-----
This weekly blog is to explore the news around the larger issues
around Digital Health, data security, data privacy, AI / ML. technology, social
media and related matters.
I will also try to highlight ADHA
Propaganda when I come upon it.
Just so we keep count, the latest Notes from the ADHA Board are still
dated 6 December, 2018! How pathetic is that for transparency? Secrecy
unconstrained!
Note: Appearance here is not to suggest I see any credibility or
value in what follows. I will leave it to the reader to decide what is
worthwhile and what is not! The point is to let people know what is being said
/ published that I have come upon.
-----
https://www.health.gov.au/news/covidsafe-app-an-important-tool-in-fight-against-coronavirus
COVIDSafe app an important tool in fight against
coronavirus
An opinion
piece by the Australian Government’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Nick
Coatsworth.
Date
published: 1 July 2020
Media
type: Media release
Audience: General
public
Contact
tracing is not a simple process. It relies on skilled disease detectives being
able to work with someone with COVID-19 to collect their known contacts,
identify where and how unknown contacts were made and reach out sometimes to
dozens of people or more to advise them they may be at risk.
Very early in
the pandemic the Australian Government saw the opportunity to use smartphone
technology to assist those contact tracers in keeping us safe from
COVID-19. The result was the COVIDSafe app, a purpose built tool to
augment contact tracing by recording contact with people who also have the app
installed on their phone.
To describe
the fastest app to be downloaded 5 million times in Australia as a failure is
not only misinformed, but unhelpful to public health efforts at a crucial time
in our pandemic response. The COVIDSafe app remains an essential part of our
response toolkit. More than 20 countries have contacted us to discuss its
development and use.
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https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/about-the-agency/digital-health-space/new-guide-on-using-online-conferencing-technologies-securely-for-healthcare
New guide on using online conferencing technologies
securely for healthcare
29
June, 2020: A new guide for healthcare professionals and
organisations to ensure connected, secure consultations such as telehealth has
been released by the Australian Digital Health Agency and Cyber CX.
In
a first for the Agency it has partnered with Cyber CX to deliver this guide to
help build inherent security for GPs and other healthcare providers in the face
of cyber security threats.
The
'Using
Online Conferencing Technologies Securely - A guide for healthcare
organisations ‘Connected, secure consultations’ provides advice on
important issues including the need for secure configuration, well-implemented
encryption, access control and multi-factor authentication (MFA) when
conferencing online.
From
selecting a suitable consultation space to managing attendees, there are many
issue to consider when using online conferencing.
Healthcare
professionals need to consider how well a platform will enable their
organisation to protect sensitive information and comply with its legislative
and professional requirements.
-----
https://www.zdnet.com/article/facebook-inc-argues-it-does-not-have-contractual-relationship-with-australian-users-in-court/
Facebook Inc says it does not have contractual
relationship with Australian users
It said only
Facebook Ireland carried on business in Australia when local users' data were
collected as part of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
By Campbell Kwan |
June 28, 2020 -- 23:32 GMT (09:32 AEST) | Topic: Legal
Facebook on
late Friday afternoon argued at Australian Federal Court that the handling of
personal data owned by Australian users is only the responsibility of Facebook
Ireland, and that the US-based Facebook Inc has no contractual relationship
with these users.
The lawsuit,
raised by the Australian Information and Privacy Commissioner in March, is in relation to allegations that both the
US-based Facebook Inc and Facebook Ireland breached Australia's Privacy Act by
repeatedly and seriously interfering with the privacy of Australians.
Facebook
allegedly disclosed
the personal information of over 311,000 Australians to the This Is
Your Digital Life app, despite there only being 53 Australians that installed
the app. This information was then allegedly given to Cambridge
Analytica and used for political profiling purposes.
"Most
of those users did not install the app themselves, and their personal
information was disclosed via their friends' use of the app," Australian
Information and Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk said back in March.
-----
https://www.zdnet.com/article/covidsafe-might-actually-be-useful-after-all/
COVIDSafe might actually be useful after all
New modelling
suggests that Australia's troubled contact tracing app could help mitigate the
severity of a COVID-19 second wave if problems are fixed and more people use
it.
By Stilgherrian for
The Full Tilt | June
30, 2020 -- 06:23 GMT (16:23 AEST) | Topic: Innovation
COVIDSafe,
Australia's coronavirus contact tracing app, may not be totally useless,
according to modelling released on Tuesday by the Sax Institute in Sydney.
The peer-reviewed research shows that it would be
"vital" to continue social distancing and large-scale testing to
avoid a so-called "second wave" of COVID-19 infections, but also that
COVIDSafe "has the potential to be an important adjunct".
"Depending
on the level of community uptake of the app, it could have a significant
mitigating effect on a second wave of COVID-19 in Australia," they wrote.
The team
calibrated their model using actual Australian data up to 16 May 2020. They
modelled five scenarios out to December 31, varying the tapering off of social
restrictions and testing, and different levels of COVIDSafe use.
"In all
five scenarios, the modelling projects a second wave of COVID-19 if the easing
of restrictions continues," the researchers wrote. The size and timing of
the second wave would depend on how quickly restrictions are lifted.
-----
https://www.zdnet.com/article/australias-consumer-data-right-heres-everything-you-need-to-know/
Australia's Consumer Data Right: Here's everything you
need to know
From July 1,
customers can request their bank to share their data for deposit and
transaction accounts and credit and debit cards. Here's an in-depth look at the
Consumer Data Right.
By Asha Barbaschow |
June 30, 2020 -- 22:00 GMT (08:00 AEST) | Topic: Innovation
Australia's
Consumer Data Right (CDR) officially launched on Wednesday, with the first
tranche, an open banking-like regime, requiring financial services providers to
share a customers' data when requested by the customer.
Individual
customers of the big four banks -- ANZ Bank, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia
(CBA), National Australia Bank (NAB), and Westpac -- can request their bank
share their "live" data for deposit and transaction accounts and
credit and debit cards with accredited data recipients (ADRs).
"It's
a really significant day for banking," Australian Competition and Consumer
Commission (ACCC) commissioner Sarah Court said. "We've been working hard
towards this for a couple of years now, both at the ACCC and with the industry,
in particular the four major banks and a select group of potential data
recipients."
-----
https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/what-patients-think-doctors-social-media-posts
What patients think of doctors' social media posts
Trust in
doctors goes down if a patient's story is shared online disrespectfully,
study shows
3rd July 2020
By Carmel Sparke
Posting
a photo of yourself having a glass of wine on social media is okay,
but, unsurprisingly, appearing intoxicated or swearing damages patient
trust, a survey shows.
More
importantly, sharing deidentified medical stories online has the potential to
diminish trust, especially if the post is disrespectful.
Almost
nine out of 10 patients surveyed reported they would have less trust in their
doctor if he or she wrote a disrespectful patient narrative online.
“This
makes intuitive sense: Patients might wonder whether their physician might
write about them negatively in the future,” the US researchers wrote.
-----
https://www.facebook.com/MyHealthRec/photos/a.459863404445308/976385339459776/?type=3
03 July, 2020 ADHA
Propaganda
With
school holidays starting, why not update your family’s details on My Health
Record? Add information like emergency contacts, allergies and current
medicines – all of which can then be accessed securely, any time, anywhere.
Visit
https://www.myhealthrecord.gov.au/for-parents
for more.
-----
https://www.afr.com/companies/healthcare-and-fitness/digital-health-companies-face-funding-shortfall-20200702-p558by
Digital health companies face funding shortfall
Carrie LaFrenz Senior
reporter
Jul 2, 2020 –
5.24pm
The
biggest issue for early-stage digital health companies will be securing funding
in a post-COVID-19
world, according to a new report.
At
the same time, digital health technologies will be more widely used and
accepted by the public and doctors, providing a runway for increased take-up,
the report says.
Bronwyn
Le Grice, chief executive and founder of ANDHealth, a non-profit digital health
accelerator, believes COVID-19 will change patient and clinician attitudes and
create a wave of healthcare policy reform.
"This
has the potential to make digital healthcare universally accepted and utilised
for the health and wellbeing of all Australians," she told The
Australian Financial Review.
-----
https://andhealth.com.au/andhealth-releases-the-first-detailed-report-on-australias-digital-health-industry/
ANDHealth releases the first detailed report on
Australia’s digital health industry
Three
years in the making, we are proud to bring you our brand new report – Digital
Health: The Sleeping Giant of Australia’s Health Technology Industry.
Packed
with data and information we’ve collected from the Australian digital health
sector since our inception in 2017, this report is the first to comprehensively
demonstrate the vibrancy and diversity of the industry. It showcases the
potential of the sector to drive Australia’s economy and healthcare system into
the future, if properly supported.
The
pipeline of companies and technologies outlined in the report demonstrate
Australia’s potential to become a global destination for digital health
development, commercialisation, clinical trials and implementation, delivering
against the triple aim for post-COVID recovery investment: economic growth,
healthcare system resilience and high-value manufacturing capabilities.
We
are proud to represent the Australian digital health sector, and proud to
publish this report. Please click below to download it.
Download
the Report
-----
https://allevents.in/online/webinar-introduction-to-my-health-record/10000109904060002
Webinar: Introduction to My Health Record
Thu Jul 09, 2020 ADHA
Propaganda
Webinar:
Introduction to My Health Record
This session
will introduce you to My Health Record. My Health Record is an online platform
allowing healthcare professionals to share information with each other as well
as the patient, to help give a clearer and more complete picture of a person’s
health to aid in their treatment. This session will give you an overview of the
platform, along with the opportunity to access and use My Health Record.
You will need an active email address and a MyGov account.
This is an online webinar and an email with the webinar link will be provided
provided prior to the session.
Tea Tree Gully library has received a grant to deliver this course and is
required to capture attendees details as part of this funding.
-----
https://www.healthcareit.com.au/article/covid-19-coordination-collaboration-and-other-lessons-australia
COVID-19: Coordination, collaboration and other lessons
from Australia
Dean Koh | 01
Jul 2020
In
the seventh episode of the HIMSS APAC Digital Dialogue Series
hosted by Dr Charles Alessi, HIMSS Chief Clinical Officer, together with guest
speakers Dr Teresa Anderson, Chief Executive, Sydney Local Health District, Dr
Zoran Bolevich, Chief Executive, eHealth NSW, Tim Kelsey, Senior Vice
President, HIMSS Analytics International and Matt Moran, Managing Director,
Australia and New Zealand, Philips had a discussion on the lessons learnt from
Australia’s handling of the COVID-19.
They
also spoke about the rising significance of digital health and virtual/remote
care in Australia, especially in the preparation to handle upcoming waves of
the pandemic.
Coordinated
responses and collaboration
“The
leadership we have seen across Australia and New South Wales has been
extraordinary. That’s community leadership but also within our own health
service. Everyday, we’ve seen our Chief Health Officer for the Commonwealth and
the Chief Health Officer for New South Wales communicate with the community at
large,” said Dr Anderson.
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https://itwire.com/government-tech-policy/minor-changes-in-encryption-law-expected-in-final-draft.html
Thursday, 02 July 2020 11:50
Minor changes in encryption law expected in final draft
By Sam Varghese
The
Independent National Security Legislation Monitor, Dr James Renwick, is likely
to have suggested some changes to the encryption law passed by the government in
2018, in his review which was handed down on Monday.
Dr
Renwick's term ended with the handing over of the report which can only now be
presented to Parliament in August as there are no sittings until then.
The
report is expected to inform the deliberations of the Parliamentary Joint
Committee on Intelligence and Security which is due to submit its final report
on what is officially known as the Telecommunications and Other Legislation
Amendment (Assistance and Access) Bill 2018, by 30 September.
Only after
that will the government consider any changes to the law that was rushed
through Parliament in December 2018.
-----
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/facebook-and-google-s-power-under-the-microscope-20200702-p5588h.html
Facebook and Google's power under the microscope
By Jonathan Browning and Aoife White
July 2, 2020 — 7.20am
The
UK's Competition and Markets Authority called for sweeping new powers to roll
back the dominance of Google and Facebook in the online-advertising market, a
move designed to push global regulators to be more aggressive against the tech
giants.
The
watchdog said a new regime should have the ability to respond far more quickly
to digital monopolies with powers to require structural changes including
potentially forcing Alphabet's Google to split its ad server operations. Its
existing powers are insufficient and an entirely new approach is needed, the
CMA said.
"What
we have found is concerning -– if the market power of these firms goes
unchecked, people and businesses will lose out," the CMA's chief executive
officer Andrea Coscelli said in a statement on Wednesday (UK time).
The
proposals serve as a potential template for the US and the European Union to
tackle the unassailable market power of the largest tech firms in
digital-advertising markets. In Britain, Google and Facebook account for 80 per
cent of all spending on digital advertising, the CMA said.
-----
https://hnc.org.au/archives/events/my-health-record-in-rural-and-remote-hospital-settings
My Health Record in Rural and Remote Hospital Settings
The
Australian Digital Health Agency is holding a ‘My Health Record in Rural and
Remote Hospital Settings’ webinar for hospital healthcare professionals and
executive personnel. ADHA Propaganda
My
Health Record provides healthcare providers with secure online access to their
patients’ health information. By the end of 2018, every Australian will have a
My Health Record unless they choose not to have one during the three-month
opt-out period that will run from 16 July to 15 October 2018.
This
webinar addresses:
- The context of the Australian
Government’s introduction of My Health Record and opt-out program.
- The key features and benefits of My
Health Record in a hospital environment and what information is available.
- The opt-out process, and how to
conduct conversations with patients to help them make informed decisions.
- Privacy, medico-legal and security
and questions providers may have.
- Where healthcare providers can
access further implementation support and training.
Facilitator:
Dr Jo Burnand, FRAMCMA
Venue:
Webinar
Date/Time:
Part day | Thu 5 Jul 2018, 6:00 pm - 6:45 pm (45mins)
Event
Organiser: Australian Digital Health Agency
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https://www.ausdoc.com.au/practice/there-one-thing-patients-about-my-health-record
There is one thing patients like about My Health Record
Access to
immunisation records are proving a hit, says the Australian Digital Health
Agency
1st July
2020 ADHA Propaganda
By Antony Scholefield
While
the COVID-19 pandemic has turned everything upside down, one thing remains
unchanged.
The
desire to know whether the mass of stats flowing around the My Health
Record show doctors and patients are using the system to improve
care.
The
Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA), which runs the system, is continuing
to release its monthly updates, and the numbers do seem to be getting
bigger.
In
May this year, GPs uploaded 187,000 documents to the system that were
viewed by somebody else, the agency says.
-----
https://www.smh.com.au/technology/same-mistakes-keep-exposing-children-to-online-dangers-20200630-p557kx.html
Same mistakes keep exposing children to online dangers
By Julie Inman Grant
June 30, 2020 — 11.30pm
In
2014, the New Zealand and Australian television presenter Charlotte Dawson
tragically took her own life. Dawson, who had been open and public about her
mental health struggles, was mercilessly trolled on Twitter. Her stricken
friends channelled their grief by starting a petition to the Commonwealth
government calling for laws against cyberbullying.
That
petition bore fruit a year later. Paul Fletcher – then a parliamentary
secretary, and now Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts –
pioneered the world’s first online safety regulator, incorporating the first
legislated take-down scheme for serious cyberbullying targeting a child. As it
approaches its fifth birthday this week, eSafety’s story has been one of rapid
growth, just like any other healthy five-year-old.
Along
with helping thousands of children have cyberbullying material removed from the
internet, we have assisted thousands of Australians to have nude images or
intimate videos – shared online without their consent – removed. And we have
been able to respond to more than 40,000 reports of online child sexual abuse
material by having it taken down from the internet through international,
collaborative efforts.
Meanwhile,
a potent new form of online harm has emerged that led the government to further
boost our powers. During his terror attack on two mosques in Christchurch last
year, the perpetrator live-streamed his atrocities on Facebook, as well as
posting a vile manifesto online. In response, eSafety can now require websites
to remove certain kinds of terrorist content, and even (in any repeat of an
online crisis such as occurred last March) block access to sites that host such
damaging material.
-----
https://mforum.com.au/my-health-record-into-the-ether/
My Health Record: Into the ether
James Knox April 6, 2020
The slow crawl towards a nationalised shared
electronic health record (EHR) culminated in My Health Record yet there is
still much to be done to ensure the system is adopted and used by clinicians
and health care consumers alike.
Australia’s
eHealth odyssey
The
journey of the Australian nationalised shared electronic health record (EHR)
began in the last millennium with the establishment of the National Health
Information Management Advisory Council (NHIMAC) in 1999 to address barriers to
e-health, consequently identifying the need for a shared and nationalised EHR
system.
NHIMAC
formed the National Electronic Health Records Taskforce which subsequently
released the Health Information Network for Australia report in 2000, which
proposed the HealthConnect project.
The
first stage of HealthConnect began in 2001 with the development of
the Better Medication Management System (BMMS), a nationalised electronic
medical record that linked prescriptions, prescribers and pharmacies, later
rebranded as MediConnect.
Comment: Very long and interesting – makes it clear a long way to
go, but fails to really articulate the major structural issues with shared
EHRs.
-----
https://www.hospitalhealth.com.au/content/technology/article/a-look-into-the-future-healthcare-practice-1027640936
A look into the future healthcare practice
By Adrian Perillo*
Tuesday, 30 June, 2020
COVID-19
has changed our world. Almost every business and industry is learning to adapt
to the changes that this virus has ushered in, and none so more than the
healthcare industry, which has been pushed into previously unfamiliar
territory. As the number of new cases in Australia start to level out, we can
now begin to unpack some of the lasting impacts that the outbreak will have on
healthcare practices.
Considerations for maintaining an efficient and thriving healthcare
practice post-COVID19
Supporting new models of care
COVID-19
has demonstrated that different models of care have a place in how we manage
patients. Not every patient needs to be seen in person, in a practice.
Telehealth
was a standout example while we were in lockdown. In addition to enabling
remote consultations, it has enabled more frequent, but often shorter follow-up
consultations for patients with their primary physicians. Telehealth is also
giving healthcare practitioners the ability to hold coordinated conferences
with patients’ supporting healthcare professionals — such as their GP,
physiotherapist and occupational therapist — all in the same session.
-----
https://www.nowtolove.com.au/health/body/electronic-prescriptions-in-australia-64342
7 things you probably didn't know about electronic
prescriptions (but definitely should)
Everything
you need to know about the convenient new way to manage your medication.
Jun 30, 2020 5:20pm
By BTYB Amcal – Sponsored Article
Technology is
once again making life a lot more convenient thanks to new changes made to
Commonwealth legislation regarding prescriptions.
In Australia,
electronic prescriptions are now recognised as a legal form to allow medicine
supply.
The system
will be progressively rolled out across Australia over the next few months,
with the Department of Health fast-tracking the implementation to help protect
people most at risk from exposure to COVID-19.
An
alternative to paper prescriptions, the introduction of electronic prescriptions
has seen pharmacies such as Amcal
undergo a digital transformation that enables patients and prescribers to
access medicines when physical contact is not possible.
So, what
exactly does the introduction of electronic prescriptions mean for you and your
family? Below, we've rounded up seven facts you should know about electronic
prescriptions.
-----
https://hnc.org.au/archives/events/allied-health-and-my-health-record-general
Allied Health and My Health Record (General)
The
Australian Digital Health Agency and Allied Health Professions Australia are
co-hosting two webinars on My Health Record and its use by the Allied Health
professions. The webinars will be presented by the Agency, AHPA and allied
health practitioners who are using My Health Record.
AHPA
have advised that this webinar will attract CPD points for most allied health
professions. Simply keep a copy of your registration confirmation.
If
you would like to confirm eligibility, please check with your professional
association.
For
more information contact clinicalpartnerships@digitalhealth.gov.au.
RSVP Here by Tue 24 July, 06:00 pm
Venue:
Webinar ADHA Propaganda
Date/Time:
Part day | Tue 24 Jul 2018, 7:00 pm - 8:15 pm (1h 15m)
Event
Organiser: Australian Digital Health Agency and Allied Health Professions
Australia
Email:
Click
here
-----
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/the-times/twitters-antiwoke-rival-social-media-cesspit-gets-bigger-not-better/news-story/fadfecfc29890f132d848421e35518d4
Twitter’s anti-woke
rival: social media cesspit gets bigger, not better
Hugo Rifkind
·
The Times
·
June 30, 2020
There are some horrors which it is hard for any civilised society
to ignore, and in ours one of them is Katie Hopkins.
Having initially gained prominence as a contestant on The
Apprentice, in which she stood out by virtue of being able to form complete
sentences in almost all circumstances, she has since developed a professional
niche as a hatemonger.
Employed for various stints by newspapers and broadcasters, most
of which eventually thought better of it, she has since 2017 largely had to
publish her hate on Twitter pro bono. But this month it, too, kicked her off.
She is now to be found on a newish site called Parler, which bills itself as a
“Free Speech Social Network”. Although we shall come to Parler in a minute.
Twitter is as entitled to decide it doesn’t want her tweets as a
newspaper would be to decide it doesn’t want her column.
-----
https://itwire.com/open-sauce/government-trying-very-hard-to-fix-a-problem-that-does-not-really-exist.html
Author's Opinion
The
views in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the
views of iTWire.
Tuesday, 30 June 2020 10:46
Government trying very hard to fix a problem that does
not really exist
By Sam Varghese
The
Australian Government is attempting to fix a manufactured problem —
disinformation on social media — without properly assessing the source to see
if vested interests are pushing a case for which there is no basis.
In
the process, numerous government departments have been roped in and much jaw is
taking place – over a dubious report from the defence industry-funded lobby
group Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
Having
witnessed the success of the fictitious Russiagate scandal in the US — when a
whole lot of time and effort were spent chasing alleged Russian spies who were
said to have fixed an election which was actually lost due to poor campaigning
by Democrat Hillary Clinton — ASPI is now attempting to whip up fear,
uncertainty and doubt over an imaginary exercise in
Australia.
-----
https://www.governmentnews.com.au/70-per-cent-dont-trust-government-on-personal-data/
70 per cent don’t trust govt on personal data
29 June, 2020
Seventy per
cent of Australians have limited or no trust in the government to safely handle
their personal data.
An
international survey has found Australians are highly distrustful of government
surveillance and data collection, especially in relation to COVID-19.
Cloud
software vendor Okta commissioned an online survey of over 12,000 people
between the ages of 18 and 75 in Australia, France, Germany, the Netherlands,
the UK, and the US.
It
found seventy per cent of Australians were uncomfortable with the government
handling their data, and it also found Aussies are “shockingly unaware” of how
much their data is collected.
“From
Cambridge Analytica to the news that Australia’s My Health Record has suffered
two potential data breaches, a never-ending list of controversies have shed a
light on consumers’ shrinking levels of privacy,” the report, The Cost of Privacy, says.
“Yet
our data shows that many consumers are not aware of the routine tracking and
data harvesting that takes place daily.”
-----
https://itwire.com/technology-regulation/acma-releases-guidance-on-voluntary-misinformation-and-news-quality-code.html
Monday, 29 June 2020 10:10
ACMA releases guidance on voluntary misinformation and
news quality code
By Peter Dinham
Australia’s
telecommunications regulator ACMA has released a position paper outlining its
expectations for a voluntary code or codes of practice on misinformation and
news quality to be developed by digital platforms.
The
position paper —Misinformation and news quality on digital platforms in
Australia - A position paper to guide code development—includes a model code
framework for consideration, including objectives and outcomes to be achieved
for the benefit of Australian users of digital platforms.
The
Australian Communications and Media Authority says that according to the
University of Canberra’s Digital News Report: Australia 2020, 48% of
Australians rely on online news or social media as their main source of news,
but 64% of Australians are concerned about what is real or fake on the
internet.
“That
should rightly be of immense community concern. False and misleading news and
information online has the potential to cause serious harm to individuals,
communities and society,” ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said.
-----
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/australia-fights-back-in-the-war-on-fake-news/news-story/9c711ec9b75f43dd6451a3ee3ab79364
How Australia is hitting back at fake news
China’s
political manipulation of social media sites has prompted a swift response from
the Morrison government.
By Ben Packham
·
From Politics
June 29, 2020
In early 2019, a delegation of senior Australian government
officials travelled to Shenzhen, China, where they were permitted into a
gleaming, two-towered building in the city’s far west.
The futuristic glass-and-aluminium structure was the recently
opened home of tech giant Tencent, the company behind the omnipresent Chinese
social media platform WeChat.
Leading the delegation was Australia’s deputy electoral
commissioner, Jeff Pope. He was accompanied by Department of Foreign Affairs
and Trade representatives, and other Australian government agency officials.
The meeting with Tencent’s general counsel and other members of
the company’s legal team is believed to have been the first between a Western
nation’s electoral authorities and the immensely powerful media company.
-----
https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=2e8b832f-8e4d-4ce2-8665-5d5d394004dd
Telehealth Use Surges Around the World Amid COVID-19
Morgan
Lewis & Bockius LLP
China, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, USA June 25 2020
During
the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we have seen a dramatic shift from
in-person visits to telehealth services around the globe, unveiling what may be
the new normal for providing healthcare services.
Regions
around the world have quickly adapted to providing telehealth services as a
means to prevent possible exposure to COVID-19 and allow for critical patients
to get the in-person care they need. As the world begins the shift into a
post-pandemic period, regions continue to develop and advance their telehealth
service capabilities, with some global trends emerging. However, countries have
approached the expansion in diverse ways, leading to a complex legal and
regulatory landscape.
United
States
The
United States has historically been a leader in the development and
implementation of telehealth technologies. This effort has been led in large
part by states and commercial enterprises, but since the COVID-19 pandemic, the
federal government has significantly revised its policies to promote and
prioritize telehealth technologies. These policies have included a massive
increase in the number of patients eligible to obtain services via telehealth
and reimbursement support to incentivize healthcare providers.
In
the United States, the delivery of healthcare services is largely governed by
state law and enforced through state licensing boards. As a result, states are
important players in determining what types of telehealth technology are
permissible and the scope of an individual’s medical practice. In addition,
although telehealth services have long been a cash-only (noninsurance)
business, private insurance companies and state Medicaid programs are
increasingly providing reimbursement opportunities for telehealth. These
opportunities, at least prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, have not been viewed as
sufficient to support the widespread adoption of telehealth.
-----
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/much-hyped-contact-tracing-app-a-terrible-failure-20200628-p5570h.html
Editorial
Much-hyped contact-tracing app a terrible failure
The Herald's View
June 28, 2020 — 5.23pm
When
Australia's $2 million COVIDSafe tracing app was launched just over two months
ago, it was met with some trepidation over privacy but also enthusiasm. Within
days of its release, millions of people downloaded it onto their smartphones.
It
promised to identify users who had been in close proximity with one another for
an extended period of time to help in contact tracing, the labour-intensive
process of finding every person who may have been exposed to an infected
person. The app could save time and possibly lives.
While
it initially
got the backing from some of Australia's leading technology experts
for protection of private data, some obvious technical shortcomings were also
identified. The app did not work very effectively running in the background or
if a phone was locked.
Testing
data provided to the Senate revealed that its effectiveness, particularly on
Apple iPhones, was an ongoing issue. In late May, it worked only 25 to 50 per
cent of the time in locked iPhone-to-iPhone testing, while on Android phones,
there were major problems sharing data with iPhones.
-----
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/telstra-health-ready-to-deliver-as-it-steps-out-of-the-shadows-20200628-p556yh.html
Telstra Health ready to deliver as it steps out of the
shadows
By Supratim Adhikari
June 29, 2020 — 12.11am
Telstra's
foray into the healthcare sector may have slipped below the radar of most
investors, but after a close call in 2017 the Telstra Health business is not
just alive and kicking but ready to step back into the spotlight.
Led
by managing director Mary Foley and the head of Telstra's InfraCo division,
Brendon Riley, Telstra Health's journey closely resembles that of a Silicon
Valley technology business propelled by an attractive vision and lots of cash
but let down by poor execution.
"To
be honest we needed to simplify the strategy, get the delivery right and get
the underlying economic return right," Riley says.
However,
both Foley and Riley are confident the business has put its growing pains
behind it and is now ready to make the most of the dramatic acceleration in
digital healthcare ushered in by the coronavirus pandemic.
-----
https://itwire.com/open-sauce/google-sets-the-record-straight-on-news-or-something-to-that-effect.html
Author's Opinion
The
views in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the
views of iTWire.
Sunday, 28 June 2020 18:30
Google sets the record straight on news. Or something
to that effect
By Sam Varghese
Search
giant Google has offered another clarification, the second since it proudly announced
"a new news experience launching later this year", with its
vice-president of News, Richard Gingras authoring a fresh blog post on Friday
(Saturday Australian time) to either clarify — or add confusion to, depending
on how you look at it — the initial announcement by Brad Bender, the company's
vice-president of Product Management in the news division.
The
first clarification was
offered to The
Australian newspaper by Google Australia managing director Mel
Silva and was related to the fact that Bender's announcement did not
mean Google would pay Australian publishers money for using their news snippets
in search results. A small variation of Money for nothing and your chicks for free as
Dire Straits icon Mark Knopfler sang so many years ago.
Silva
was careful to avoid any comment about this when iTWire raised a
query with the company; instead, there was a rather hashed response which I
have written about here.
-----
https://itwire.com/open-sauce/google-keeps-mel-silva-under-wraps-after-clarification-on-news-proposal.html
Author's Opinion
The
views in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the
views of iTWire.
Sunday, 28 June 2020 11:08
Google keeps Mel Silva under wraps after
'clarification' on news proposal
By Sam Varghese
Google
appears to be reluctant to offer comments from its Australia managing director
Mel Silva to any other publication after she went on the record with The
Australian to clarify that the news initiative announced by the
company on Thursday would not be about offering cash to Australian publishers
for the use of news snippets in search results.
After
Brad Bender, Google's vice-president of Product Management in the news
division, issued a blog post on what he
described as a "new news experience launching later this year", The
Australian, which along with its stablemate in the US, The
Wall Street Journal, has been leading the charge to get Google to
pay for what it uses, spoke to Mel Silva and quoted her from what was referred
to as a briefing (screenshot below).
The
Australian's report has Silva saying
"however that the agreements would be limited to a new app that Google
will launch later next year and won‘t cover news snippets that appear in
Google’s Web searches".
iTWire contacted the company on
Saturday morning, asking for a statement on this clarification. And I could not
have been clearer on what I was asking for:
-----
https://exchange.telstra.com.au/telstra-health-and-the-response-to-the-covid-19-pandemic/
Telstra Health and the response to the COVID-19
pandemic
By Mary Foley
June 29, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on how we all think about
healthcare. This period has reinforced the drive for digitisation that most
healthcare providers are already undertaking, and has dramatically accelerated
newer technologies such as telehealth, in-home monitoring and access to
information directly by patients. It has also demonstrated the importance of
high quality, real-time health information for both clinical and health policy
purposes.
Healthcare
in Australia has been digitising for decades, but it is a gradual process and
paper and faxed records are still commonplace. Most records in general
practice, hospitals, aged care and pharmacies are digital, but there are still
challenges with shaDigitaring this information efficiently.
During
the pandemic, however, there has been an increased focus on the importance of
sharing high-quality digital health information, as well as the ability to
provide options for the public to access care and advice in a socially
distanced world.
At
Telstra
Health we have been working collaboratively with hospitals and
healthcare professionals to help digitise different systems and help them move
to a new virtual consultation model.
-----
Comments more
than welcome!
David.
