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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Quite a few interesting bits of news - with vaccines and Aged Care getting a good deal of coverage.
Enjoy the browse!
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https://www.zdnet.com/article/service-nsw-pushes-past-117-million-covid-safe-check-ins/
Service NSW pushes past 117 million 'COVID safe' check-ins
Meanwhile, vaccination information will now be uploaded to My Health Record via a new Clinician Vaccine Integrated Platform that delivers information directly to the Australian Immunisation Register.
By Asha Barbaschow | March 3, 2021 -- 03:51 GMT (14:51 AEDT) | Topic: Innovation
New South Wales residents have been using a QR code scanner within the Service NSW app to check into businesses across the state to help health authorities with COVID-19 contact tracing.
The mandatory use of the Service NSW QR code was first announced in December, with Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello revealing in early January there had been over 30 million check-ins since the feature went live.
On Wednesday, the state government revealed over 117 million check-ins have been clocked through the Service NSW app.
The app, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said, has been downloaded more than 4 million times, which is approximately 75% of NSW's adult population.
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https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/professional/eprescribing-now-available-for-majority-of-austral
ePrescribing now available for majority of Australians
More than 3.5 million electronic prescriptions and repeats have already been generated by prescribers and dispensers across the country.
03 Mar 2021
The Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) has said it is
‘now confident’ that any patient who prefers an electronic prescription
(ePrescription) should be able to have it dispensed at their local community
pharmacy.
The declaration was made in a recent communique that also revealed that nearly
12,000 GPs have engaged in ePrescribing, while more than 95% of all
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)-approved community pharmacies are
dispensing ePrescriptions.
Dr David Adam, a representative of the RACGP Expert Committee – Practice
Technology and Management (REC–PTM), told newsGP the availability of
ePrescribing will ‘definitely’ improve convenience and safety for patients.
‘It’s been a project that’s been in the works a long time and it’s really good
to see that it’s coming to fruition,’ he said. ‘There’s been a lot of hard work
by doctors and pharmacists and software developers.’
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https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/best-practice-advises-gps-write-longacting-insulin-scripts-hand
Best Practice advises GPs to write long-acting insulin scripts by hand
It follows a software glitch linked to the new active ingredient prescribing rules
4th March 2021
Best Practice is advising GPs not to use its program to generate scripts for long-acting insulin due to a glitch linked to the new active ingredient prescribing rules.
The advice was issued after a doctor noted that prescriptions for Novomix, a mix of long-acting and rapid-acting insulin, were being converted to a different formulation.
As a precaution, the company has urged 25,000 doctors using its software to hand-write all scripts for long-acting insulin until the glitch is sorted out next week.
The problem has likely been in place since Best Practice updated its software to accommodate the new rules demanding that the active ingredients of prescribed PBS medications are printed first on any script generated using a computer.
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4 March, 2021
Apple Watch ECG gets Australian tick
Australia's health regulator has finally approved Apple Watch's electrocardiogram feature. It means Apple watches will be capable of the advanced heart monitoring functionality announced in 2018.
This ECG approval comes three weeks after the Therapeutic Goods Association (TGA) approved the irregular rhythm notification feature on the watch.
The two functions work together. The irregular rhythm notification feature alerts users to any irregular heart beat. It periodically reads your heart rhythm in the background.
The ECG readout is an on-demand feature. You install the ECG feature on the watch. Once that's done, you open the ECG app on the watch, rest your arms on a table and hold your finger on the watch's digital crown to take the reading. Apple says the recording takes about 30 seconds.
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by Judy Skatssoon March 5, 2021
Posted in Royal Commission
Technology stakeholders embrace RC report
Aged care technology stakeholders are thrilled to see recommendations around innovation feature prominently in the royal commission’s final report, saying technology can enhance service delivery and help older people remain at home.
A key recommendation includes the establishment of a grant-funded assistive technology and home modifications category from July 2022 that will provide aids, equipment and services to support living at home.
“We’ve been advocating for that for over two decades and I didn’t think I would see that in my lifetime,” Aged Care Industry Information Technology Council (ACIITC) executive lead Anne Livingstone told Community Care Review.
“The role that technology is playing to keep older people safe and secure and live more independent live can’t be underestimated, and there are significant recommendations from the royal commission to advance that.”
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https://www.crn.com.au/news/how-tech-could-help-fix-australias-broken-aged-care-system-561710
How tech could help fix Australia’s broken aged care system
By Ben Moore on Mar 5, 2021 10:30AM
The Australian Government should invest in ICT to keep our ageing populations safer, according to findings in a report from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, released on February 26.
There could be opportunities for Federal or State IT service providers should the Government choose to follow the recommendations of the Royal Commission.
The term technology or technologies is mentioned 26 times in the 107 pages that constitute the Royal Commission’s recommendations for improving the care that at-risk ageing members of society receive.
The recommendations include a push for wider availability of assistive technologies to improve independence (recommendation 34), and requiring every aged care provider to adopt a digital care system (recommendation 68) that would connect with the My Health Record system.
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Oxford University says research not affected after expert flags Covid lab hack
By Staff Writer on Mar 1, 2021 12:23PM
Investigating a digital intrusion.
Oxford University said it was investigating a digital intrusion after a researcher said he had seen evidence that a laboratory researching Covid-19 had been hacked.
The breach took place in mid-February and occurred at the Division of Structural Biology, known as Strubi, which has been carrying out research into COVID-19, according to Alex Holden, founder of Wisconsin-based Hold Security.
Forbes first reported the breach.
Strubi is distinct from the Jenner Institute, which develops the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine in partnership with AstraZeneca.
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Digital platform launched to upload vaccination data to MHR
Thursday, 04 March, 2021
A new digital platform will enable healthcare professionals to upload COVID-19 vaccination records to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR). The Clinician Vaccine Integrated Platform (CVIP) will support the Australian Government’s COVID-19 vaccination program, which commenced in February. The platform provides the technology needed for vaccination providers to meet their legislative requirements to report the vaccinations to the AIR.
Agency Chief Digital Officer Steve Issa said CVIP is expected to be useful for vaccination providers who do not currently have digital systems in place to report to the AIR. NT Health was the first jurisdiction to use CVIP in its Alice Springs vaccination clinic. The Agency is having discussions with other jurisdictions about how CVIP might be used at clinics in other states and territories, while they upgrade their clinical systems to meet the new AIR reporting legislative requirements.
Vaccination information reported to the AIR is automatically uploaded to My Health Record. The latest upgrade to My Health Record included a consolidated immunisation view, enabling people to see details of all immunisations, including their first COVID-19 vaccine and the next vaccination due date. Immunisation history statements are also available from Medicare Online and the Express Plus Medicare Mobile app.
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Digital platform to report vaccinations to the Australian Immunisation Register
Published 3 March 2021
Healthcare providers can now access a new digital platform developed by the Australian Digital Health Agency to manage vaccinations and report vaccination information to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).
The Clinician Vaccine Integrated Platform (CVIP) will support the Australian Government’s COVID-19 vaccination program which started in February. It provides the technology needed for vaccination providers to meet their legislative requirements to report the vaccinations to the AIR.
Agency Chief Digital Officer Steve Issa said, “CVIP is expected to be particularly useful for vaccination providers who don’t currently have digital systems in place to report to the AIR.”
NT Health was the first jurisdiction to start using CVIP in their Alice Springs vaccination clinic. The Agency is having discussions with other jurisdictions about how it might be used at clinics within other states and territories, while they are upgrading their clinical systems to meet the new AIR reporting legislative requirements.
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Tuesday, 02 March, 2021
The Technology Roadmap for Aged Care in Australia was published in 2017 to improve the aged-care industry’s understanding of the role technology can play in building a robust and sustainable aged-care system in Australia.
The Aged Care Industry Information Technology Council (ACIITC) scoped and commissioned this research and developed the Roadmap, which acknowledges three critical issues faced by the aged-care industry:
- An increasing large cohort of senior Australians at a population level not experienced before.
- Rapid development of new technologies.
- Significant
reform of the aged-care sector, particularly following the Final Report of
the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
Recognising the need for technology to underpin the delivery of aged-care services and ensure independence, choice and control for consumers, the Roadmap examined the evidence for technology’s contribution to positive ageing.
A positive impact on the lives of older Australians
A review of the literature revealed that technology has played a significant and positive role in the aged-care space. It has been adopted to assess the needs of older Australians, to promote independent living, reduce social isolation and increase social connection. It has helped to reduce the risk of falling, to manage chronic disease, improve medication management and support people with cognitive issues, including dementia. And it has been used to reduce or manage depression, enhance wellbeing and support family carers.
Given the speed of technological change, ACIITC undertook an update review in 2019, releasing a report of the most disruptive technologies, including those that support positive ageing and those that support the care of older people. The comprehensive report is aimed to help advise aged- and community-care providers when making strategic decisions for the future of care.
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Monday March 1, 2021
Australian Breast Device Registry helps with patient safety
Almost 50,000 Australian women have had their breast devices registered, mostly in the past five years, to help facilitate faster notification of safety issues with the devices, leading to improved health outcomes.
The Commonwealth-funded Australian Breast Device Registry (ABDR), led by Monash University, was established in 2015 to track the long-term safety and performance of breast devices and benchmark the quality of surgery involving breast implants, breast tissue expanders and a soft tissue substitute called matrix.
According to the ABDR 2019 annual report, 11,960 patients who had breast device surgery were included in the registry in 2019, bringing the cumulative total to 49,563 registered patients between 2012- 2019.
Monash University academic lead, Professor Susannah Ahern said the registry data demonstrated high levels of quality and completeness, enabling it to assist healthcare providers to contact their patients during 2019.
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https://www.seek.com.au/job/51647807?type=standout
Senior Privacy Advisor
Australian Digital Health Agency
About the Agency
The Australian Digital Health Agency is responsible for national digital health services and systems, with a focus on engagement, innovation and clinical quality and safety. Our focus is on putting data and technology safely to work for patients, consumers and the healthcare professionals who look after them.
About the Role
The Senior Privacy Advisor is responsible for ensuring that the Agency is compliant with Digital Health legislative and privacy regulatory frameworks in order to support the sound delivery of the Agency's outcomes. This role involves advising on major internal projects to ensure privacy compliance, both in development and ongoing management. This role will also support the continuous development and improvement of the Agency's regulatory frameworks, including the development and delivery of training to staff.
Skills and Experience
To be successful in this position you will have demonstrated experience working in an Agency or Organisation's privacy functions coupled with the ability to interact, engage and foster trustworthy relationships with the senior team members, Executive Team, the Board and its Committees.
The Senior Privacy Advisor will be responsible for the following, but not limited to:
- Providing strategic and tactical advice to the Agency's business units and Executive (including in support of governance bodies and legal services) so the Agency's activities and products are informed by and meet Commonwealth legislative frameworks and requirement
- Identifying and managing strategic privacy risks arising from the Agency’s responsibilities as the My Health Records System operator and as a Commonwealth Agency bound by the Australian Government Agencies Privacy Code.
- Building capacity and practice in ensuring the Agency meets its regulatory obligations and community expectations in its handling of personal information.
- Delivery of privacy training to staff, including the review of existing training material and working with other business areas to identify further training opportunities.
- Maintaining a robust framework, processes and systems for the privacy aspects of the Agency's digital systems (including the My Health Record System), ensuring compliance with Commonwealth privacy and security legislation and requirements
You can view the position description here
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Alcidion signs contract with Te Manawa Taki DHBs for Electronic Medication Management
Highlights:
- First strategic implementation of OPENeP in Southern Hemisphere with Te Manawa Taki DHBs (total of five DHBs) in New Zealand
- Initial pilot project will be undertaken to the value of $0.6M over ~6-7 months
- Should the pilot be successful, a subsequent rollout to up to 5 DHBs is covered by the contract
- Builds on Alcidion and Better relationship in the UK (Dartford & Gravesham and South Tees) and provides a reference site for further contracts in New Zealand and Australia
Melbourne, Australia: Alcidion Group Limited
(ASX:ALC) is pleased to announce it has signed a contract with New Zealand’s Te
Manawa Taki (TMT) region District Health Boards (DHBs) for a pilot implementation
of Better’s OPENeP Electronic Medication Management solution.
TMT stretches from Cape Egmont in the West to East Cape and is in the middle of
the North Island. The region comprises five DHBs: Hauora Tairāwhiti, Taranaki,
Lakes, Bay of Plenty and Waikato. These boundaries take in the major population
centres of Gisborne, New Plymouth, Rotorua, Tauranga and Hamilton.
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https://events.humanitix.com/librarymuseum-health-my-way-workshop-3
Library Museum - Health My Way workshop 3
Tue 18th May 2021, 10:30 am - 11:30 am AEST
Event description
A new tech program to support health and well being for the over 50s.
It is more important than ever that doctors have access to up to date patient medical information. My Health Record is an online summary of your key health information, including vaccinations, allowing you to control your health information securely, in one place.
Health My Way is a new tech program for the over 50s to support health and well-being through digital tools, supported by the Australian Digital Health Agency.
The program will help you to become more confident using your phone, iPad or computer to understand and manage your health.
(Be Connected is a free Australian Government initiative, supported by the Australian Digital Health Agency)
Bring your own smart device or use one of ours.
Morning tea provided.
Bookings essential, number are limited.
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https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=fd57c855-7c0b-4767-b446-c84f3847f779
Mass data breach by the Australian Government - how almost 10,000 asylum seekers had their privacy compromised
Australia March 1 2021
For the first time in Australian history, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has found victims of a mass data breach should receive compensation for non-economic loss.
the data breach & the OAIC investigation
In early 2014, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) unintentionally released a detention report on the DHA website which disclosed personal information of 9,251 asylum seekers. This included information such as: names, gender, citizenship, why the detainee was detained, and where they were being detained.
Every person held in detention on Christmas Island at the time was identified. Given this, the following complaints were made to Australia’s privacy regulator, the OAIC:
- an individual complaint, on 25 March 2014; and
- a joint complaint by 1,297 affected asylum seekers, on 30 August 2015.
Consequently, the OAIC commenced an investigation into the practises of the DHA (formerly the Department of Immigration and Border Protection), on 23 April 2014.
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https://www.afr.com/technology/hackers-offer-stolen-nsw-government-data-for-sale-20210302-p576ym
Hackers put stolen NSW government data up for sale
Mar 2, 2021 – 10.37am
Hackers claiming to have access to data stolen from the NSW transport department, including a demand for documents and correspondence by disgraced former Liberal MP Daryl Maguire, have put snippets of information online to promote a ransom or sale.
The hacking group, Clop, posted previews and screenshots of stolen data from Transport for NSW, including documents relating to a Country Regional Network project tender from 2019 and confidential steering committee papers about new trains from 2016.
The posting includes an October 21, 2020, request from the NSW upper house for documents from a range of ministerial offices and state government agencies and interests, and representations made by Mr Maguire. Mr Maguire’s romantic relationship with NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian was made public earlier in October.
“Currently, the criminals have simply published a small number of screenshots, presumably to demonstrate that they do indeed have the data,” said Brett Callow, a threat analyst with cyber-security company Emsisoft.
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Trials for COVID-19 vaccine passport system to commence on Sydney flights
Roy Chiang | 03 Mar 2021
In this trial run, Air New Zealand airlines will require passengers to utilise the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Travel Pass application to prove that they have been vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus before they are allowed to board the plane and continue with their journey. This will aid in the facilitation of clearance for travellers at border health checkpoints in both New Zealand and Australia.
How
it works
The Travel Pass smartphone app will provide passengers with updated information
about the tests and vaccines which they need to receive before being granted
entry to their destination. This streamlines the health verification process by
informing customers of the steps needed to take their next international trip
safely. When an individual is inoculated, the medical centre securely sends the
information to the smartphone application which can then be cross-checked
against the vaccination requirements for the country which the individual is
trying to enter. Subsequently, based on the passenger’s travel itinerary, the
application sends an “Ok to travel” notification to inform both the airlines
and immigration authorities that they meet the country’s COVID-19 health requirements.
This health information is kept confidential and secure as the customer would
have to grant permission prior to the sharing of this information with the
airlines company or border control.
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https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/554060/Mercy-Radiology-empowers-patients-with-new-portal.htm
Mercy Radiology empowers patients with new portal
Sunday, 28 February 2021
NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth
Mercy Radiology has gone live
with a patient portal allowing patients to book and change appointments, as
well as view their radiology results.
The organisation has also implemented a referrer portal to allow referring
clinicians to book appointments and view results.
Both went live in October last year and are being refined and enhanced as part
of an ongoing iterative development process.
Mercy Radiology is getting 350 online bookings and around 250 views of images
and reports through the patient portal every week.
Alexis Stewart, director of strategic progammes at Mercy Radiology, says the
portal has sped up a patient’s time to diagnosis by reducing a process that
previously took around 20 working days, down to three days on average.
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Ambulance Care Summaries viewed electronically across SI hospitals
Thursday, 4 March 2021
NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth
Ambulance Care Summaries were
viewed more than 18,000 times last month by hospital staff working across the
South Island, via Health Connect South (HCS).
An integration between Orion Health's Health Connect South and the St John and
Wellington Free Ambulance systems means clinicians at four of the South
Island’s DHBs can view all Ambulance Care Summaries for a patient within their
clinical portal.
St John went live with an electronic Patient Report Form system in October
2015, but previously this ePRF was printed off
in EDs and any information needed for the hospital record had to be manually
re-entered into the HCS portal.
ED physician at Christchurch Hospital James Weaver says the digital process
means the summaries are available immediately for ED staff to view and the
process saves considerable time for St John ambulance officers in printing them
off.
“Anyone involved in a patient’s care can access them at any time without having
to find the notes and like with any piece of paper, there was always a risk of
things going missing,” he says.
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Homes in limbo as copper switch-off forges ahead despite NBN's HFC pause
Leaving a 90-year old woman without a home phone service for weeks.
By Adam Turner | March 5, 2021 -- 05:13 GMT (16:13 AEDT) | Topic: Networking
A 90-year old Melbournian woman -- living alone and reliant on an emergency alert bracelet -- was left without a home phone last month. Where responsibility lies regarding the lack of phone services is unclear.
Brighton's Margaret Burchill had her home phone service cut on February 18 as Telstra Wholesale switched off the copper to her building, despite the fact that new connections in her area were put on hold as part of NBN's HFC pause.
The company responsible for rolling out the NBN postponed new HFC connections at the start of February, due to a shortage of HFC Network Termination Devices (NTDs) caused by COVID-19-related chipset shortages. The HFC connection schedule is expected to resume in May or June.
"Disconnections have only been revised for HFC customers who were scheduled to be disconnected from February to April 2021," according to an NBN spokesperson.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-to-start-consulting-on-gigabit-speeds-for-fttc-561759
NBN Co to start consulting on gigabit speeds for FTTC
By Ry Crozier on Mar 5, 2021 6:50AM
With a similar tiering construct to HFC.
NBN Co expects to start consulting with industry this month on the extension of its highest speed tiers, including up to gigabit, to part of its fibre-to-the-curb (FTTC) network.
An update to the company’s product roadmap reveals plans for a “consultation of home superfast and home ultrafast tiers for FTTC by use of G.fast”, spanning March and April this year.
NBN Co said late last year that it intended to introduce up to gigabit services into the FTTC footprint sometime in the 2021 calendar year, though CEO Stephen Rue asked not to be held to that timeline.
Though it will depend on the outcome of the consultation, it would appear that the introduction timeframe has firmed significantly.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-to-resume-new-hfc-orders-from-may-561546
NBN Co to resume new HFC orders from May
By Justin Hendry on Feb 26, 2021 3:43PM
After securing NTD supply amid global chip shortage.
NBN Co is expected to resume taking orders for new hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) services from late May at the earliest after securing a fresh supply of network termination devices.
The network builder paused HFC sales earlier this month due to the global shortage of chips, warning that it could be several months until they could resume.
Chips are used in the network termination devices (NFD), or connection boxes, that are installed at customer’s premises.
But NBN Co has now advised it has reached an agreement with its NFD supplier that will allow new HFC orders to recommence “from the end of May or early June”.
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DIGITAL HEALTH IN THE HEADLINES
Each week, ANDHealth brings you a selection of the latest news and reports on digital health and related matters from Australia and around the world.
- Think global: Australian startups need more than funding to succeed (The Age)
- 2021 global health care outlook (Deloitte)
- Digital Health Consumer Adoption Report 2020 (Rock Health)
- Eli Lilly, Welldoc collaborate on new version of BlueStar platform (MobiHealthNews)
- Medibank eyes in-home care and telehealth for Medibank Health business (Pulse+IT)
- Pear Therapeutics tags another $20M to December's Series D round (MobiHealthNews)
- Royal Commission calls for universal adoption of My Health Record by aged care (Pulse+IT)
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Enjoy!
David.
