I Suspect This Is But A Very Small Down Payment For The WA State-Wide EHR System.

This appeared last week:

WA government commits AU$8m to build an electronic medical record system

Touting it will deliver 'patient-centric' healthcare across the state.

By Aimee Chanthadavong | August 7, 2020 -- 06:30 GMT (16:30 AEST) | Topic: Innovation

The government of Western Australian has said it will commit AU$8 million to begin planning for a state-wide electronic medical record (EMR) system.

Once developed, the system will enable clinicians to view information such as patient notes, assessments, medical histories, and diagnostic test results in one place. It will also mean that patients no longer need to wait for medical records to be transferred between clinicians.

"The development of an electronic medical record system will enable information to be available across the full continuum of care -- not only promoting safety and quality but also saving lives," Western Australia Minister for Health Roger Cook said.

"It is wonderful to see the advancements being made in health as we progress on our digital journey, and planning for an electronic medical record system is a key component of this."

The system was one of the key recommendations of the Sustainable Health Review. Initially launched in June 2017, the review panel was tasked with delivering "a patient first, innovative and sustainable health system" for Western Australians. It delivered its final report [PDF] in April 2019.

The development of the WA state-based system would come despite the existence of My Health Record, the country's national e-health system, since 2012.

The Western Australian government has been contacted for further comment.   

Lots more here:

https://www.zdnet.com/article/wa-government-commits-au8m-to-build-an-electronic-medical-record-system/

I suspect this is an actual funding announcement of the beginning of work which was discussed here late last year.

WA Health plots decade-long IT systems overhaul in new digital strategy

By Justin Hendry on Oct 3, 2019 4:26PM

State-wide e-health record to form foundation.

WA Health has laid out plans for a widespread overhaul of its clinical and corporate IT systems over the next decade as part of a new digital health strategy aimed squarely at improving patient care.

The ten-year blueprint [pdf], released on Wednesday, reveals an extensive program of work to transform the state’s health system through interoperable systems, big data, AI and data analytics.

Central to the strategy’s vision is the planned state-wide electronic medical record (EMR), which is considered the foundation for many of the patient-centric improvements WA Health hopes to introduce.

The department has already begun looking at its EMR options, having approached the market in August to gain an understanding of the “current market environment”.

The case for a state-wide EMR was established in the government’s sustainable health review interim report last year as a means to achieving better access to patient records.

The final report [pdf], released in April this year, urged WA Health to work towards “all health services having a functional electronic medical record or equivalent by July 2029”.

But in the 2020-2030 digital strategy, the department said it would look to begin implementing the planned EMR over the next two years.

The EMR is expected to provide WA Health with a “single source of truth” for patient information, including “integrated progress notes, clinical assessments and summaries, medication history, images and diagnostic test results”.

It is also slated to link to a planned state-wide electronic medication management (eMeds) system, which could be provided as part of the EMR or as a seperate integrated system.

While the department has not yet decided on the approach it will take for the EMR, the strategy points out that whatever approach is eventually decided on will “represent a significant improvement on the present combination of paper-based and electronic systems”.

WA Health said it plans to rollout the EMR over the course of the next decade, which - in a similar fashion to NSW’s e-health strategy - has been separated into four horizons due to the size and complexity of the shift.

The EMR is expected to help WA’s health system to become “increasingly virtual and personalised healthcare system”, partly because of  the “seamless access to real-time comprehensive patient information”.

“Though the use of mobile devices, video, web-based services and remote monitoring sensors, the patient is connected with clinicians, carers and health information in more direct and efficient ways,” the strategy states.

But not only patients will benefit from the system. Clinical staff will be able to access real-time information anywhere using a mobile device, leading to improved efficiency.

WA Health is currently working on a state-wide end user computing strategy to ensure staff have “secure, authenticated access to WA health systems” through a single sign-on system.

“A mobile-enabled employee portal will allow streamlined access by employees to their personal records such as rosters, payroll and leave, as well as to the specific business and clinical systems that they use,” the strategy states.

There is lots more on the plan here:

https://www.itnews.com.au/news/wa-plots-decade-long-it-systems-overhaul-in-new-digital-strategy-531858

It would be fair to say that the world has rather changed between October last year and now and I suspect, if anything, the need for improved systems has only grown, rather than shrunk, in the face of the pandemic.

The 10 year Digital Strategy referenced in the second article is a workman-like vanilla State Digital Health Strategy of no special interest other than its protracted duration, and its apparent enthusiasm for the #myHealthRecord. As we have seen recently such plans can be blown over in just months let alone a decade!

I wonder what infrastructure is wrapped around the planning process as $8M will not get far for state-wide systems. That there is a wait of 9 months from the Strategy release until this funding announcement is a worry but I suppose many Health Ministers have been pretty busy.

Given that WA has always been a bit of a Digital Health laggard I don’t see much change coming any time soon. We await developments.

David.

 

It Is Hard Not To Think That There Are Some Deep Seated Problems In The ADHA Leading To High Staff Turnover And Loss.

 This appeared a day or so ago.

Senior digital health bureaucrat resigns to join former boss

By Shannon Jenkins

Friday August 7, 2020

Another senior public servant has resigned from the Australian Digital Health Agency.

National health chief information officer Ronan O’Connor has left the agency to take on a role at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society — the same not-for-profit organisation that Tim Kelsey joined after departing his role as ADHA CEO late last year.

Kelsey and O’Connor worked together at the  United Kingdom’s National Health Service before they were appointed to the ADHA in 2016 and 2017, respectively. At their new workplace, O’Connor will take on the role of vice president, analytics international, while Kelsey is senior vice president, analytics international, according to iTnews.

O’Connor reportedly hopes to move back to the UK in 2021.

At the ADHA, O’Connor led the implementation of the opt-out model for the My Health Record system. Australians previously had to opt-in to receive an electronic health record, which left the system experiencing extremely low engagement rates. ADHA statistics show that there were 22.77 million My Health Records in existence at June 2020.

More here:

https://www.themandarin.com.au/136960-senior-digital-health-bureaucrat-resigns-to-join-former-boss/

There is also coverage here:

Australia's national health CIO to exit

By Justin Hendry on Aug 7, 2020 12:05PM

Resigns to join not-for-profit.

Australia’s national health chief information officer Ronan O’Connor has resigned after more than three years at the Australian Digital Health Agency.

O’Connor, who joined the agency responsible for the country’s My Health Record system and other national digital health systems in January 2017, will leave the top job on October 16. 

His departure was first reported by Pulse+IT.

A spokesperson told iTnews that O’Connor has been appointed vice president, analytics international at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).

Former ADHA chief Tim Kelsey, who resigned last December, has also joined the not-for-profit organisation to become senior vice president, analytics international.

“Ronan will lead the international acceleration in digital transformation using HIMSS products and plans to return to the UK in 2021,” the ADHA spokesperson said.

O’Connor moved to Australia from the UK to join the ADHA executive team in January 2017 following an international search.

More here:

https://www.itnews.com.au/news/australias-national-health-cio-to-exit-551406

So we really have now had a total cleaning out of the executive team with only the Temporary CEO being not in place temporarily until the new appointment is made.

Contributors to this blog have for the last couple of years been suggesting that many ADHA employees experience the work environment there as pretty hostile and unsupportive and the losses of so many executives in the last eight months or so makes one wonder just what is the root cause of this and what can be done to make the organisation a productive agency and an enjoyable place to work.

Given the organisation is a Commonwealth Agency with Commonwealth Public Service conditions and job security it is of concern just how unstable it is at all levels.

Are there ADHA insiders who have a view as to what is amiss? Comments welcome!

David.

A New National Cyber Security Strategy Is Announced But Question Remain.

 Last week the Government unveiled a new cyber security strategy

Govt finally unveils Australia's new cyber security strategy

By Justin Hendry on Aug 6, 2020 1:22PM

Places focus on critical infrastructure.

The federal government has finally unveiled its delayed cyber security strategy but left much of the detail to forthcoming legislation that is yet to be put before parliament.

The 52-page strategy [pdf], released on Thursday, will see $1.67 billion invested in a number of already-known initiatives aimed at enhancing Australia's cyber security over the next decade.

Much of the funding is from the previously announced $1.35 billion cyber enhanced situational awareness and response package.

The strategy’s key elements include proposed laws and an “enhanced regulatory framework” to secure critical infrastructure, deemed the “best way to protect Australians at scale”.

The new powers will outline the government’s minimum expectation, including an “enforceable positive security obligation for designated critical infrastructure entities”.

“These powers will ensure the Australian Government can actively defend networks and help the private sector recover in the event of a cyber attack,” the strategy states.

“The nature of this assistance will depend on the circumstances, but could include expert advice, direct assistance or the use of classified tools. 

“This will reduce the potential down-time of essential services and the impact of cyber attacks on Australians.”

The framework, which will be delivered through amendments to the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act, is also expected to extend to systems of national significance 

Further afield, the government is also considering “legislative changes that set a minimum cyber security baseline across the economy”.

While securing critical infrastructure is a major focus of the strategy, the government also plans to assist SMEs to uplift their cyber security capabilities with the help of large businesses. 

One such capability could provide SMEs with ‘bundles’ of secure services such as threat blocking and antivirus, as well as other cyber security awareness training.

“Integrating cyber security products into other service offerings will help protect SMEs at scale and recognises that many businesses cannot employ dedicated cyber security staff,” the strategy states.

More here:

https://www.itnews.com.au/news/govt-finally-unveils-australias-new-cyber-security-strategy-551358

There strategy was not an instant success with some.

Experts bemoan lack of detail in cyber strategy

Paul Smith Technology editor

Aug 6, 2020 – 6.17pm

New rules to make company boards responsible for their organisations' cyber defence prowess have been welcomed by industry experts as the bright spot in an underwhelming national cyber security strategy.

Concerns have been raised that only defence and law-enforcement functions are receiving sufficient new funding.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton unveiled Australia's overdue Cyber Security 2020 strategy on Thursday morning, after details of new requirements on crucial infrastructure providers were revealed on Wednesday night.

The new strategy included $1.67 billion investment over 10 years, with $1.3 billion going on a Cyber Enhanced Situational Awareness and Response (CESAR) package, including 500 new jobs within the Australian Signals Directorate, which was announced in June.

"Three elements of the strategy are particularly significant to the private sector: increased regulation, new critical infrastructure obligations and a scaled approach to protecting smaller businesses and families," former national cyber security adviser Alastair MacGibbon, who is now chief strategy officer at CyberCX, said.

"Industry and government will co-design new legislation introducing economy-wide cyber security responsibilities, so in the same way as workplace health and safety is now fully accepted as a board responsibility, soon boards and executives will likely be held accountable for cyber security risk management ... A security baseline will drive innovation, stability and profitability."

However, Mr MacGibbon said he believed there was not enough detail about remediating a national shortage in cyber security skills for businesses to access.

Others in the industry complained that the document had too many generic "motherhood statements", without enough detail on what practical things would change in smaller businesses, and how Australia was going to grow a stronger local sector of tech security companies.

"By my calculations more than 90 per cent of the $1.6 billion is going to the ASD and AFP in one way or another ... So really, this is much less of a national cyber strategy, and much more of a warning shot to hostile nation states that Australia is delivering a capability uplift to our signals intelligence and law enforcement capability," CISO Lens managing director James Turner said.

More here:

https://www.afr.com/technology/experts-bemoan-lack-of-detail-in-cyber-strategy-20200806-p55j7m

There was also a common theme of giving more power to the police.

Federal Police given new powers in $1.66 billion cyber security package

By Anthony Galloway

August 5, 2020 — 10.30pm

The Australian Federal Police will be given powerful new cyber tools to break into the networks of online paedophiles and terrorists using computer servers on the "dark web".

The new capability will allow the AFP to penetrate the computer networks of criminals operating domestically for the first time. The agency will be given $88 million to bolster its cyber capabilities under a $1.66 billion cyber security package to be unveiled on Thursday.

Releasing the nation's new four-year cyber security strategy, Prime Minister Scott Morrison will say the new powers are needed to "track criminals in the darkest corners of the internet to protect our families and children".

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said families and businesses were spending more time online and the country needed to make it safer.

"Paedophiles are targeting kids online in chat groups," Mr Dutton said.

"Criminals are scamming money off our elderly by stealing their internet banking details. Businesses are being locked out of their systems by ransomware attacks.

"And some foreign governments are using the internet to steal health data and have the potential to turn off banking or energy systems."

The strategy will put new obligations on the operators of critical infrastructure such as power plants, communications and ports so they can better fend off serious cyber attacks, including giving them $66 million to assess their networks for vulnerabilities.

There will also be a massive broadening of what is considered "critical infrastructure" under laws passed in 2018, allowing the Home Affairs Minister to step in and compel the operators to improve their defences against sabotage and spying - with banking, finance, health, food and grocery added to the list.

Small and medium-sized businesses will also be given more support to upgrade their cyber security systems, and the government will work with large companies and service providers to provide small businesses with better information and "secure services" such as threat blocking and antivirus training.

For a number of years the federal government has been considering the best way to give law enforcement "offensive capabilities" to go after serious criminals using the "dark web" on domestic servers. The dark web is a part of the internet which allows users to interact anonymously and therefore can more easily evade traditional law enforcement or investigation methods.

Under a previous proposal floated within government, the Australian Signals Directorate - Australia's premier foreign cyber intelligence agency - was to be enlisted by the security agencies such as the AFP to help track down serious criminals using domestic servers.

Instead, under this plan the AFP and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission will be given the tools and enhanced powers to go after individuals and networks engaging in serious criminal activity.

More here:

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/federal-police-given-new-powers-in-1-66-billion-cyber-security-package-20200805-p55ix4.html

My reading of the document really does confirm the law and order and defence emphasis with many, many fewer dollars being directed to SME and education where I suspect we have the larger gaps right now!

We are still seeing way too many cyber breaches – witness this last week – and we need to do better with the basics:

Regis Healthcare loses data in Maze ransomware infection

By Ry Crozier on Aug 3, 2020 11:25AM

Prompts ACSC warning on broader campaign targeting aged care.

ASX-listed aged care provider Regis Healthcare has lost data to an overseas-based attacker that has also starting leaking it, prompting an industry-wide warning by federal cyber security authorities.

The company said today that it had “been targeted in a cyber attack by an overseas third party” that had “copied some data from [its] IT system and released certain personal data publicly.”

iTnews was able to confirm the cause of the incident as a Maze ransomware infection.

The Australian Financial Review reported that residential care and accommodation agreements for one care facility were among documents leaked.

 Lots more here:

https://www.itnews.com.au/news/regis-healthcare-loses-data-in-maze-ransomware-infection-551183

This sort of thing needs to be got under control and I am not sure what the Government is proposing will do it.

What do you think?

David.

Commentators and Journalists Weigh In On Digital Health And Related Privacy, Safety And Security Matters. Lots Of Interesting Perspectives - August 11, 2020.

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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!

It is worth pointing out that in last few weeks ( beginning end July 2020) the ADHA took down the notification regarding the 19+ months since the last minutes notification. Embarrassed I guess – as they should be!

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.

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https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/cyber-attack-could-well-be-worse-than-coronavirus/news-story/21ff973ea2908af81e5339c2e0abaa45

Cyber attack could well be worse than coronavirus

Greg Sheridan

·         12:00AM August 8, 2020

Cyber security is going to be a big feature of your life.

Imagine disruption worse than COVID. Imagine vital equipment not working in hospitals. Even simple stuff, like locating needed blood supplies.

Imagine a power outage lasting weeks. You think lockdown is tough; contemplate life without electricity, without heating or cooling, or a refrigerator, for four weeks. Or more. What would happen if a city’s water supply system kept turning itself off? And what if all this occurs simultaneously? And if, when the tech wizards patch things up, they just kept breaking down, over and over?

Science fiction? It sounds like science fiction. Yet everything we’ve seen with COVID — the streets of Melbourne’s CBD looking as though a neutron bomb destroyed all human life, hundreds dead, more hundreds hospitalised, Victoria in savage lockdown trying to stamp the virus on its head once more — would have sounded like science fiction a few months ago.

The cyber nightmare is becoming technically more imaginable every day because of the relentless investment in cyber warfare undertaken by powerful nations.

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https://www.afr.com/technology/how-deep-fakes-could-ruin-your-business-20200804-p55id3

How deep fakes could ruin your business

Author Nina Schick says Western democratic systems and freedoms that should protect you from misinformation could actually make you more prone to the 'infocalypse'.

Lauren Vadnjal Social media and homepage editor

Updated Aug 7, 2020 – 12.37pm, first published at 10.39am

On Nina Schick’s Twitter profile there is a tweet. It’s a photo of her nursing her newborn daughter, along with the caption: Had a baby, wrote a book! Almost immediately someone replied: "Is this tweet a deep fake though?"

It’s a well-played response, which reflects the kind of cynicism that might be triggered after reading Schick’s book, Deep Fakes and the Infocalypse. Schick's point is that we now have to question the authenticity of everything we see and hear via technology; even something as innocuous as a mother breastfeeding her baby.

That’s because deep fakes use artificial intelligence to manipulate media in a way that can make anyone appear to say or do things they wouldn't. It’s like Photoshop for video and audio, mediums that have traditionally been considered pillars of truth.

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https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/news-can-survive-without-advertising-but-not-google/news-story/7e9580f1fded9f9859170aa0ccf51b9c

News can survive without advertising, but not Google

Gautam Mishra

·         2:59PM August 5, 2020

For publishers, Google has long been viewed a bit like the erratic boss they really want to please, but can never get a full read on. At the mercy of Google’s hot and cold moods, publishers can’t be too sure whether complaining to HR will result in the changes they want to see, or make their lives more difficult.

It’s also an incredibly complex relationship. On the one hand the tech behemoth has managed to disrupt the advertising market that media conglomerates once hoped would replace their “rivers of gold” (newsprint classified revenue). But on the other, Google’s search engine has also delivered huge torrents of traffic to news websites. And for its part, Google has benefited from this exchange as well. While the company argues that news-related queries are just a small fraction of the searches performed, it would be highly disingenuous to posit that a search engine could function with any credibility if it didn’t have access to news-related search results.

To its credit, Google clearly understands this value exchange. It has a number of initiatives in the market, and in the works, to try and help publishers. But little is yet to materialise that signals any real impact or change for publishers.

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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-08/coronavirus-boosts-telehealth-start-up-coviu-business/12519234

Coronavirus has meant a massive boom in telehealth — one Australian start-up was ready

ABC Radio National

By Belinda Sommer for The Money

In mid-March, when most of us went into isolation, Silvia Pfeiffer was running on adrenaline and minimal sleep.

The telehealth start-up she'd been working on since being hired by the CSIRO in 2012 was suddenly part of the Federal Government's strategy in fighting COVID-19.

Dr Pfeiffer is a computer scientist and the co-founder of Coviu, a healthcare videoconferencing platform.

A day after Health Minister Greg Hunt announced telehealth would become a Medicare item, the fledging company took off.

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https://gcphn.org.au/digital-health-updates-for-general-practice/

Content last updated 6/08/2020

Digital health updates for general practice

Below are some recent updates in the area of digital health for general practice including information around Queensland roll out of eScripts, electronic prescription courses, PRODA, changes to Telehealth, National Bowel Cancer Screening and My Health Record.

Queensland final state to roll out eScripts

Queensland has joined the rest of the jurisdictions in approving electronic prescription capabilities, with the first eScript dispensed at a Practice in Bargara, near Bundaberg, this week. Read more here

New electronic prescriptions courses now available – CPD/PDP credits/points

The Australian Digital Health Agency electronic prescriptions eLearning courses for both prescribers and dispensers are now available. The eLearning courses are free and accessible at training.digitalhealth.gov.au.

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https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=4a67a912-10e0-4b8f-993a-3aaf5dd6e4c5

Your electronic devices and international travel: The key security risks

Nyman Gibson Miralis

Despite the advent of technologies such as videoconferencing which allow international business associates to stay connected from the comfort of their own boardroom, global corporate travel continues to increase. There is therefore an increase in corporate laptops, phones and other devices crossing borders every day, which may be targeted by malicious actors to access sensitive information or hack into networks. This ultimately compromises the ongoing operation and security of an organisation.

The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) and Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) provide advice regarding travelling overseas with electronic devices, which may assist organisations to secure electronic devices before, during and after overseas travel in order to prevent potential cyber incidents.

Before overseas travel

• If appropriate, staff may be provided with new devices and accounts from a pool of dedicated travel devices
• If appropriate, SCEC-endorsed tamper seals may be applied to key areas of electronic devices (e.g. USB slots)
• Educate staff on best practices including not taking their own personal devices, and conducting inspections to detect tampering
• Keep an inventory of key details of electronic devices being used for travel (e.g. serial numbers)
• Ensure devices are running vendor supported operating systems that have been securely configured
• Configure remote locate and wipe capabilities of electronic devices and ensure they are encrypted

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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/trump-issues-orders-for-us-ban-on-wechat-tiktok-551413

Trump issues orders for US ban on WeChat, TikTok

By Staff Writer on Aug 7, 2020 1:17PM

Ban comes into effect in 45 days.

US President Donald Trump issued executive orders on Thursday banning any US transactions with ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns video-sharing app TikTok, and Tencent, owner of the WeChat app, starting in 45 days.

The orders come as the Trump administration said this week it was stepping up efforts to purge “untrusted” Chinese apps from US digital networks and called the Chinese-owned short-video app TikTok and messenger app WeChat "significant threats."

The TikTok app may be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party, and the United States "must take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security," Trump said in one order.

In the other, Trump said WeChat "automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users.

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https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/casting-a-light-on-techs-murky-misuse-of-our-data/news-story/d20fa1fd3a5475e24bf3376a7bf680ef

Casting a light on tech’s murky misuse of our data

Vijay Sundaram

·         3:57PM August 6, 2020

As the ongoing and evolving global pandemic has intensified our reliance on technology, it has catalysed the latest wave of questionable data privacy standards and in doing so renewed the scrutiny placed on our personal data, who’s accessing it, and why. Whether it’s concerns over the security of the latest social media craze TikTok, the widespread and confounding hack of prominent Twitter profiles, or even the alleged involvement of the Chinese Government in a recent cyber security attack on Australia, heavyweight tech corporations are turning into surveillance companies.

These examples form just the tip of a troubling iceberg that sees big businesses, today, value the collection of personal data above all else. Societally, we’re starting to understand that our online habits are being tracked, and that our data is sold to advertisers, businesses and even political lobbying groups who exploit it for their benefit. Catalysed by a stream of high-profile privacy breaches involving the world’s most powerful companies, our trust in tech is falling as our awareness of the scale of data misuse rises. For anyone who, like me, values personal privacy – one of our most basic rights – this is concerning.

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https://www.afr.com/technology/experts-bemoan-lack-of-detail-in-cyber-strategy-20200806-p55j7m

Experts bemoan lack of detail in cyber strategy

Paul Smith Technology editor

Aug 6, 2020 – 6.17pm

New rules to make company boards responsible for their organisations' cyber defence prowess have been welcomed by industry experts as the bright spot in an underwhelming national cyber security strategy.

Concerns have been raised that only defence and law-enforcement functions are receiving sufficient new funding.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton unveiled Australia's overdue Cyber Security 2020 strategy on Thursday morning, after details of new requirements on crucial infrastructure providers were revealed on Wednesday night.

The new strategy included $1.67 billion investment over 10 years, with $1.3 billion going on a Cyber Enhanced Situational Awareness and Response (CESAR) package, including 500 new jobs within the Australian Signals Directorate, which was announced in June.

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https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/gp-scripts-rejected-amid-confusion-over-eprescribing

GP scripts rejected amid confusion over e-prescribing

Pharmacists say they are sending patients back to their doctor for paper scripts

6th August 2020

By Heather Saxena

Widespread confusion over the rollout of the national e-script system is resulting in GPs issuing electronic prescriptions that can’t be dispensed, it has emerged.

The Australian Digital Health Agency has been running TV and social media advertising since April promising to “connect Australia to a healthier future” with electronic scripts.

The campaign followed promises by Minister for Health Greg Hunt to fast-track a national system for GPs and pharmacies as part of the Federal Government’s coronavirus response.

But despite officials initially saying the technology would be ready Australia-wide from May, e-scripts are currently only available at trial sites involving 22 GP practices servicing 24 communities.

The national rollout is not expected until the end of the year.

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https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/professional/gps-have-embraced-telehealth-survey-finds

GPs have embraced telehealth, survey finds

RACGP survey results from July show GPs and patients are seeing the benefits of telehealth consultations – but there is room for improvement.

Anastasia Tsirtsakis

06 Aug 2020

GPs who use video said they find it to be more personal, it helps them in assessing the patient, and that it aids them in undertaking a physical examination.

Since telehealth was rapidly unrolled in March in response to the coronavirus pandemic, GPs have proven their ability to adapt – as have patients. 
 
Among more than 420 GPs surveyed by the RACGP, one in five respondents reported that 61–80% of their patients have requested a telehealth consultation.
 
While the majority of GPs opt for the telephone when undertaking a telehealth consultation, more than half (54%) of those surveyed had used video at least once.
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https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/patients-prefer-their-own-gp-telehealth

Patients prefer their own GP for telehealth

Nationwide survey shows 95% booked a non-face-to-face consult with a practice they'd been to before

5th August 2020

By Heather Saxena

When it comes to telehealth, patients like to consult with their regular GP, a new survey has found.

Nearly all (95%) patients who booked a telehealth consult between April and June had been to the practice before. 

And one quarter booked a follow-up appointment at the same practice, according to the research by HealthEngine.

The results are based on data from nearly 220,000 telehealth appointments at 730 practices and 496 patient surveys.

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https://www.miragenews.com/racgp-survey-finds-gps-keen-on-telehealth/

August 6, 2020 5:34 am AEST

RACGP survey finds GPs keen on telehealth

Royal Australian College of GPs

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has released the results of a survey showing that GPs and patients are embracing telehealth consultations.

The survey found that many GPs are willing to adopt or continue using telehealth services if the temporary Medicare Benefits Schedule items stay in place beyond 30^th September this year.

The July survey of more than 420 GPs found:

· more than half (54%) had undertaken telehealth consultations using video at least once

· the most common types of consultations undertaken via video are standard consultations, follow-up consultations, prescriptions and referrals, and mental health

· GPs who use video rather than telephone services report that it helps them assess the patient (26%), find video to be more personal (19%), and aids them in undertaking a physical examination of the patient (18%)

· the vast majority of respondents indicated they would continue to provide care via telehealth if the temporary COVID-19 MBS items are extended beyond 30^th September, with 37% of those who currently only use phone consultations stating they would try video consultations.

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https://www.healthcareit.com.au/article/victoria%E2%80%99s-rapid-adoption-telehealth-and-its-challenges-0

Victoria’s rapid adoption of telehealth and its challenges

Dean Koh | 05 Aug 2020

In the third episode of the HIMSS Australia Digital Dialogue Series, hosted by Tim Kelsey, Senior Vice President, HIMSS Analytics International, guest speakers Neville Board, Chief Digital Health Officer at Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services, Dr Nathan Pinskier, Member of The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Expert Committee ehealth, Advisor ADHA Secure Messaging, Renza Scibilia, Manager - Type 1 Diabetes and Consumer Voice, Diabetes Australia and Peter J.K. Weston, APAC Leader, Healthcare Solutions, Hyland Healthcare, Australia discussed COVID-19’s impact on digital health developments in Victoria, and what needs to be done to maintain the momentum from the ‘gains’ made from the pandemic.

COVID-19’s impact on digital health developments in Victoria

Board laid out the context with regards to digital health priorities in Victoria – over 50% of beds in public hospitals are already supported by EMRs and there are multiple EMRs since health services do their own procurement within the given assurance framework.

Some of risks associated with work processes often have to do with paper and digital applications have brought in to reduce this along the continuum of care. “For primary care, we have been given a strong boost by My Health Record with a high uptake of 90% by GPs and community pharmacies. For patients in the public health setting, knowing what medicines they are on is useful, time saving and reduces risk,” said Board. In terms of the digital context, Victoria is in the process of rolling out unique patient identification across health services. Looking forward, digital health support will also be created for touch points in mental health and aged care.

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https://www.healthcareit.com.au/article/queensland%E2%80%99s-digital-health-priorities-during-covid-19-and-beyond

Queensland’s digital health priorities during COVID-19 and beyond

Dean Koh | 04 Aug 2020

n the second episode of the HIMSS Australia Digital Dialogue Series, hosted by Tim Kelsey, Senior Vice President, HIMSS Analytics International, guest speakers Prof Keith McNeil, Acting Deputy Director-General and Chief Medical Officer Prevention Division, and Chief Clinical Information Officer, Queensland Health, Dr Clair Sullivan, Associate Professor UQ and Chief Digital Health Officer, Metro North Hospital and Health Service, Alastair Sharman, Chief Digital Officer, Mater Misericordiae Ltd and Gary Moss, VP of Sales, Oceania, Intelerad discussed COVID-19’s impact on digital health developments in Queensland and key priorities in the Digital Health Strategic Vision for Queensland 2026.

COVID-19’s impact on digital health developments

“I think that Queensland’s response to COVID-19 has been multi-factorial and has included fabulous governance, some great infrastructure that we already have in place, and really effective staff on the ground, particularly at the ports,” reflected Dr Sullivan.

“Our only way of beating this virus is to digitize things and I guess we’ve been very careful not to throw our strategy out in the middle of the panic, and stick to that strategy.”

With the digital infrastructure in place, it is only about pointing that infrastructure towards COVID-19, which is firstly, to digitize workflows and subsequently take the data and analytics out of those workflows back to the health system to understand how the situation can be improved. Lastly, to use those digital workflows and data to innovate.

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https://itwire.com/open-sauce/abc-promises-truth-about-5g,-delivers-fud-about-huawei.html

Author's Opinion

The views in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of iTWire.

 

Tuesday, 04 August 2020 11:45

ABC promises truth about 5G, delivers FUD about Huawei

By Sam Varghese

The ABC's Four Corners program on Monday night was titled The Truth about 5G. It would have been better if it had been titled FUD about Huawei.

For that was what the program brought to its audience, though what exactly was the provocation to raise the issue now — when it has been around for yonks — was unclear.

Current affairs programs like Four Corners normally tackle what they claim to: current affairs. But the matter of 5G misinformation and crank theories is very old hat; to use some modern terminology, it was a thing at the time when practically all the submissions to a government inquiry into the technology was being held – and this was in November 2019.

Again, the burning of 5G masts is four or five months old, with the UK being the prime place where bonfires were set alight with the fuel being 5G towers.

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https://www.afr.com/technology/lawyers-turn-to-ai-to-make-judgments-on-workplace-claims-20200722-p55eg9

Lawyers turn to AI to make judgments on workplace claims

James Eyers Senior Reporter

Aug 3, 2020 – 12.00pm

Law firm Maurice Blackburn is now using artificial intelligence tools to read complex insurance policy contracts and give injured workers a fast decision on whether it will take on their claims.

Using cloud computing-based services from Microsoft, the firm turned the idea for the new system into a real tool being used by its lawyers in eight weeks.

The technology, which is helping with assessments of whether to act for new clients with total, permanent disability insurance claims in superannuation, has reduced the triage period from days or weeks, to just minutes – the time of the client's initial phone call.

The "knowledge search system" serves up to the lawyers information on whether a particular super fund offers an insurance policy with coverage for the injured worker, meaning boring administrative work is minimised.

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https://www.afr.com/technology/banks-grapple-with-the-ethical-use-of-ai-20200731-p55hac

Banks grapple with the ethical use of AI

James Eyers Senior Reporter

Aug 4, 2020 – 12.00am

As artificial intelligence's tentacles reach more deeply into financial institutions, there's plenty of work being done to understand how the new technology makes decisions and how these can be explained to regulators.

Take Commonwealth Bank. It's been experimenting with AI for a while now and is using it to improve customer communications. Indeed, over the past few months, the system has helped to identify those with deferred loans due to the coronavirus who need special attention.

Now the country's largest bank is thinking about how to use machine learning systems more broadly.

Last week, its CEO, Matt Comyn, said AI would ultimately be used to help assess whether a customer can repay a loan, a core function of a bank.

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https://eprints.usq.edu.au/35589/

Preserving Data Privacy and Security in Australian My Health Record System : A Quality Health Care Implication

Vimalachandran, Pasupathy and Zhang, Yanchun and Cao, Jinli and Sun, Lili and Yong, Jianming (2018) Preserving Data Privacy and Security in Australian My Health Record System : A Quality Health Care Implication. In: 19th International Conference on Web Information Systems Engineering (WISE 2018), 12 - 15 Nov, 2018, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Official URL: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-03...

Abstract

Australian My Health Record (MyHR) system must enable efficient availability of meaningful, accurate, complete and up-to-date health data. However, the major challenge must be to ensure the security of the clinical information of the MyHR. The foremost question that remains unanswered is ‘are current information security settings adequate to protect MyHR?’. To build an adequate security setup and increase the uptake of the MyHR system, it is imperative to show the MyHR is safe to use. In addressing this issue and implementing the adoption of the initiative, we determine and systematically analyse the existing threats to the system. We assess strengths of various solutions against possible threats and discuss the development and implementation process of the proposed model.

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https://itwire.com/open-sauce/fletcher-claims-5g-misinformation-being-spread-by-state-actors.html

Author's Opinion

The views in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of iTWire.

Have your say and comment below.

 

Monday, 03 August 2020 09:00

Fletcher claims 5G misinformation being spread by state actors

By Sam Varghese

One of the weirdest conspiracy theories to ever emerge in Australia has as its sponsor the Communications Minister Paul Fletcher. According to this theory, people who are raising doubts about the safety of 5G — or tying it to the COVID-19 outbreak — could be state-based actors — aka spies from another country — who are spreading this misinformation to divide Australia.

One wonders from which (red)neck of the woods Fletcher got this crazy notion. He appears to be following in the footsteps of similar people in the US of A who blame every one of their country's ills on some external cause.

One wonders who Fletcher thinks is the bête noire in this case. The Federal Government's favourite black sheep is China, but I think not even Fletcher would argue that China is trying to peg back the spread of 5G, a technology in which it is leading the world both in terms of equipment and also in use.

That he was willing to come out on radio and voice nonsense of this nature is disturbing.

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https://www.hospitalhealth.com.au/content/technology/article/the-future-of-conversational-ai-and-health-care-877895053

The future of conversational AI and health care

By Alex Murrey*
Thursday, 30 July, 2020

Consumer-driven tech has shown us how technology can enrich and ease our day-to-day lives. As patients we expect the same level of service and digital solutions within the healthcare experience.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen an increase in the need for contactless devices in health care, with mobile phone companies changing their business models to deliver healthcare industry products over consumer-facing technology.

We have seen the opportunity where conversational AI, cloud services and voice can be integrated into patient care, enabling a more connected and consumer-driven digital experience.

New and engaging patient experiences are becoming available on a range of platforms that allow for automated and contactless care via smart speakers, over the phone or a text line, web chat and Facebook Messenger. Communication technologies that we use every day are now becoming integrated into the future of patient care with the use of simple voice-activated commands.

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https://www.ausdoc.com.au/practice/watch-out-these-pitfalls-when-recording-your-consult

Watch out for these pitfalls when recording your consult

Recording what is said can be advantageous for GPs and patients as long as the rules are followed

6th July 2020

By Ruanne Brell

It’s something GPs regularly hear, especially in the age of telehealth: “Sorry, doctor, I’m really not taking any of this in. Do you mind if I record it so I can listen to it later?”

Recording consultations is an issue that crops up fairly often.

Previously, the question has mostly been about recording face-to-face consultations.

But the dramatic rise in consultations being conducted via technology since the COVID-19 outbreak adds another dimension.

The main point is that as long as you and the patient both agree, having an audio recording can be helpful, but it is important to discuss the implications before anyone presses the button.

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https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/tech-giant-code-accc-publishers-should-be-careful-what-they-wish-for/news-story/5b7cf21eceb1e01675d75d16f8401d63

Tech giant code: ACCC, publishers should be careful what they wish for

Alan Kohler

·         7:21AM August 3, 2020

The world is agog at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s attempt to wrestle the internet goliaths, Google and Facebook, into paying for news content, otherwise known as the “mandatory bargaining code for responsible digital platforms and registered news organisations”.

Anything could happen, and it should be a wonderful show as Google and Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, get onto the park with News Corporation, Nine Entertainment, and the hordes of other publishers that make more than $150,000 in revenue, with the ACCC’s Rod Sims as referee, whistle poised.

The least likely outcome, it seems to me, is that a new source of revenue flows from the bulging, reluctant pockets of Sergey Brin, Larry Page and Mark Zuckerberg sufficient to restore the fortunes of the nation’s penurious news purveyors.

Perhaps a few pennies will find their way into the bowls of the publishers sitting cross-legged on the footpath, but that’s all.

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https://insightplus.mja.com.au/2020/30/dont-waste-this-crisis-scale-up-digital-mental-health-care/

Don’t waste this crisis, scale up digital mental health care

Authored by  Helen Christensen

Issue 30 / 3 August 2020

ALONG with the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) came a move away from the traditional face-to-face mental health care delivery. In the blink of an eye, the nation’s health care system made a significant transition to telehealth and digital delivery.

The Australian Government moved swiftly to provide new measures. New COVID-19 call lines were set up for mental health charities and a financial boost was provided for existing ones. By the end of March, the government had doubled the primary health care bulk-billing incentive for telehealth. This transformed the health system as we knew it.

And new initiatives flowed.

In May, the federal government granted $1.4 million to the Black Dog Institute to develop a digital pathway to care, through an app for frontline health professionals.

As Australia battles with curve flattening, and restrictions are alternately eased and tightened, the effects of COVID-19-related anxiety will fluctuate. Best estimates are that at times of lockdown, psychological distress may affect 50% of the population. The financial stressors associated with it will continue and most likely increase over the next 12 months.

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Comments more than welcome!

David.