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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Well the big news came late last Friday with the ADHA having has an actual CEO appointed just as the weekend set in!
Otherwise lots of movement on eScripts and telehealth so a good deal to browse.
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Media release - Australian Digital Health Agency CEO announced
04 September, 2020: Following a comprehensive search, the Board of the Australian Digital Health Agency announced today that Ms Amanda Cattermole PSM will be appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the Agency.
Ms Cattermole has a long and distinguished history of senior leadership roles in service delivery in the public sector, leading high performing organisations, while growing customer satisfaction and staff engagement. She also has deep expertise in digital transformation across government and within the health sector.
Most recently, Ms Cattermole was Chief Operating Officer of Services Australia with responsibility for budget and financial services, people, governance, audit and risk. Ms Cattermole was previously the interim CEO of Services Australia and has held Deputy Secretary roles in health service delivery in the Commonwealth and in the Victorian State Government.
Ms Cattermole holds a Master of Laws from Charles Darwin University, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Western Australia and Bachelor Degrees in Law and Commerce from the University of Melbourne.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/australian-digital-health-agency-names-new-chief-552874
Australian Digital Health Agency names new chief
By Justin Hendry on Sep 4, 2020 5:44PM
Public service stalwart appointed.
Services Australia’s chief operating officer Amanda Cattermole has been named the new permanent CEO of the Australian Digital Health Agency.
The agency responsible for the country’s My Health Record and other national digital health systems announced the appointment late on Friday “following a comprehensive search”.
Cattermole, who was reportedly one of two senior executives in the running for the top job, replaces the ADHA's interim chief and former COO Bettina McMahon.
McMahon assumed the role from former CEO Tim Kelsey in January, delaying her departure from the agency in the process.
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https://www.ausdoc.com.au/opinion/escripts-are-go-australia-well-almost
E-scripts are go in Australia... well almost
One GP clinic reported only two of its 11 most-used pharmacies were compatible
Antony is a medical reporter with a special interest in technology and pharmacy.
26th August 2020
In the long and tortured history of government attempts at technological innovation, the fast-tracked e-prescribing rollout in May seemed like a relative success story.
The only grumble was whether it should have occurred 15 years ago; or at least in 2018 when the King Review of the pharmacy sector declared e-scripts an urgent health system priority.
Since the month of May, during which Australia’s first e-script was legally dispensed in Anglesea, Victoria, other states and territories have followed, most recently Queensland.
Inevitably there have been glitches.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/australias-eprescription-network-is-now-complete-552832
Australia's ePrescription network is now complete
By Justin Hendry on Sep 4, 2020 6:55AM
Fred IT finishes national rollout with the NT.
Australia’s national electronic prescription network has been completed, with the Northern Territory the last state or territory to begin issuing and dispensing paperless prescriptions.
Pharmacy IT solutions provider Fred IT on Thursday said it had finished the rollout of its eRx Script Exchange, allowing ePrescriptions to be transacted across all eight jurisdictions.
It comes four months after the country’s first ePrescription was issued and dispensed by Anglesea Medical and Anglesea Pharmacy in Victoria.
In response to Victoria’s ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) is now looking to increase electronic prescription capabilities across greater Melbourne.
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https://ajp.com.au/news/e-script-national-network-complete-with-nt/
E-script national network complete with NT
Electronic prescriptions are now transacting across Australia, with the Northern Territory’s successful dispense of its first paperless electronic prescription on 1 September
eRx Script Exchange has now successfully enabled electronic prescriptions to be transacted in all Australian states and territories as part of the national network for electronic prescribing and dispensing.
Alice Springs Pharmacy dispensed the Northern Territory’s first electronic prescription this week.
Pharmacy Manager Anandh Vijayan said, “We are extremely proud to have dispensed the Northern Territory’s first electronic prescription”.
“This will make it easier for patients to access their medication. Alice Springs has a large number of tourists and visitors from other parts of the country who will now be able to access medications from their GP while they are visiting.
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https://www.crn.com.au/news/fred-it-completes-australian-network-of-digital-prescriptions-552834
Fred IT completes Australian network of digital prescriptions
By Michael Jenkin
Sep 4 2020 6:18AM
IT solutions specialist Fred IT has revealed its involvement in the national rollout of digital prescriptions, with the Northern Territory dispensing its first electronic prescription early this month.
The IT provider, which specialises in pharmacy services, announced Australia’s first digital prescription being dispensed in Victoria in May, occurring between Anglesea Medical and Anglesea Pharmacy.
It used a “token” model, whereby a doctor sends the prescription and a token to the patient by SMS or email. The patient then presents the code to their chosen pharmacy for dispensing.
This week, Fred IT announced that the provision of the first e-prescription in the Northern Territory completed a network that provides access to digital prescriptions in every state and territory in Australia.
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https://insightplus.mja.com.au/2020/34/teletrials-closing-the-geographic-gap-in-cancer-mortality/
Teletrials closing the geographic gap in cancer mortality
Authored by Nicole MacKee
INNOVATIVE teletrial models can help to close the cancer mortality gap between regional/rural patients and metropolitan patients by improving access to clinical trials, say experts in the MJA.
The authors reported that between 2000 and 2010, patients in rural and regional Australia had a 7% higher cancer mortality rate than patients in metropolitan areas. This equated to an additional 9000 cancer deaths in rural and regional settings.
And despite clinical trials being the “gateway to accessing cutting edge therapies and technology”, less than 5% of regional cancer patients participated in any clinical trial, they wrote.
The authors outlined one telehealth framework established by the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) – an alliance of 10 leading research, clinical and academic institutions in Victoria – which uses telehealth to provide access to clinical trials closer to home.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/csiro-uses-ai-to-crunch-a-trillion-genomic-data-points-552745
CSIRO uses AI to crunch a trillion genomic data points
By Matt Johnston on Sep 2, 2020 11:51AM
To identify disease-causing genes.
CSIRO researchers crunched one trillion genomic data points in the cloud to help locate parts of the human genome that cause disease.
The CSIRO's bioinformatics group used its own VariantSpark artificial intelligence (AI) based platform, which runs on Amazon Web Services (AWS).
In a new study published in the technical journal Giga Science, the researchers outlined how they analysed a synthetic dataset of 100,000 individuals’ genomes, each made up of over three billion DNA base pairs.
Dr Denis Bauer, head of the bioinformatics group, said no other technology platform has yet been able process one trillion data points of genomic data, over 10 million variants and 100,000 samples at once.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/telehealth-opens-cancer-treatment-trials-to-rural-patients-552663
Telehealth opens cancer treatment trials to rural patients
By Matt Johnston on Sep 2, 2020 12:42PM
Improving trial data and patient outcomes.
The Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) is pushing for more regional and rural cancer patients to use telehealth to access crucial clinical trials.
The VCCC, a multi-disciplinary specialist cancer hospital and research centre based in Melbourne, has established a “teletrials” program using a framework created by the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia.
The program attempts to build relationships between regional and rural Victoria and metropolitan research centres using telehealth technology to give patients the opportunity to participate in clinical trials closer to home.
While telehealth has gained acceptance as a method of care delivery, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, remotely delivered clinical trials are yet to become popular among clinicians and the public despite being “a logical extension”, lead author Ian Collins and two VCCC colleagues wrote in the Medical Journal of Australia.
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http://medicalrepublic.com.au/racgp-welcomes-endorsement-for-telehealth-extension/34091
3 September 2020
RACGP welcomes endorsement for telehealth extension
A senate committee has supported the continuation of bulk-billed telehealth past its original September deadline, an interim report shows.
The RACGP supported the recommendations of the Select Committee on Financial Technology and Regulatory Technology, which said the Medicare telehealth item numbers should be made permanent, with ongoing refinement and review as appropriate.
The report also said the government plan to fast-track the implementation of electronic prescriptions during the COVID-19 pandemic should continue to be rolled out as quickly as possible.
“The government should also ensure that the system implemented creates an open and accessible market for ePrescription services in Australia,” the authors said.
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Push for Medicare telehealth extension for mental health support
By Dana McCauley
August 31, 2020 — 3.45pm
Psychiatrist and former Australian of the Year Patrick McGorry has backed calls for the federal government to extend access to Medicare rebates for telehealth support for mental health.
More than 1 million psychologist and psychiatrist sessions have been held over the telephone or by video conferencing during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Medicare item numbers that allow patients to claim a rebate for the service will end on September 30.
Health Minister Greg Hunt has signalled a desire for telehealth to remain a feature of the nation's post-pandemic healthcare system, but has not decided whether mental health services will remain on the list of those allowed to be delivered via phone or video conferencing.
Professor McGorry said telehealth for psychology and psychiatry was a good option for people unable to travel to appointments and "it would be terrible to take it away".
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https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/gp-corporate-boss-calls-telehealth-rebate-cut
GP corporate boss calls for telehealth rebate cut
Dr Hamish Meldrum says rebates for phone consultations should be reduced to encourage more care via video
3rd September 2020
The boss of a major GP corporate wants Medicare rebates for telephone consults cut by $1 to encourage a bigger uptake of video-based consults.
It has been estimated that 3% of the telehealth consults offered over the last five months have used video.
Dr Hamish Meldrum, a director of Ochre Health which operates more than 40 GP practices, says there is a risk that the heavy reliance on phone consults means the specialty could be “shooting itself in the foot”.
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https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/professional/parliamentary-inquiry-calls-for-telehealth-extensi
Parliamentary inquiry calls for telehealth extension
A Senate Select Committee has agreed with the RACGP’s recommendation for telehealth to become a permanent feature of the healthcare system.
03 Sep 2020
The
Senate Select Committee on Financial Technology and Regulatory Technology’s interim
report, tabled on Wednesday 2 September, recommends extending
Medicare-funded telehealth services beyond the pandemic as a means of
‘increasing patient choice and control over their health services’.
‘The Committee received overwhelming support for the expansion of the
availability of telehealth services by general practitioners and other medical
specialists during COVID-19, hearing that it has been transformational to the
health system both in responding to the pandemic and for the future,’ the
report states.
‘Telehealth has been embraced by patients and doctors alike. The benefits
extend beyond cost savings to improving patient outcomes and ensuring access in
non-metropolitan areas.
‘The Committee emphasises in particular that access to telehealth services has
been critically important to Australians in rural, regional and remote areas
during the pandemic. It is vital that the needs of rural Australians continue
to be addressed through the use of appropriate telehealth services into the
future.’
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https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-09-potential-covid-treatments.html
80 potential COVID-19 treatments
Computer models open door to new drug options
Australian scientists using cloud-based super computer programs have joined forces with biotechnology company Vaxine Pty Ltd to identify up to 80 new potential candidate drugs against the COVID-19 virus.
The team has published their list online on a prepress server to enable other researchers to immediately start further testing the identified compounds for their ability to safely treat COVID-19 infections.
Using the genetic sequence of COVID-19, the team built three dimensional molecular structures of key COVID-19 proteins that were then used to screen existing drugs and natural remedies for potential activity against the COVID-19 protease protein.
“We hope that making the results available immediately will enable other research group to use these data to further test the compounds we have identified, thereby enabling the most promising candidates to be rapidly advanced into human clinical trials,” says Vaxine Research Director, Flinders University Professor Nikolai Petrovsky.
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September 3, 2020 2:39 pm AEST
HRI study confirms role of GPs and novel eHealth tools for AF screening to prevent stroke
New research has shown how novel eHealth tools used in rural Australian general practices are helping to reduce gaps in screening and treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF) in people over 65 years of age.
AF is the most common heart rhythm disorder and is also the most common preventable cause of stroke – with one in every three strokes linked to AF.
Internationally, AF management guidelines recommend opportunistic screening for people over 65 years of age, but gaps remain in screening and treatment.
“If we could find and treat AF early, we could reduce the risk of stroke by 64 per cent for those at high risk,” says Jessica Orchard, lead researcher.
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Digitising paperwork helps train next generation of doctors
Monday, 31 August, 2020
Doctors, nurses and clinicians have rightly been hailed as ‘everyday heroes’ during the COVID-19 crisis, as they continue to work to keep Australians healthy, even while putting themselves at risk.
Beyond looking after the health of Australians, these staff also play a key role as teachers — working closely to aid in the education of the next generation of Australian healthcare professionals.
Monash University Central Clinical School (CCS) is one of the largest undergraduate medical schools in Victoria. The school is consultant-driven, giving undergraduate medical students a live experience engaging and providing care to patients in hospitals and care facilities across the state.
At any time, CCS has approximately 350 clinical students completing six-week rotations across four major, geographically remote health services throughout Victoria: Alfred Health, Peninsula Health, Cabrini Health and Epworth Healthcare. These rotations are key to the students’ education — and to their grades. Clinicians’ assessments of students’ rotations not only directly inform students’ success, but also offer a key feedback mechanism to identify and document areas for improvement.
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COVID-19 digital practice expansion: when allied health forgot evidence-based practice
By Ed Johnson, Chief Clinical Officer and Co-Founder, Umbo
Thursday, 27 August, 2020
This year has seen an explosion in the delivery of health and disability services online. From speech pathologists to GPs, physiotherapists and psychologists, there’s been a boom in the uptake of remote consultations across the world. Many consumers and clinicians have come to prefer remote consultations. It hasn’t just been a shift in service delivery models, but a drastic shift in attitudes towards the effectiveness of services delivered in this fashion.
Until recently, many clinicians had never conducted a telephone consultation or a video call with a patient. Last year, when I told people that I ran an online allied health provider, many scoffed or offered negative comments about the limited scope and lack of effectiveness of digital practice. I know that many of those people now provide a significant portion of their own services online, and even market themselves as experts in some cases.
It’s vindicating to see people jumping on board and trying it out, but the most important thing to me is that people in bush communities like mine, across Australia, now have just a little bit more choice and control over how they live their lives — because this little shift can make a huge difference.
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Tas dementia village opts for digital care system
Friday, 28 August, 2020
Hobart’s newly opened dementia village — Korongee — has ditched the idea of a traditional office-based documentation system, opting instead for a patient-centred digital care system that allows staff to plan, record and monitor the care of residents in real time.
The 2.4 ha pioneering community village, designed specifically for people living with dementia, has seen a 400% increase in the evidencing of care notes using Person Centred Software’s Mobile Care Monitoring system.
Korongee’s digital care platform allows its 32 on-site staff to better cater to the needs of their residents and evidence their care along the way. The innovative approach liberates staff from traditional, non-mobile documentation systems that only serve to distance staff from residents with impersonal, disconnected documentation systems.
Korongee is run by Glenview Community Services, which has implemented Person Centred Software across its other care homes. CEO Lucy O’Flaherty said, “The digital care system has allowed our team to evidence care on the go in real time, enabling them to pick up so much more evidence than they used to.
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Healthcare digitalisation: four technical headaches
By Daniel Sultana, APAC Regional Director, Paessler
Wednesday, 02 September, 2020
Growing patient expectations and this global pandemic are placing higher demands on the healthcare sector than ever before. In responding to this challenge, most hospitals are already highly digitalised, with the instant availability of patient data and improving the quality of care being the most visible impacts of digitalisation. However, with digitalisation comes complexity and hospital IT departments need to ensure that technology issues do not get in the way of the medical staff delivering essential frontline care.
Digitalisation in the healthcare sector is not only about helping patients with their illnesses or doctors with their tasks. It also accelerates workflows, enhances security for medical staff and hospitals, and provides more transparency for patients.
1. Expectations increasing
Today, patients expect their scans and laboratory test results to be sent directly to monitors on the wall, or to the doctor’s tablet. In most cases, doctors and patients want amazingly fast access to patient data and their medical history, and the days of waiting for results are over.
Delays receiving X-ray, MRI, CT scan or ultrasound results — or downtime of a refrigerator or any vital medical equipment — can have a direct impact on patient care for one of New Zealand’s leading cancer treatment centres, Canopy Cancer Care. It was these risks that led the organisation to seek a proactive approach to managing its IT infrastructure.
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ADHA - Software Developer Community
Announcement
Clinical
Documents Integration Toolkit v1.8
and
Health Record Overview v1.2 released
The Agency has released updates for the following products:
- Clinical Documents Integration Toolkit v1.8
- Health Record Overview v1.2
Please refer to the sections below for the changes included in these updates.
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Monday, 31 August 2020 01:38
La Trobe Uni, Medibank, Optus fund research on mental, physical health impacts of Covid-19
La Trobe University researchers are embarking on ways to improve community health and wellbeing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, using targeted grants from La Trobe, Medibank and Optus.
Called the ‘Rapid Response Research’ grants, three new projects will receive a total of $250,000 to investigate the mental and physical health impacts of working from home, telehealth physiotherapy rehabilitation for cancer survivors and virtual care technologies.
The grants will target projects requiring a rapid turnaround and with an immediate impact, and all three projects will be completed by February 2021.
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https://www.powerhealthsolutions.com/news/2020/powerhealthsaudi
PowerHealth signs $30m national contract for its healthcare costing system
26 August 2020
PowerHealth has commenced the national rollout across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia of its patient level costing system PowerPerformance Manager (PPM).
The project is part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, in which the health sector is undergoing major transformational reforms aimed at delivering substantial improvements in quality, efficiency, and safety.
The reforms are structured along multiple themes, specific objectives and strategic initiatives aiming at transforming the health sector to ensure sustainable financing, appropriate access, and a continuous improvement of the quality of services to the citizens and residents of the Kingdom.
Aiming to deliver a clinical costing solution to 291 hospitals across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, PowerHealth was awarded the highly contested contract ahead of a large number of high-profile multinational companies. As a result, PowerHealth will make the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia their Middle East Head Office and look to use this group of highly experienced professionals to expand to the rest of the region through other national contracts.
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Tyto Care Receives Australian TGA Approval for Its AI-Powered, On Demand Telehealth Solution
Approval Will Enable the Leading Global Telehealth Company to Provide Australia's Health Organizations and Consumers with the Robust Telehealth Solution
NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Tyto Care, the healthcare industry's first all-in-one telehealth platform and modular device for AI-powered, on-demand remote medical exams, today announced the approval of its telehealth solution by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Tyto Care can now distribute its solution to health organizations and consumers across the country.
Tyto Care's TGA approval comes as the Australian Government has strengthened telehealth adoption, resulting in significant utilization increases: In the first month of the pandemic alone, care was delivered to more than three million Australian patients through telehealth reforms introduced by the government. Between March to June 2020, Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) saw 17.2 million telehealth consultations, and more than 57% of healthcare professionals are currently using a telehealth platform. Tyto Care will begin rolling out in Australia via partnerships with leading telehealth companies, health systems, and insurance providers.
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Jayex Healthcare (ASX:JHL) appoints Non-Executive Director and completes $700K raise
Health Care
ASX:JHL MCAP $5.290M
Samantha Goerling Presenter and Markets Reporter
samantha.goerling@themarketherald.com.au
02 September 2020 09:46
- e-health SaaS provider Jayex Healthcare (JHL) has appointed Nick Harper as a Non-Executive Director, effective immediately
- Mr Harper has worked in software development for over 30 years, in local government, investment banking and the aviation sector
- The company has also completed a $700,000 placement, funds from which will support the rollout of new products for the Jayex Connect Platform and enable the company to explore new acquisition opportunities
- In early afternoon trade, shares were up 36.7 per cent at 4.1 cents
e-health SaaS provider Jayex Healthcare (JHL) has appointed Nick Harper as a Non-Executive Director, effective immediately.
Mr Harper is based in the United Kingdom and has worked in software development for over 30 years, in local government, investment banking and the aviation sector.
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Pain-sensing electronic silicone skin paves the way for smart prosthetics and skin grafts
September 2, 2020 1.57pm AEST
Author
Professor, Electronic and Communications Engineering, RMIT University
Skin is our largest organ, made up of complex sensors constantly monitoring for anything that might cause us pain. Our new technology replicates that – electronically.
The electronic artificial skin we’ve developed reacts to pain stimuli just like real skin, and paves the way for better prosthetics, smarter robotics and non-invasive alternatives to skin grafts.
Our prototype device mimics the body’s near-instant feedback response and can react to painful sensations with the same lighting speed at which nerve signals travel to the brain.
Our new technology, details of which are published in Advanced Intelligent Systems, is made of silicone rubber with integrated electronics. It mimics human skin, both in texture and in how it responds to pressure, temperature and pain.
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Wednesday, 02 September 2020 23:44
CSIRO researchers process one trillion points of genomic data to identify disease-causing genes
Researchers from the CSIRO have claimed a word-first by processing one trillion points of genomic data through VariantSpark, an artificial intelligence-based platform, which can help pinpoint the location of specific disease-causing genes in the human genome.
The CSIRO Bioinformatics Group leader Dr Denis Bauer said artificial intelligence (AI) could give a deeper understanding of complex diseases, in a fraction of the time compared to traditional approaches, by analysing immense genomic datasets.
“Our VariantSpark platform can analyse traits, such as diseases or susceptibilities, and uncover which genes may jointly cause them,” Dr Bauer said.
“This can provide valuable information about how the disease works on a molecular level, which can ultimately lead to better treatments.
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Chinese hackers target emails with WHO, Australian Medical Association campaigns
By Eryk Bagshaw
September 3, 2020 — 11.56am
Suspected Chinese state-sponsored hackers have been accused of using World Health Organisation and Australian Medical Association branding to launch fake global COVID-19 campaigns to gather intelligence covertly.
The hacker group, APT TA413, has shifted its target from the Tibetan diaspora to western economic and political organisations since February.
The tool, dubbed Sepulcher, gives hackers complete control of the targeted computer if users inadvertently install the malware after being prompted by the email.
“This is not putting a file on or watching keystrokes,” said Proofpoint’s senior director of threat research and detection Sherrod DeGrippo. “This is full access. They can upload and download files.”
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NZ stock market website down again
August 31, 2020
The New Zealand stock market’s website crashed again on Monday, the fifth day in row after a series of cyber attacks last week hit the bourse’s ability to operate normally, but trading was unaffected.
The disruption came about an hour after NZX said it had agreed with the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) on a back-up plan for the release of market announcements in the event of another attack, allowing it to keep local markets open.
A spokesman for NZX confirmed the website was down, but said trading on its platform, which began at 10.00 a.m. local time (2200 GMT), was continuing as usual through the contingency arrangements.
NZX faced disruptions for four days last week when it was hit repeatedly by distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, a common way to disrupt a server by overwhelming it with a flood of internet traffic.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nzx-website-hit-by-fresh-cyber-attack-552656
NZX website hit by fresh cyber attack
By Praveen Menon on Aug 31, 2020 4:13PM
But keeps trading.
The New Zealand stock market was hit by a fifth day of cyber attacks on Monday, crashing its website, but maintained trading after switching to a contingency plan for the release of market announcements.
NZX was halted for most of last week due to the attacks, which authorities have said originated offshore.
Monday's attack came shortly after NZX said it had agreed with the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) on a backup plan for the release of market announcements.
A spokesman for NZX confirmed the website was down, but said trading on its platform, which began at 10.00 am local time, was continuing as usual through the contingency arrangements.
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https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/practice-nurse-banned-after-hacking-gps-computers
Practice nurse banned after hacking into GPs' computers
She printed prescriptions for tramadol and other opioids for herself and a relative
1st September 2020
A practice nurse who hacked into GPs’ computers and forged opioid prescriptions for herself and a relative, has been banned from practising for at least two years.
The nurse was accused of logging into medical software with the usernames and passwords of two GPs at her practice in regional NSW on more than 30 occasions over a five-month period in 2018.
According to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal, she used the computers to create entries for fake consultations and print prescriptions for S4 and S8 drugs, including tramadol, oxycodone, pregabalin and diazepam.
A Department of Human Services patient summary report showed that 500 tramadol 200mg tablets had been prescribed to the nurse and 360 tablets to her relative.
The nurse also wrote a letter purporting to be from one of the GPs at the medical centre, which was addressed to the school attended by another family relative regarding mental health issues.
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NSW privacy watchdog asked to investigate driver's licence data leak
By Justin Hendry on Sep 2, 2020 6:16AM
As search for third-party culprit continues.
The NSW privacy watchdog has been asked to investigate how more than 54,000 scanned driver’s licences were left exposed in an open Amazon Web Services storage instance.
NSW Labor called for the investigation over the weekend after iTnews revealed the mystery data leak, which also exposed tolling notice statutory declarations.
The open AWS S3 bucket, containing 108,535 images of the front and back of scanned driver's licences, was found by Bob Diachenko of Security Discovery.
While Transport for NSW and Cyber Security NSW are continuing to investigate the instance, which has since been closed, an unspecified third-party is understood to be responsible.
"Initial information indicates the exposed AWS S3 bucket is not related to Transport for NSW or any government system," the spokesperson told iTnews last week.
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https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/524727/Delayed-National-Screening-Solution-goes-live-.htm
Delayed National Screening Solution goes live
4 September - 2020
eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth
The National Screening Solution,
now called the Bowel Screening Register, has gone live for the first time at
Hauora Tairâwhiti.
Tairâwhiti is the eleventh DHB to join New Zealand’s newest cancer screening
programme and the first to use the custom-built IT system, which was originally
due to be operational by October 2019, then delayed until March this year.
Delays in developing the system, that will manage and monitor a person’s entire
screening journey, impacted the number of DHBs able to roll-out bowel screening in the last financial year.
Deputy director-general, population health and prevention, Deborah Woodley says
the new IT system is critical for the safe delivery of the bowel screening
programme, which is just over halfway through a nationwide roll out.
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https://www.zdnet.com/article/nbn-reverses-course-to-extend-cvc-boost-until-end-of-november/
NBN reverses course to extend CVC boost until end of November
New 10-week extension arrives after warnings in July that September would be the end of the line.
By Chris Duckett | September 4, 2020 -- 03:33 GMT (13:33 AEST) | Topic: Networking
The National Broadband Network (NBN) has gone back on its claims that its extension until the end of September to its 40% capacity boost at no charge for retailers would be the last.
On Friday, the company said it was extending its offer for a further 10 weeks, taking it up to the end of November.
As with all other extensions, the company is also extending its 45GB boost for satellite users to November 30.
The company is also extending its education assistance offer to waive its AU$37 monthly wholesale charge for unconnected low-income households that need connectivity for online schooling until 15 January 2021. NBN said it is also broadening its first timer discount, dubbed illuminate, to include education assistance users for a year after January 15.
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Friday, 04 September 2020 13:23
NBN Co extends additional CVC capacity offer to Internet retailers
NBN Co has further extended its National Broadband Network 40% additional wholesale Connectivity Virtual Circuit (CVC) capacity offer at no extra cost to Internet retailers until the end of November.
The
extension runs to 30 November on the 40% additional capacity offer introduced
by NBN Co in March to support additional data demands as more people relied on
their home broadband connections for work, study and entertainment.
NBNCo said on Friday that, following feedback from Internet retailers, NBN it
will extend the 40% additional capacity offer - where available, depending on
access technology - at no additional cost to participating retailers (based on
the February 2020 baseline) until 30 November for bundled discount plans.
NBN Co also announced that it is extending its offer to increase the fair use thresholds for its standard Sky Muster satellite service to 90GB of wholesale download data on average per user across a rolling 4 weekly period, depending on the services the retailer has ordered from NBN, until 30 November.
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Wednesday, 02 September 2020 08:59
NBN Co says low FttN speeds due to co-existence of legacy services
The NBN Co has responded to the Australian Labor Party's query as to why many FttN services cannot attain the promised minimum 25Mbps download speeds, by pointing out that the main reason is because of the co-existence of legacy services.
In a statement, Greg Spears, the company's executive manager for Corporate Media, said there were 139,263 premises that were on FttN and could not reach a download speed of 25Mbps.
He said this was about 4% of the total FttN services that were connected, as approximately 3.05 million premises were connected to the network through this technology as of 30 June.
On Monday, Labor shadow communications minister Michelle Rowland cited the promise made by the Coalition Government in 2013, when it said at its election policy launch: "Our goal is for every household and business to have access to broadband with a download data rate of between 25 and 100 megabits per second by late 2016."
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Tuesday, 01 September 2020 10:47
NBN connectivity forecast to boost value of agriculture sector by $15.6 billion
National Broadband Network connectivity has a critical role to play in supporting economic growth across Australia’s agriculture sector now and into the future, according to a new research report, which estimates it could add $15.6 billion to the value of the farming, forestry and fishery sectors.
According to the research, part of the NBN Co’s Connecting Australia series, Internet-enabled technologies could add more than $15 billion to the agriculture sector’s gross value of production each year, making a “significant contribution” to the National Farmers’ Federation goal for agriculture to be a $100 billion industry by 2030 – up from approximately $60 billion today.
The research also found that:
- Digital technologies predicted to enable growth include artificial intelligence and decision support, monitors and sensors, and robotics and automation.
- NBN Co is working closely with the agricultural sector to leverage the network’s capability to support on-farm uses right across Australia
Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, Paul Fletcher, said the NBN delivers fast broadband across all 7.7 million square kilometres of Australia’s landmass, providing the 85,000 farm businesses in Australia with connectivity to increase adoption of digital agriculture technologies.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-creates-path-to-bring-low-income-users-up-to-paid-plans-552680
NBN Co creates path to bring low-income users up to paid plans
By Ry Crozier on Sep 1, 2020 11:36AM
Extends COVID-related 'education' offer until January 2021.
NBN Co will continue to waive wholesale internet fees for qualifying low-income families with school-aged children until January next year, at which point it wants to move them onto discounted plans.
Low-income households received effectively free internet for educational purposes back in April, coinciding with many classes moving online as schools went into COVID lockdown.
Qualifying households - determined mostly by state education departments - received free 25/5Mbps NBN services, with NBN Co waiving wholesale fees and retail service providers (RSPs) absorbing extra costs at their end.
The offer was due to expire on August 30, however NBN Co has decided to extend it until January 15 next year.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-faces-close-monitoring-in-new-developments-552679
NBN Co faces 'close monitoring' in new developments
By Ry Crozier on Sep 1, 2020 10:38AM
Competition concerns remain, even as rules are changed.
NBN Co faces a period of “close monitoring” by the government over lingering concerns that the company could abuse more flexible rules in how it competes for work in new housing developments.
The company received much of its wishlist back in May when a draft of the government’s telecommunications in new developments (TIND) policy granted it more flexibility in the way it priced builds for new estates and potentially overbuilt the networks of rivals in such areas.
The formal TIND was released today, with the government acknowledging “residual concerns that NBN Co may take advantage of its government ownership or position in the market to compete unfairly or to undermine the value of past investments.”
Private rivals like Uniti-owned OptiComm have been watching closely to see what impact the new TIND will have on their businesses.
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NBN Co signs Service Stream, Downer EDI to new field services deals
By Ry Crozier on Aug 31, 2020 4:11PM
Expected to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
NBN Co has struck field services agreements worth hundreds of millions of dollars with Downer EDI and Service Stream for the next four - and potentially up to eight - years.
The deals supersede existing network maintenance and restoration agreements, and run for an initial four years with two two-year add-ons possible.
They are being called unified field operations agreements, and appear to come under a project NBN Co calls ‘Unify’; training materials point to Unify being an umbrella brand for several types of maintenance works across all access technologies.
Downer EDI said a full eight-year term for its deal - which covers WA, SA and NT - would be “valued at an estimated $320 million”.
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Telstra, Optus, TPG and Dodo left some customers 'high and dry' in NBN migration
By Ry Crozier on Sep 1, 2020 6:55AM
Breach replacement service, remedial plan rules.
Telstra, Optus, TPG and Dodo collectively left more than 1500 customers without a working internet service over a three-month period during the NBN migration, an investigation has concluded.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) extracted court-enforceable undertakings from all four retail service providers (RSPs) over the conduct, which occurred between February and April last year.
The ACMA said telcos “must supply a replacement service after three working days of a customer being left without a service during a failed attempt to connect to the NBN”.
It found 1586 breaches of this, with TPG and Optus the worst offenders.
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Monday, 31 August 2020 20:16
Telstra, Optus, TPG, Dodo 'let down customers' with breaches of NBN service continuity rules, says ACMA
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has blasted Telstra, Optus, TPG and Dodo for letting down their customers, finding all of the telcos in breach of consumer protection rules after more than 1,500 of their customers were left without services while trying to migrate to the National Broadband Network (NBN).
ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said four related ACMA investigations found 1,586 breaches by the telcos due to their failure to supply any replacement services.
“Many Australians rely on phone and Internet services for their work and home lives, and significant disruptions can have a heavy impact on their livelihoodsand wellbeing,” O’Loughlin said.
“TPG, Optus, Dodo and Telstra have all let down these customers and effectively left them high and dry during the NBN migration.”
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Monday, 31 August 2020 11:10
ALP asks why FttN users still cannot get promised minimum download speed
The Australian Labor Party has questioned why 139,963 household and business users of fibre-to-the-node connections on the NBN still cannot get the mandated speeds of 25Mbps.
The ALP's shadow communications minister Michelle Rowland cited the promise made by the Coalition Government in 2013, when it said at its election policy launch: "Our goal is for every household and business to have access to broadband with a download data rate of between 25 and 100 megabits per second by late 2016."
Rowland also cited another statement from the same document which said: "We will issue a revised statement of expectations directing NBN Co to provide broadband services with a minimum download data rate of 25 megabits per second by the end of of 2016 in all areas of Australia."
The ALP obtained the statements after submitting a question on notice.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-says-140000-fttn-users-still-cant-get-25mbps-speeds-552634
NBN Co says 140,000 FTTN users still can't get 25Mbps speeds
By Ry Crozier on Aug 31, 2020 11:36AM
'Vast majority' will be remediated by the end of the year.
NBN Co has revealed there are still almost 140,000 fibre-to-the-node premises that can’t hit the mandated minimum peak speed of 25Mbps.
It is only the third time NBN Co has revealed the number - which it did in answers to questions raised by Labor senators in an ongoing inquiry into NBN Co’s business case.
“There were 139,963 premises receiving less than 25Mbps on the network as at May 2020,” NBN Co said.
This means that around 4.7 percent of all active FTTN premises at that time were unable to achieve 25Mbps speeds.
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Enjoy!
David.
