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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 were dated 6 December, 2018 and we have seen none since! Its pretty sad!
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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Jul 22
Popular Government Online Services - MyHealthRecords and MyGov
by Stay In Touch Pty Ltd ADHA Propaganda
Event Information
Imagine having your medical and government information at your fingertips!
About this event
When you have a ‘My Health Record’ your health information can be viewed securely online, from anywhere, at any time – very handy if you are travelling or need to access your information in an emergency.
There are many government services that you can access online - My Health Record, Centrelink, Medicare, Child Support and more! You can also bring them together into the one website called MyGov.
You will learn:
- how to register for a MyGov account
- how to link popular government services with your MyGov account
- how to use and store information in My Health Record
This is a relaxed, nurturing and fun session for new and experienced users.
Tags
Date and time
Thu, 22 July 2021
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM AEST
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https://nationalallergystrategy.org.au/news/newsletter-17-june-2021
My Health Record webinar for consumers
- The ‘How can My Health Record help me I have allergies?’ webinar recording is now available from the National Allergy Strategy website.
To access the webinar recording and presentation slides, go to nationalallergystrategy.org.au/projects/australian-digital-health-agency/consumers
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Clinician Vaccine Integrated Platform (CVIP) education session for healthcare providers
Event details
When
Friday,
9 July 2021
11:00am - 12:00pm (AEST)
Friday,
6 August 2021
11:00am - 12:00pm (AEST)
Where Online
Hosted by Australian Digital Health Agency
General enquiries
Phone: 1300 901 001
8am - 5pm (AEST/AEDT) Monday - Friday
Email: help@digitalhealth.gov.au
This webinar will show providers how to use the CVIP platform to manage vaccinations and report vaccination information to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR). It can be used by recognised vaccination providers who do not already have clinical software that reports to the AIR.
This webinar will outline how to register your clinic to use CVIP, the provider end-to-end workflow and how to add and manage vaccines.
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https://www.innovationaus.com/agencies-getting-covidsafe-data-by-accident/
Agencies getting COVIDSafe data by accident
Denham
Sadler
Senior Reporter
17 June 2021
Law enforcement agencies have not accessed or decrypted any data from the federal government’s COVIDSafe app despite sometimes “incidentally” collecting information from it, the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security has found.
Earlier this week the Western Australian government introduced urgent legislation to prevent the police from being able to access data from its COVID-19 contact tracing check-in app after it was unable to convince them not to.
While this was done legally by the WA Police, the federal government last year passed legislation restricting access to data from its own COVIDSafe contact tracing app for any reasons other than contact tracing by state and territory health authorities.
The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) was tasked with reporting on how this was being implemented, and its latest six monthly report was released on Thursday as part of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner’s (OAIC) own report on privacy protections around the app.
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https://www.innovationaus.com/victoria-and-qld-police-can-also-access-covid-app-data/
Victoria and Qld police can also access COVID app data
Denham
Sadler
Senior Reporter
17 June 2021
The Victorian and Queensland state governments have confirmed the police can access data from their respective COVID-19 QR code check-in apps but require a warrant to do so.
The confirmation follows Western Australia introducing urgent legislation to stop police from accessing its own contact tracing service.
Earlier this week it was revealed that the WA Police Force had twice accessed data from the state’s own contact tracing check-in app as part of two criminal investigations. This was done legally, and led the WA government to introduce legislation preventing data from the app to be used for anything other than contact tracing.
It has also been revealed that WA Police accessed information from the G2G pass, used to gain entry in and out of the state, more than a dozen times for criminal investigations.
On Wednesday it was revealed that Victoria Police also have access to the state’s COVID-19 QR code-based check in app. Police in Victoria can access information from this service with a court-issued warrant, government services minister Danny Pearson confirmed.
“There is capacity for Victoria Police to seek a warrant to seek information,” Mr Pearson told a PAEC hearing.
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14 COVIDSafe enquiries to OAIC, but still no complaints or breaches
The agency's second six-month report shows there have been no reports of breaches, no complaints made, and no investigations underway regarding the COVIDSafe app that Labor has referred to as a 'turkey'.
By Asha Barbaschow | June 17, 2021 -- 01:33 GMT (11:33 AEST) | Topic: Security
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has released its second six-monthly report on the privacy and security of Australia's controversial COVIDSafe app.
While there were no reports of breaches, no complaints made, and no investigations underway, the OAIC said the app, paraded by Prime Minister Scott Morrison as "digital sunscreen", was the subject of 14 "enquiries".
This comprised 12 enquiries from individuals and two from businesses during the period 16 November 2020 to 15 May 2021.
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https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/newsroom/events-and-webinars/my-health-record-for-hospital-staff
My Health Record: for hospital staff
Event details ADHA Propaganda
When
Wednesday,
16 June 2021
2:00pm - 3:00pm (AEST) and repeating
Where Online
Hosted by Australian Digital Health Agency
Contact us
General enquiries
Phone: 1300 901 001
8am - 5pm (AEST/AEDT) Monday - Friday
Email: help@digitalhealth.gov.au
Having access to health information contained in the My Health Record can reduce the instance of adverse medication events (including hospital re-admissions), decrease duplicate diagnostic testing and improve continuity of care for patients across the primary and secondary care sectors.
Given the increased use and adoption of the system, embedding the use of the My Health Record very early in a clinician’s journey through the healthcare system will ensure it will become one of many valuable digital decision support tools routinely accessed to improve patient care.
Content will include:
- pathology and diagnostic report viewing
- medicines view
- discharge summaries
- primary care shared health and event summaries
- advance care planning documents
The sessions will also provide advice on general security and access compliance processes.
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https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-femtech-is-putting-womens-healthcare-front-and-centre/
How femtech is putting women's healthcare front and centre
For a long time, femtech has been considered a niche, but a growing number of tech companies are hoping to change that narrative.
By Aimee Chanthadavong | June 18, 2021 -- 01:07 GMT (11:07 AEST) | Topic: Innovation
Women may make up half of the world's population, yet the technological innovations designed specifically to target women's health have been more than lacklustre.
However, there is no denying that the female technology (femtech) sector, which has long been underfunded and overlooked, is having a real moment. Increasingly, mobile health solutions, telehealth, and wearable devices are being made readily available to address everything from menstrual care, fertility, pregnancy care, to menopause and geriatric care, and general health and wellness.
Frost and Sullivan predicts the global femtech market revenue will increase at a compound growth annual rate of nearly 13% and reach $1.1 billion by 2024. Separately, BIS Research forecasts by 2030 the sector will hit $3.04 billion.
Who's in the room?
Despite the expected uptick, the constraints for founders who are looking to break into the market -- and who so happen to be mainly women -- are still very real and apparent.
Femtech Collective co-founder Megan Capriccio pins part of the problem to the uneven distribution of women and men in the investment community.
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https://medicalrepublic.com.au/platforms-that-transform-hospital-communications/47534
18 June 2021
Platforms that transform hospital communications
Australian healthcare providers are approaching a tipping point. Hospitals need to get more sophisticated if they are to keep up with the rapidly evolving complexity of workflows and communications.
Despite their complexity, many of the systems being installed are not always well integrated in terms of nurse and clinician workflow and patient needs.
Following up on our webinar last year which discussed the “data tsunami” of the modern ICU, resulting in issues such as alarm fatigue, delays in communication and efficiency, and information overload, this webinar will delve deeper into solutions.
The expert panel discussion and Q&A will be moderated by TMR and Wild Health publisher Jeremy Knibbs. It will be an interactive session, so we look forward to hearing from you too.
___________________________________________________
Date: Tuesday July 13th
Time: 11am AEST
Register here: https://bit.ly/3xjKVxo
__________________________________________________
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A national system of online access by patients to personal health information in Australia is proving valuable
June 18, 2021 ADHA Propaganda
Meredith Makeham, Professor and Associate Dean, Community and Primary Health Care, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney.
Competing interests: none declared.
There was a significant piece of international healthcare news this year in April that you may have missed. It was such a momentous development—empowering people and providing them with access to their own health information—that it could only have been eclipsed by a global pandemic. Transparency took a leap forward for citizens of the United States on 5 April 2021 as the 21st Century Cures Act quietly came into effect, which mandated in its rule on “Interoperability, Information Blocking, and ONC Health IT Certification” that healthcare providers give patients access to all the health information in their electronic medical records, without charge and without delay. [1]
This landmark change reflects international advances in transparency of health information. Many countries have now embedded laws that ensure people have the right to access their own health data. Personal electronic health records, which support this endeavour, are used increasingly. [2] An Australian example of this is the My Health Record system, a national online repository of health information freely available for Australian citizens who wish to access their own health data. [3] Commencing in 2012, all securely connected healthcare providers in hospital and community settings, both public and private, can view and contribute information to the system relating to people for whom they are providing care. It is both visible to and personally controlled by the individual healthcare recipient, meaning they can see everything in there, add personal health information, or remove things they would prefer not to have in there themselves. They also have the right to opt out of the system altogether with a phone call or online process, at which point their record is completely removed from the system. If they change their minds at a later date, they can re-open their record. Around 90% of Australians have a My Health Record, containing information such as discharge summaries from hospitals, prescriptions from pharmacies, pathology and imaging results, and health summaries from general practitioners.
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FAB FM Radio Port Douglas Mossman
https://feed.podbean.com/fabfm/feed.xml ADHA Propaganda
Radio Station Port Douglas Mossman advocating Tourism, Environment, Community
Dr Andrew Rochford On The Jab And How The Governments My Health Record Can Help - AstraZeneca Versus Pfizer And Pharmacists Giving The ‘Jab’, A Help Or Hindrance?
June 17, 2021
The changes to the Immunisation view in My Health Record (MHR) include a new area that supports the Australian Government’s COVID-19 vaccination program. FAB FM's Paul Makin chats to Dr Andrew Rochford about that AND his thoughts on AstraZeneca versus Pfizer and Pharmacists giving the 'Jab'. https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/
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https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/pandemic-pregnancy-care-telehealth-versus-face-to
Pandemic pregnancy care: Telehealth versus face-to-face
In-person antenatal services decreased by around 8% last year. How does telehealth for pregnant women compare to standard care?
17 Jun 2021
When
Australia was plunged into a swathe of COVID-19 restrictions in early 2020,
disruptions occurred across many areas of healthcare.
For pregnant
women there was no exception, with one in 10 face-to-face antenatal
care appointments being replaced with telehealth, the majority (87.5%) of which
were telephone consults.
Following the March 2020 extension
of telehealth to accommodate care during the pandemic, including MBS
items to cover antenatal services, Australia reached peak uptake of
telehealth antenatal services in April (17,987) and May (16,525).
These figures make up the latest
report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW),
summarising nationwide antenatal care Medicare claims between January to
December 2020, with comparisons to previous years.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/serious-privacy-problems-found-in-most-health-apps-566076
Serious privacy problems found in most health apps
By Juha Saarinen on Jun 18, 2021 6:10AM
Large survey of apps raises concerns.
A large-scale investigation of mobile health apps available in Australia and worldwide suggests that many contain serious privacy issues, with hundreds transmitting user information to third-party service providers.
Researchers at Macquarie University's Department of Computing analysed over 20,000 health apps for Android in Google Play and say patients should be informed about privacy practices before use and installation.
"Our results show that the collection of personal user information is a pervasive practice in 'mHealth' apps, and not always transparent and secure," the researchers wrote.
Since neither Google Play nor the Apple App Store provide privacy auditing functionality, clinicians should check health apps' functionality and articulate that to patients in simple terms.
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Electronic prescriptions for nurse practitioners
Event details ADHA Propaganda
When Wednesday, 23 June 2021
6:00pm - 7:00pm (AEST)
Where Online
Hosted by Australian College of Nurse Practitioners and Australian Digital Health Agency
Contact us
General enquiries
Phone: 1300 901 001
8am - 5pm (AEST/AEDT) Monday - Friday
Email: help@digitalhealth.gov.au
Electronic prescriptions provide an option for Nurse Practitioners to provide your patients with a digital prescription as an alternative to a paper prescription. The majority of Australians are now able to choose to receive an electronic prescription and soon they will have the option to register for an Active Script List (ASL).
Join the Australian Digital Health Agency and the Australian College of Nurse Practitioners to learn more about tokens and the Active Script List. This session is an opportunity to ask your questions about electronic prescriptions.
This program is available to endorsed Nurse Practitioners, Advanced Practice Nurses, Nurse Practitioner candidates and students, nurses, and health professionals.
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https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=0792c923-f47b-4a6d-a58e-1f6509f28648
Health sector faces more cyber attacks than any other
Australia June 15 2021
According to the OAIC, 23% of recent data breaches occurred in the health sector. Our report explores cyber risk trends, the unique challenges facing health organisations and how they can mitigate risk.
The health sector has increasingly embraced digital solutions to improve patient care and maximise operational efficiencies. The last few years have seen the widespread adoption of Electronic Medical Records, the Internet of Medical Things, and wearable devices.
This activity was significantly accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a substantial increase in the use of telehealth and remote health care technologies.
And yet, as the world turned increasingly towards the health industry, the industry found itself facing a significant amount of cyber attacks. For the period of June to December 2020, the health sector faced more cyber attacks than any other, according to the OAIC's latest report. There were also a number of high profile cyber attacks, including those targeting vaccine development facilities and hospitals.
The Australian Cyber Security Centre considers the Australian health sector to be particularly vulnerable to such attacks, due to outdated infrastructure, the pressure of budgetary constraints, and the proliferation of internet-connected devices. Despite the high-tech nature of some cyber attacks, humans remain the prime targets.
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https://www.miragenews.com/act-consumers-can-now-access-diagnostic-imaging-579206/
June 17, 2021 8:26 am AEST
ACT consumers can now access diagnostic imaging reports in their My Health Record
Australian Digital Health Agency ADHA Propaganda
Canberrans are now able to choose a radiology service provider that can share diagnostic imaging reports with their My Health Record.
Healthcare Imaging Services (HIS), part of Healius Limited, is one of Australia’s largest diagnostic imaging organisations.
Dean Lewsam, Healthcare Imaging Services CEO, said “Patients attending Ginnindera Diagnostic Imaging in Belconnen, Canberra Diagnostic Imaging at the National Capital Private Hospital in Garran and Philip Diagnostic Imaging in Philip now have their test results uploaded to My Health Record.”
“We will expand this to include other locations that are part of the HIS network.”
Amanda Cattermole, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Digital Health Agency, welcomed the connection of HIS to My Health Record.
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https://www.eventbrite.com/checkout-external?eid=159582133457
myGov and My Health Record @ Rosny Library
Wed, Jul 21, 2021 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM AEST ADHA Propaganda
Select your language
English (US)
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World first artificial heart in development
Thousands of Australians with severe heart failure may soon have access to a fully functioning artificial heart as a result of work by a national consortium of universities, hospitals and industry.
Researchers at Monash University are creating the artificial heart, which will be the first such device in the world, with engineers from Australian company BiVACOR.
The BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart is based on rotary blood pump technology. Similar in size to an adult fist, it is small enough to be implanted in many women and some children yet capable of providing enough cardiac output to an adult male undergoing exercise.
Currently, some people with heart failure use implantable mechanical pumps, but these devices usually support only one ventricle. Patients who use such pumps have to carry around a computer for the pump and heavy batteries.
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We need to ensure online safety before big tech profits
By Julie Inman Grant
June 15, 2021 — 8.50am
For too long, big technology companies the world over have been given a free pass allowing them to operate in ways that benefit their bottom line rather than the safety and wellbeing of their users.
There have been persistent failures by Big Tech in consistently and transparently enforcing their own policies and standards, often turning a blind eye to violent online threats, hate speech, racism, misogyny, misinformation, political polarisation and targeted abuse.
This failure has led to an internet more akin to dystopian nightmare than the Utopian ideal many of the founders of these platforms likely envisaged, as we see the fragile fabric of our society starting to fray.
The big platforms have known the harms for decades and with almost limitless financial and intellectual capital at their disposal, they have always possessed the means to tackle them.
But up until now they have mostly ignored their civic responsibility online. Sure, they tinker around the edges launching new whizbang features with much fanfare, but they’ve never really knuckled down and taken safety seriously.
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My Health Record: support aged care residents through the COVID-19 pandemic
Event details
When
Tuesday,
15 June 2021 ADHA Propaganda
4:00pm - 5:00pm (AEST)
Where
Online
Hosted by
WA Primary Health Alliance and Australian Digital Health Agency
Contact us
General enquiries
Phone: 1300 901 001
8am - 5pm (AEST/AEDT) Monday - Friday
Email: help@digitalhealth.gov.au
My Health Record provides access to key clinical information and may assist in improving quality of life, tracking immunisations, care coordination and reduce potential medication misadventures.
This webinar will explore the benefits of using My Health Record and help attendees understand the context for the Royal Commission’s recommendations for its use within the aged care sector. Join this webinar if you are interested in learning how My Health Record has been used throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to support vulnerable patient groups by ensuring healthcare providers have access to their health information at the point of care.
This session will also guide you through how to get your organisation connected to the My Health Record system as well as ongoing compliance requirements. Please join WA Primary Health Alliance, the Australian Digital Health Agency and our guest panel member, Dr. Amandeep Hansra, for a discussion focusing on how digital health tools, such as My Health Record, can support aged care residents.
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Amazing Lack Of Interest In The ADHA YouTube Channel.
https://www.youtube.com/c/MyHealthRecordAus/videos?app=desktop&view=0&sort=dd&shelf_id=1
Detailed Link
https://www.youtube.com/c/MyHealthRecordAus/playlists?app=desktop
Summary Link
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Digital health webinar
RACS, in collaboration with the Australian Digital Health Agency, is hosting an interactive session on digital health tools to support specialist practitioners. ADHA Propaganda
Register for this webinar
Date: Tuesday 13 July
Time: 7.00pm (AEST)
This webinar will be recorded and available to share following the event.
About this webinar
The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, in collaboration with the Australian Digital Health Agency, is hosting an interactive one-hour webinar session on a range of digital health tools to support specialist practitioners.
During this session, topics that will be covered includes:
- using My Health Record to enable improved decision support and continuity of care
- an update on electronic prescribing.
There will be time allocated for questions and answers.
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https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=dc6d4096-4c87-4294-b1a4-0d35cf467484
Rules on data-matching program
Australia June 9 2021
Rules to support the Data-matching Program (Assistance and Tax) Act 1990 (Data-matching Act) have been registered.
The Data-matching Program (Assistance and Tax) Rules 2021 (the Rules) provide privacy safeguards for the use of tax file numbers and other personal information in income compliance data-matching programs, by setting out certain responsibilities that must be met by agencies that participate in regulated data-matching programs.
The Rules will ensure that the use of data matching is based on clear and publicly known standards. The Rules also provide for monitoring by the Information Commissioner of technical standards for data-matching programs and for privacy safeguards for individuals affected by the outcomes of data matching.
The Rules will impose additional procedural and reporting obligations upon regulated agencies which conduct regulated data-matching activities. Benefits of these regulations include continued lawful, accurate debt raising for regulated entities and ensuring that individuals are protected by appropriate safeguards in the design and implementation of data-matching programs under the Data-matching Act.
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US CONFIDENTIAL
Family history websites are off limits for cold-case clues
Ben Hoyle, Los Angeles
Saturday June 12 2021, 12.01am BST, The Times
In August 1991 Sarah Hutchings, 35, a vivacious vineyard hostess, was found dead in the bath at her home in Santa Rosa, in California’s wine country. She had been strangled and drowned.
Two years later police arrested a man she had previously dated, only to see the case thrown out because it was so flawed. Despite one of the longest investigations in the town’s history, the trail went cold.
Thirty years after the crime police said this week that they finally have a different man in their sights.
The breakthrough has come amid a backlash from privacy campaigners against law enforcement officers rummaging through genealogy websites used for researching family trees, such as Ancestry.com and 23andMe.
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https://www.kiis1065.com.au/lifestyle/dr-andrew-rochford-answers-your-digital-health-questions/
Dr Andrew Rochford Answers Your Digital Health Questions
By Writer ADHA Propaganda
14 June, 2021
The world has changed so much in the last year, and with it, the need for a better connected healthcare system. With many changes happening all around us, we asked the one and only Dr Rochford to help us answer your questions about Digital Health.
YOUR QUESTION: When will electronic prescriptions be available nationally? It would make life so much easier if everything was linked to an app on your phone!
Dr ROCHFORD: Gone are the days of trying to locate that paper script or repeat. Electronic prescriptions are now available nationally and the majority of Australians now have the choice of an electronic prescription instead of a paper prescription. By June of this year more than 8.9 million electronic prescriptions and repeat prescriptions had been generated by prescribers and dispensers across Australia.
Initially, electronic scripts were issued with the patient receiving a token (QR barcode) to their phone electronically (SMS or email). A phased national rollout has progressed since with wide coverage across all states and territories.
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Comments more than welcome!
David.
