeks of speculation about the app, which has been built by the Digital Transformation Agency and health department using code from Singapore’s TraceTogether app.
However, despite public assurances from numerous ministers, the government is yet to release any part of the source code for independent analysis.
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COVIDSafe to help track down virus
MEDIA RELEASE MONDAY 27 APRIL 2020
The Consumers Health Forum welcomes the COVIDSafe tracing app as an additional key public health tool to reverse the spread of the virus in Australia.
“Provided many people install COVIDSafe on their phones, the app will accelerate what is currently a manual tracing process, helping state and territory officials efficiently and expediently target outbreaks or potential outbreaks of the virus,” the CEO of the Consumers Health Forum, Leanne Wells, said.
“This promises to be an important measure as we move to ramp up testing and tracing in this next phase of the COVID response.
“Having the right privacy protection safeguards and consent arrangements in place is critical - it’s fundamental to the ‘social contract’ between the government and the community as we tackle the virus together - we know this is important to people from our own research.
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GPs urged to download 'essential' COVID-19 tracing app
The Government's COVIDSafe app was released on Sunday and has a million downloads already
27th April 2020
The RACGP and AMA have urged members to download the Federal Government’s COVID-19 contact-tracing app, arguing its public health benefit should trump any concerns about privacy.
The COVIDSafe app, released on Sunday evening, uses Bluetooth to identify when two people spend more than 15 minutes within 1.5 metres of each other, with the idea of creating a list of contacts who can be identified if a user catches COVID-19.
Minister for Health Greg Hunt says the app will only be used to track close contacts of those who have downloaded it onto their phones and that all of the records are deleted on a rolling 21-day basis.
But if somebody with the app is diagnosed with COVID-19, they will be asked for permission to release their data to public health authorities, who can then quickly call these close contacts to tell them to self-isolate and talk to a doctor, he says.
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Coronavirus Government Global Briefing: April 27
Downloads hit 1 million for COVIDSafe app
At 10.30pm last night, Health Minister Greg Hunt announced that one million people have downloaded and registered for the government’s new contact tracing app, ‘COVIDSafe’, just hours after registrations opened at 6pm.
The Health Department released the app, a Privacy Impact Assessment, and its response to the PIA yesterday afternoon, and while Australians may have plenty of reasons to distrust the app (think controversies around the anti-encryption Assistance and Access Bill 2018, Robodebt, MyHealthRecord, anti-metadata laws, etc), Hunt has pledged a series of protections:
- only state and territory health agencies will have access to encrypted contact tracing data, which will be stored in Australia on Amazon servers;
- anyone who accesses the data illegally faces up to five years in jail, under a new determination made under the Biosecurity Act;
- the determination also explicitly prohibits pressuring anyone to download the app;
- data stored on the phone will be deleted automatically after 21 days;
- data stored at the server will be deleted at the users’ request and/or when the pandemic is over; and
- agencies will be explicitly barred from accessing data under new legislation to be introduced mid-May.
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Federal Police Investigating Scam Text Messages Linked To New COVIDSafe App
By Olivia Esveld
29 April, 2020
Australian Federal Police are investigating widely-circulated screenshots of a hoax text message linked to the coronavirus tracing app.
It comes as Labor and the crossbench continue to express concerns about the app’s privacy and security implications.
The fake text purports to come from the COVIDSafe app, warning people they had been detecting straying more than 20 kilometres from their homes despite the software not tracking location.
The phony message directs people to register their reason for travel within 15 minutes.
“This case has already been referred to the federal police for investigation,” Health Minister Greg Hunt told reporters on Tuesday.
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COVIDSafe app hits 2 million downloads in 24 hours
Around 8 percent of all Australians.
It's the one curve the government doesn't want to flatten.
Australians have enthusiastically embraced the government’s new contact tracing app, with more than 2 million people downloading and registering for COVIDSafe in just over 24 hours.
Health minister Greg Hunt revealed the top-line figure late on Monday, demonstrating strong take-up since registrations began on Sunday.
At just over 2 million registrations, the voluntary Android and iOS app now covers approximately eight percent of the population.
More than 870,000 downloads and registrations occurred between 6:00am and 7:30pm AEST.
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Wednesday, 29 April 2020 11:04
COVIDSafe app: AWS using Chinese-owned data centre in Sydney, says Husic
Questions have been raised over the fact that the American cloud provider Amazon Web Services, which was given a Federal Government contract to store data collected by the government's COVIDSafe app, is using a data centre in Sydney which is fully owned by a Chinese company.
Labor MP Ed Husic, who raised the issue on ABC News' afternoon briefing on Tuesday, said he had been informed that the Australian Signals Directorate was also concerned about this aspect of AWS' functioning in Australia. His comments were first reported by the website InnovationAus.
The data centre in question is Global Switch and the Department of Home Affairs, which awarded the contract to AWS in a tender process that was limited to just the company itself, has been pushing other government departments to move their data from the same centre.
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NSW launches heat map showing active COVID-19 cases by postcode
DAC pulls together data to pinpoint coronavirus hotspots.
NSW has become the first state or territory government to release an official coronavirus heat map that pinpoints historical and active coronavirus cases by postcode.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian launched the interactive map on Friday morning, as the state’s first coronavirus lockdown measures were lifted, to help inform the community about local cases
The heat map, which is compiled from de-identified NSW Health data, shows the number of historical and active cases, how many people have recovered and the number of completed tests.
The cumulative number of cases is displayed using shades of yellow and green, while shades of pink and purple are used to show the number of tests completed.
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COVID 19: Maintaining the resilience of the healthcare ecosystem in Australia
Roy Chiang | 29 Apr 2020
The COVID-19 epidemic has impacted many lives all around the world and the Australian government has ramped up its efforts to deal with it. In the recent HIMSS webinar, “92 days in a pandemic”, hosted by Tim Kelsey (Senior Vice President of HIMSS), with speakers Chris Mitchell (Executive Director of Information Communications, Hunter New England) and Paul Craven (Executive Direction of Young People and Families, Hunter New England), they shed light on the strategies which have been planned and implemented thus far.
Hunter New England Local Health District (LHD) provides a range of public health services to the Hunter, New England and Lower Mid North Coast regions in New South Wales, Australia.
Why is this so important?
Prior to COVID-19, the healthcare system in Australia had already recognised the importance of digital health. This has provided great aid to the nation in its battle against the virus as reflected by the now flattening of the curve reflecting the number of corona virus cases within the country. However, the Australian government continues to remain vigilant with its efforts as extensive mass screenings have been conducted and the adoption of telehealth services continues to become more ubiquitous.
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SA records fourth coronavirus-free day as GPs urge people not to ignore chronic health issues
By Alice Dempster
South Australian public health officials are urging people not to disregard chronic health conditions, as GPs note a "significant drop" in patients presenting for consults due to the coronavirus pandemic.
SA Health's general practitioner liaison officer Emily Kirkpatrick said GPs have reported a 78 per cent decrease in the number of patients presenting for general consults across the state.
The warning comes as South Australia recorded its fourth consecutive day of zero reported coronavirus cases — the longest stretch of COVID-19-free days in about seven weeks.
There has been only three new cases in the state for well over a week.
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Medicare to share Centrelink's new SAP-based payments platform
Legacy platform to finally get the boot.
A centralised platform developed to deliver welfare payments to Centrelink customers will replace the country’s 30-year-old Medicare payments system, ending years of uncertainty over the long-term future of the mission-critical system.
iTnews can reveal the SAP-based platform, which has been built as part of the billion-dollar welfare payments infrastructure transformation (WPIT) program, will ultimately be shared universally across Services Australia.
Dubbed ‘Payment Utility’, the platform is the result of two years of work to transform how the agency sends and receives more than $170 billion in welfare payments through Centrelink each year.
It is expected to simplify and automate both inbound and outbound payments and provide the ability to deliver combined, same-day payments by leveraging Australia's real-time New Payments Platform.
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Fake vaccines, antivirals and purported cures for COVID-19 on dark web
By Julie Power
April 30, 2020 — 12.01am
Sales of purported and potentially dangerous "vaccines" for COVID-19, repurposed antiviral medications and personal protective gear are booming on dark web markets at exorbitant prices.
An analysis by the Cybercrime Observatory at the Australian National University in April uncovered 645 listings for 222 unique COVID-19 related medical product supplies on the equivalent of supermarkets on the dark web.
The dark web, popular for sales of illegal drugs, can only be accessed via an encrypted browser that allows users to remain anonymous.
The ANU found many COVID-related products including a respirator, according to a study to be released on Thursday by the Australian Institute of Criminology which commissioned the research.
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Apple, Google release initial COVID-19 contact-tracing tools
By Mark Gurman
April 30, 2020 — 11.18am
Apple and Google have released the first versions of their COVID-19 contact-tracing tools to public health organisations, so the agencies can start building applications ahead of the system's launch in mid-May.
The tool set is a combination of software updates for iOS and Android, and software development kits to help developers build and test their apps. Apple released an early beta version of its software update that incorporates the technology, iOS 13.5, while Google is rolling out an update via its Google Play app store.
A new app released by the government aims to help trace the spread of coronavirus, but how well does it work and what data does it store?
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COVID-19 tracer app launched:
Institute develops principles on privacy and data use
The launch of the COVID-19 tracer App on Sunday evening has generated widespread discussion and some public concern continues over its use. The Institute has responded by developing nine draft principles on communication, privacy and data use which could help inform future legislation to be enacted around the App.
As healthcare, technology and information professionals, we adhere to the medical principle of ‘first do no harm’ and believe a contact tracing app that is private and secure has the potential to be Australia’s digital vaccine against COVID-19 spread
We’d like input from our expert Fellows and Members and the wider digital health community before the principles are finalised. Please take a few minutes to download the Principles (pdf) and complete the consultation survey before 5pm Friday 1 May.
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Coronavirus app tracing capability not operational, despite 4 million downloads
By political reporter Stephanie Borys
2 May, 2020
More than 4 million people have downloaded the COVIDSafe app, but the information it collects is not yet available to state and territory health officials.
Key points:
- The app will not be fully functional until states and territories finalise data rules
- More than 4 million Australians have downloaded the app already
- App downloads will be a key discussion point when National Cabinet decides whether to ease restrictions
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called the contact-tracing app a vital tool in protecting Australians against coronavirus.
But the ABC has confirmed that if a person tests positive to coronavirus today, the information on their app will not be passed on to contact tracers, because states and territories are still working out how the system will operate.
"The rules on privacy are being finalised, along with final IT testing," a Department of Health spokesman said.
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COVIDSafe tracing app downloaded by four million Australians but not yet ‘operational’
Australians have been told if they want a return to normal, then download the app. But a major hurdle means it’s essentially useless.
Australians desperate to return to the pub and get back to playing their weekend sport have been told by the prime minister the only way forward is to download the coronavirus tracing app.
So far, more than four million people desperate to do their bit to save lives and get the crippled economy ticking once again have downloaded the government’s coronavirus tracing app, COVIDSafe.
But if a person currently tests positive to the deadly virus, their information won’t be passed through the mobile phone application because the states and territories are yet to nut out how the system will work.
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Covid-19 presents opportunity for standards
Tuesday, 28 April 2020
eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth
Covid-19 presents an “amazing opportunity” to develop standards to ensure the sustainability of digital changes in the health sector, says Ministry of Health deputy director general data and digital Shayne Hunter.
Speaking at an HL7NZ webinar on 28 April, he said conversations within the Ministry and with chief information officers in both DHBs and primary care confirmed the need to, “cement in every change and ensure it is positive and sustainable”.
He asked webinar attendees to consider what standards need to be rapidly developed in order to ensure the digital changes are sustained.
The Health Information Standards Organisation already developed a new standard for the data set that Community Based Assessment Centres need to collect and be able to report during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Queensland Health bins $64m pathology system overhaul
But not before chewing through half its budget.
Queensland Health has abandoned its $64 million project with Sunquest Information Systems to replace the state's legacy AUSLAB laboratory information system.
The department quietly revealed the decision - first reported by The Courier Mail - in an update about the state’s number of COVID-19 cases earlier this month.
It is one of three projects where the department has “changed the scope … to free up resources” to focus on the coronavirus pandemic, though is the only project to be terminated entirely.
The department said discontinuing the ten-year project would “ensure pathology services are not disrupted during the outbreak”.
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Staying connected - so doctor and consumer know best
MEDIA RELEASE TUESDAY 28 APRIL 2020
Telehealth has proved to be of great benefit for consumers with chronic conditions at a time of strain on health services caused by COVID-19, the Consumers Health Forum says.
Many patients may be reluctant to see their doctor because of COVID-19 fears, just when it is more important than ever for them to do so, Leanne Wells, CEO of the Consumers Health Forum said.
“CHF supports the #expertadvicematters campaign by the RACGP urging people not to neglect seeing the doctor or having tests when they need to.
“We are pleased to highlight the positive experiences reported to us by patients who have found telehealth to be such a boon.
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Medibank moves to full virtual ops for 4000 staff
Builds on its flexible working base.
Medibank shifted to an “all-company remote working” model for almost 4000 staff nationally over a three week period by upgrading its corporate VPN capacity and building upon its existing flexible working culture.
Senior executive for operations in Medibank’s Technology and Operations organisation Lauren Curley told iTnews that aside from the corporate VPN capacity upgrade, the company had most other collaboration tools in place, and was now simply making greater use of them.
“We already have an existing flexible working culture, a number of systems and tools to enable our employees to be able to work remotely, and some established practices and ways of working,” Curley said.
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Beware human-operated ransomware campaigns: Microsoft
Merciless criminals establish persistence on networks for months.
Microsoft's Threat Protection Intelligence Team is warning that ransomware criminals continue to attack healtchare and critical service providers during the pandemic crisis, and has issued detailed guidance on how to reduce the risk of falling victim to them.
Instead, they are conducted by criminal gangs that work by compromising internet-facing network devices in order to establish a presence on vulnerable systems months before they strike and steal and encrypt victims' data.
Attackers have a range of vectors with which they can enter victims' networks and move laterally within these to capture credentials and prepare for the final ransomware activation, Microsoft noted.
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COVIDSafe may interfere with diabetes-monitoring apps
By Tim Biggs
May 1, 2020 — 1.08pm
The government's new COVIDSafe contact tracing app may interfere with Bluetooth-connected medical devices such as those used by people with diabetes.
The smartphone app — which has had more than three million downloads since its launch on Sunday — uses Bluetooth to keep track of which phones have been close to each other for more than 15 minutes in order to identify and get in touch with people who may have been exposed to the coronavirus.
But Diabetes Australia is warning users of certain monitoring systems that COVIDSafe could cause problems.
"We have received reports from a number of people with diabetes who have downloaded the Australian Government COVIDSafe app to their smartphone that they have experienced connection problems with their continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) apps," the non-profit said in a Facebook post.
"We have advised the Department of Health that there may be an issue."
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Services Australia says not prudent for myGov to handle 3 million concurrent users
Surge capacity does not enter Canberra's thinking.
Newly-installed CEO of Services Australia Rebecca Skinner told the Senate Select Committee on COVID-19 on Thursday that myGov needed more capacity when it melted down under the weight of 3 million users on March 23, but it isn't prudent to anticipate one-off events.
"What we do know is that we needed a larger capacity on myGov, but it is probably right to say you wouldn't design a computer system to cope with three million logins at one time when the business as usual proposition is about 90,000," Skinner said.
"The cost of building a system that could cope with that one day wouldn't really be a balance of investment.
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Apple, Google update coronavirus contact tracing tech ahead of launch
Plan to release next month.
Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google on Friday updated technical details of the coronavirus contact tracing system they plan to release next month, saying new features would strengthen privacy protections and give health authorities more detailed data.
The system announced on April 10 will use Bluetooth technology to let authorities build apps to alert people who have been in proximity with those who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
The technology does not employ GPS location data and stores most sensitive data in a decentralised way on users' phones. The approach opened a rift with European governments planning systems that would store data on centralized servers.
Without the Apple-Google technology, apps built by those governments will face limitations such as needing a phone's screen to be unlocked to work properly.
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E-prescribing stop-gap 'will lead to more medicine errors'
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia says the fast-tracked system will be confusing to many patients
1st May 2020
The Federal Government’s electronic prescribing system being launched this month will lead to a surge in medication errors because it is confusing and will leave patients bewildered, say pharmacists.
Under the system GPs will be able use their practice software to write electronic scripts which are then automatically uploaded to a government portal to be accessed by any pharmacy in Australia.
The system, introduced as part of the COVID-19 response, will also send patients a web link, known as a ‘token’, via email or SMS, which they can forward to a pharmacy for dispensing and delivery.
It’s been backed by the AMA, which has said it's necessary to ensure patients access prescribed medications after telehealth consults.
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‘Tokens’ would give patients control: MedAdvisor
A MedAdvisor spokesperson has refuted the Pharmacy Guild’s suggestion that the “token” system for e-Scripts would spark problems
On Thursday the Pharmacy Guild warned that the planned fast-tracking of electronic scripts would cause “unnecessary chaos,” arguing the “token” model being pursued by the government would interrupt administrative and clinical workflow for prescribers and pharmacies.
“The COVID –19 emergency has already seen significant rapid changes introduced to address the need for self-isolation and telemedicine, including prescriptions being sent as a photo image by email, facsimile and in some States text message, directly from prescribers to community pharmacies,” the Guild said.
“The high number of prescriptions being dispensed through these telehealth measures demonstrates that patients are continuing to have ready access to their medicines without the need, at this stressful time, for a token-based electronic prescription which would severely test pharmacy systems and cause confusion and potential medication misadventure for many patients, particularly the elderly and chronically ill.
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Fall-detection tech gets smart
Wednesday, 22 April, 2020
A report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) shows that more than 100,000 people aged over 65 were hospitalised due to a fall in 2016–17, with injuries to the hip and thigh (22%) and head (26%) being the most common fall-related injuries. The Australian & New Zealand Falls Prevention Society has outlined that falls represent a major health issue, with the incidence and cost to the health system set to increase as the population ages.
To help address this problem, an Australian company has created an artificial intelligence (AI) device that can detect if someone suffers a fall in the home, hospital or aged-care facility.
Similar in size to a small portable speaker, the HomeGuardian.ai device uses sensors to monitor the interaction of objects and people within its surroundings and alerts carers or family members if a fall occurs — the development team spent more than one year teaching the device to recognise objects such as furniture and people, along with the ability to identify abnormal behaviours.
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Monday, 27 April 2020 11:22
Medication management firm MedAdvisor adds new features
Melbourne-based ASX-listed medication management platform MedAdvisor has added a telehealth extension to its GP Link service, the company says, adding that home delivery services are available in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
In a statement on Monday, the company said about 1000 pharmacies were now offering deliver to MedAdvisor app patients and it had fielded some 3000 delivery requests covering about 9000 items.
It said it had recently accelerated the Pay in Advance and GP Link services so that a broader range of patents could now access home delivery and telehealth services. The Pay in Advance feature is now available for nearly 80% of the network.
"The events of COVID-19 have delivered unprecedented challenges globally," chief executive Robert Reid said.
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Deakin and Barwon Health delivering telehealth care for community
Media release
20 April 2020
People in the Geelong region requiring mental health care now have access to remote clinical services following the launch of a new telehealth facility being delivered jointly by Barwon Health and Deakin University from its Geelong Waterfront Campus.
The telehealth facility is allowing people with mental health issues access to safe and appropriate care during the COVID-19 isolation phase without the need to leave their home, mitigating the risk of transmission and infection.
Professor Julie Owens, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research at Deakin University, said Deakin and Barwon Health had been working on a collaborative partnership model before the COVID-19 pandemic.
"This is about our community and with that in mind we have been looking at how to improve care delivery and develop new models and knowledge regarding mental health care for some time," Professor Owens said.
Minister's myGov DDoS attack claim ruled out once and for all
Services Australia chief confirms attack never happened.
Services Australia has distanced itself from government services minister Stuart Robert’s incorrect claim of a “significant distributed-denial-of-service attack” against myGov last month.
Robert made the claim, which he quickly walked back in Parliament, after the online government services portal crashed in the wake of coronavirus lockdown measures were introduced in March.
He had previously admitted to jumping the gun, choosing not to wait for the outcome of the investigation before blaming the masive traffic surge on a cyber attack.
Speaking at a senate inquiry into COVID-19 on Thursday, Services Australia chief Rebecca Skinner said the agency had never “categorically” advised the minister of such an attack.
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Alcidion - Q3 FY2020 Business Update
Solid result with a strong pipeline despite COVID-19
Melbourne, Victoria – Alcidion Group Limited (ASX: ALC) today released its Appendix 4C and business update for the three-month period ended 31 March 2020 (Q3 FY2020) and to date.
Highlights:
Highlights:
- Solid performance amidst COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting importance of Alcidion’s platform; sales pipeline remains strong across all markets;
- At the end of Q3, $17.2M in sold revenue to be recognised in FY2020, exceeding FY2019 full year revenue of $16.9M;
- Solid start to H2 with $4.2M revenue from new contracts added in Q3, of which $2.4M should be recognised in FY2020;
- Total contracted revenue of $41.6M out to FY2025 (including FY2020 $17.2M) and a strong balance sheet with cash reserves of $15.9M; and
Significant new contracts signed since 1 January 2020 include:
- Townsville Hospital and Health Service contract to implement Smartpage;
- An extension and renewal agreement with NHS Fife for a further five years;
- The implementation of a data warehouse across all Calvary Health Care sites;
- Systems integration contract for national Digital Pregnancy Health Record pilot; and
- Murrumbidgee LHD to expand and extend use of Miya Precision and Miya MEMRe.
Alcidion Managing Director Kate Quirke said, “Amidst an unprecedented global healthcare and economic crisis, the Alcidion business has delivered a solid performance over the quarter with a number of new or expanded contracts being signed globally.
“While the COVID-19 pandemic is putting significant pressure on healthcare organisations, we are well positioned to weather the challenging business environment in Q4. We have evidence that our platform is successfully supporting our customers in managing clinical risk and resources and improving efficiency, with new sales opportunities being generated to offset other opportunities which have been deferred. Importantly, the current crisis has also enabled us to demonstrate the value of our technology in managing and monitoring patients outside of the hospital setting.
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“While the COVID-19 pandemic is putting significant pressure on healthcare organisations, we are well positioned to weather the challenging business environment in Q4. We have evidence that our platform is successfully supporting our customers in managing clinical risk and resources and improving efficiency, with new sales opportunities being generated to offset other opportunities which have been deferred. Importantly, the current crisis has also enabled us to demonstrate the value of our technology in managing and monitoring patients outside of the hospital setting.
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G Medical (ASX:GMV) champions international growth in latest quarterly
ASX:GMV MCAP $59.50M
Joshua Peach Markets Reporter
01 May 2020 11:09
- In its latest quarterly report, G Medical Innovations’ (GMV) has recapped its international activity
- The e-health company received regulatory approvals and signed distribution agreements to bring its Prizma technology to the rest of the world last quarter
- G Medical's Prizma device is a smartphone case that can help patients and medical practitioners monitor vital signs and collect medical data
- After receiving the Taiwanese Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, GMV also signed a distribution agreement to enter the European market
- In related news, G Medical has finished trialling its Prizma device in China, and can now submit its results to China’s National Medical Products Administration for final approval
- Prizma has also been granted over-the-counter approval in the U.S., through a COVID-19 initiative, which fast-tracks the approval process for coronavirus-related medical devices
- G Medical Innovations is down 12.4 per cent on the market today, with shares trading for 9.2 cents each
G Medical Innovations (GMV) has reached a series of product development milestones in its first quarter, including two approvals for its Prizma medical smartphone case.
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Friday, 01 May 2020 09:44
Loss of power, not fire damage ‘overwhelmingly’ caused bushfire mobile outages
Mobile network outages during the 2019-20 bushfires were overwhelmingly due to loss of power rather than fire damage, according to a new report from the telecommunications regulator ACMA.
The report - prepared by the ACMA with the assistance of industry peak bodies Communications Alliance and the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) - followed the convening of an industry roundtable by the Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, Paul Fletcher following the bushfires of 2019-20.
The chief executives of Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and NBN Co, along with other senior industry representatives, all attended the round table.
“Telecommunications services are crucial in emergency situations. This summer’s bushfires led to significant telecommunications network outages,” Minister Fletcher said.
“At one point 150 mobile base stations across New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia were off the air, and over 20,000 NBN services were disrupted.
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Thursday, 30 April 2020 12:53
NBN Co extends offer of 40% additional capacity to Internet providers during COVID-19 crisis
National Broadband Network operator NBN Co has extended its offer to provide up to 40% additional capacity to Internet providers, at no extra cost, for another two months - through the June and July billing periods - as part of its support for telecommunications retailers during the COVID 19 pandemic.
NBN Co said on Thursday it has also extended its offer to increase download data limits for its standard Sky Muster service to 90GB of data on average for the two months, with the offer which came into effect at the end of March, providig an additional 45GB for each standard Sky Muster service at no additional cost to Internet providers.
“We are extending these offers by another two billing periods because we know how crucial it is for the nation to have access to reliable and fast broadband services as Australians continue to work, study and be entertained at home,” said Brad Whitcomb, Chief Customer Officer – Residential at NBN Co.
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NBN Co extends temporary bandwidth and quota boosts to July
Extra two months as service demands remain high.
NBN Co will extend its free bandwidth boost offer for internet providers and extra quota for Sky Muster users for a further two months.
The company said today that the up to 40 percent additional capacity offer it announced back in mid-March would now run through to the end of July.
It also said that an offer that increased download data limits for its standard Sky Muster service would similarly be extended.
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Author's Opinion
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Tuesday, 28 April 2020 11:40
When will the NBN Co reveal plans for upgrading the network?
The NBN Co, the venerable entity that has put in place the national broadband network, was in great spirits on Monday. proclaiming that it was ahead of its targets as far as activation of homes for connecting goes.
Is that cause for celebration or mourning? Many Australians who give up their ADSL connections and switch to the NBN often regret doing so because the new connection proves about as bad or even worse than the old one.
Add to that the difficulty of getting various devices that were operating on the old system to work as they should.
The NBN Co can break out the champagne if it so wishes. One question that haunts me is: what is the next step? Are we stuck with this horrible mess of copper and fibre?
When will an upgrade plan be announced? Will we have to wait until the last day, when NBN Co deems its work has been done (whatever that means) to know how the network is going to be upgraded?
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Monday, 27 April 2020 12:00
NBN Co says broadband network rollout ahead of schedule, nearing completion
NBN Co, the operators of the National Broadband Network, is claiming an earlier than planned activation of connections to the network for more than seven million homes and businesses across Australia.
According to NBN Co the latest activation milestone means it has met its 2020-23 corporate plan target for 30 June 2020 two months ahead of schedule – achieving one million connections in the last six months alone.
The federal Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, Paul Fletcher, said the importance of fast, affordable broadband delivered quickly has never been clearer than during the current COVID-19 pandemic”.
“Our focus on rolling out the network as quickly as possible means more than seven million homes and businesses are able to effectively learn, work and stay connected with loved ones as we all practice social distancing measures,” Minister Fletcher said.
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NBN Co gets wishlist to compete for new housing estate work
Price flexibility while other rules relaxed.
NBN Co is set to be given more flexibility to set prices and compete for business in new housing developments under draft policy changes floated by the government.
The government issued a new draft telecommunications in new developments (TIND) policy on Monday in response to issues NBN Co said it had with winning infrastructure deployment jobs in new estates or apartment blocks.
Through the review, NBN Co asked the government for more flexibility to set its own prices when bidding for work, and to impose limits on charges that private sector rivals could impose.
The company accused some of its rivals of giving housing developers very cheap upfront pricing and then recouping the difference from residents in the form of a first-time connection charge.
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Monday, 27 April 2020 12:00
NBN Co says broadband network rollout ahead of schedule, nearing completion
NBN Co, the operators of the National Broadband Network, is claiming an earlier than planned activation of connections to the network for more than seven million homes and businesses across Australia.
According to NBN Co the latest activation milestone means it has met its 2020-23 corporate plan target for 30 June 2020 two months ahead of schedule – achieving one million connections in the last six months alone.
The federal Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, Paul Fletcher, said the importance of fast, affordable broadband delivered quickly has never been clearer than during the current COVID-19 pandemic”.
“Our focus on rolling out the network as quickly as possible means more than seven million homes and businesses are able to effectively learn, work and stay connected with loved ones as we all practice social distancing measures,” Minister Fletcher said.
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Enjoy!
David.
