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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! It’s 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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My Health Record system security
Keeping your information private and secure.
There are people, processes, technologies and legislation keeping the information in your record safe and secure.
People
The My Health Record system is monitored by the Cyber Security Centre within the Australian Digital Health Agency. All personnel involved with the administration of the system undergo security checks.
Process
A range of security processes limit access to the My Health Record system. External software goes through a conformance process before it is allowed to connect to the system. This includes healthcare provider software and mobile applications.
Technology
We use a range of technologies to protect the sensitive personal and health information held in the My Health Record system, including:
- firewalls to block unauthorised access
- audit logs to track access to records
- initial and regular anti-virus scanning of documents uploaded to records
- system monitoring to detect suspicious activity
Legislation
The privacy of information in the My Health Record system is protected by legislation:
- My Health Records Act 2012
- Privacy Act 1988
- Healthcare Identifiers Act 2010
- My Health Records Rule 2016
Significant penalties apply for deliberate misuse of this information.
Find out more about My Health Record governance and legislation.
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‘Confusion, conflation and oversimplification’: eSafety Commissioner slams ‘anti-trolling’ bill
Denham
Sadler
National Affairs Editor
10 March 2022
The eSafety Commissioner has slammed the federal government’s so-called “anti-trolling” bill, saying it conflates several issues, has stirred confusion and oversimplifies important issues.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant appeared before a Senate inquiry into the Social Media (Anti-Trolling) Bill on Thursday morning, raising a series of concerns around the legislation, including that it “creates public expectations that cannot be met by any government agency”.
The bill provides a “new novel framework to allow Australians to respond to defamatory content posted on social media”, introducing a pathway for people who believe they have been defamed by a social media comment to apply to identify the anonymous poster.
The bill also reverses the High Court’s Voller decision, making administrators of social media pages no longer liable for third party comments, and giving social media giants partial exemption from liability if they have adequate complaints schemes in place.
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Australia's anti-trolling Bill blasted by senators, online abuse victims and organisations alike
From being too hard to access to being unclear, various people have testified that the anti-trolling Bill needs more work if it is to become law.
Written by Campbell Kwan, Journalist
on March 10, 2022 | Topic: Social Enterprise
Labor Senator Kim Carr blasted the federal government's proposed anti-trolling laws on Thursday, saying the legislation is "grossly inadequate" in light of critics saying it could create various unintended consequences.
The proposed anti-trolling laws seek to compel social media platforms into creating complaints schemes that allow people to issue complaints about potential defamatory material and receive information about the poster of that material for the purposes of initiating legal proceedings.
"Every submission today has said this Bill is grossly inadequate in terms of its drafting of the unintended consequences," said Carr, who is the deputy chair of the Senate committee tasked with reviewing the anti-trolling legislation.
Carr made those comments at the committee's first hearing to review the Bill, where various individuals and organisations criticised the Bill's construction.
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https://medicalrepublic.com.au/ai-in-medicine-first-needs-to-win-trust/64729
11 March 2022
AI in medicine first needs to win trust
By Pursuit
Artificial intelligence (AI) research in medicine is evolving – promising faster, larger-scale and new solutions to complex health problems.
It’s a technology that has become increasingly prevalent in medicine – particularly, in the field of “personalised” or “precision medicine”, which aims to develop treatment plans for patients that increases individual treatment effectiveness while also decreasing negative side effects.
This focus on a patient-specific approach is growing in all areas of medicine, in particular in oncology, and is now accepted as best practice by healthcare workers and government bodies, as well as patients.
But a personalised medicine approach is complex and is still far from the standard of care. However, with the help of AI, the reality seems closer than ever.
So, what’s standing in the way of AI research when it comes to its application in the area of medicine?
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What happens when the tech support team behind your bionic eye disappears?
Some 350 patients were left in the lurch after having electrodes implanted in their eye
28th February 2022
This week came news of another example of Silicon Valley and its health technology turning out bad for patients.
It involves a company called Second Sight and its “bionic eye” technology, Argus.
Essentially, Argus uses a group of electrodes that are surgically implanted in the patient’s eye or optic nerve, which respond to light and stimulate the visual system.
It is meant to be like a visual cochlear implant — allowing blind people to see some shapes and lights.
In truth it offers no miracle vision: the shapes generated by the external world are really no more than phosphenes, the colours you see if you close your eyes and rub your eyelids.
But when Argus first received regulatory approval in 2011, it attracted the headlines you would expect, heralded as “science fiction” made fact.
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‘Absolute authority’: Call to halt plan to collect all Victorians’ medical records
By David Estcourt and Rachel Eddie
March 11, 2022 — 5.00am
The Law Institute of Victoria has asked the Andrews government to withdraw a bill, which would centralise the medical records of every patient in the public health system, over privacy concerns and because patients cannot opt out of the scheme.
The Health Legislation Amendment (Information Sharing) Bill, which is likely to pass into law in the upper house in coming months, aims to improve health outcomes by electronically sharing patient data across public hospitals and services through a central database.
The existing framework only allows providers to share information internally, leading to medical errors, delays and inefficiencies.
Under the plan, patients would have no ability to opt-in or out of the new database before it launches in February next year. Insurance companies will not have access to the database.
The Law Institute of Victoria wants the government to withdraw the bill and engage in greater consultation with industry over privacy concerns and the inability of patients to control their recorded medical history.
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https://wildhealth.net.au/healthcare-unplugged-how-flood-gps-just-keep-swimming/
10 March 2022
Healthcare unplugged: how flood GPs just keep swimming
Clinical Admin Cloud Insights Telehealth
Days after Lismore’s record-breaking floods swamped her clinic on Feb 28, destroying all computer systems, servers and backups, Dr Nina Robertson was treating her patients from a hastily-assembled temporary practice at the evacuation centre at Southern Cross University.
“I’m seeing people with bruises and cuts and infections and even chemical burns, from contaminated clean-ups, I’m giving lots of tetanus shots and also clinical follow-up from before the flood,” she says.
A spokesperson from the NBN said that they have set up equipment and portable generators at emergency centres and locations in Northern NSW providing free power and wifi.
“NBN temporary network infrastructure includes a Network on Wheels, Hybrid Power Cubes or Multi-tech Trailers. Portable infrastructure includes our Road Muster trucks and Fly Away satellite kits, which offer free wifi connectivity via our SkyMuster satellite service.”
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https://wildhealth.net.au/qlds-virtual-care-strategy-impeded-by-skills-void/
10 March 2022
QLD’s virtual care strategy impeded by skills void
Damian Green, deputy director general of eHealth Queensland, gave a “sneak peak” of the state’s new virtual healthcare strategy at the Digital Health Institute Summit 2022.
The strategy focuses on four pillars: empowering consumers, partnering better with primary care and other providers, creating workforce capability and supporting sustainability.
Mr Green said the workforce agenda is absolutely critical.
“It’s not doing what we do today with the people that we have today and trying to replicate that through virtual models. It’s about redesigning those virtual models,” he said.
Mr Green told Wild Health that the lack of skilled workforce is what keeps him up at night because it is limiting the strategy rollout.
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https://wildhealth.net.au/why-not-a-national-virtual-care-strategy/
10 March 2022
Why not a national virtual care strategy?
Government Virtual/Remote Care
NSW Health has put out a timely and important take on maintaining the virtual care momentum created by covid, but virtual care can’t be a state-by-state project.
Although dated for the years 2021-26, NSW Health’s Virtual Care Strategy only appeared for the public at the beginning of last month.
Presumably covid created the need for some rethinking of the original draft, creating some delay, and no one thought to tell the printer to put replace the 21 on the front cover with a 22.
In her introduction to the strategy, outgoing NSW Secretary of Health, Elizabeth Koff (she officially left 4 March and is due to be CEO of Telstra Health come July) seemed to underline the likelihood of her department rethinking things as they went by saying that virtual care “has the potential to be something far more comprehensive than our experience with covid indicates”.
“There’s a real collective call for us: if we are going to transform the system to a virtually enabled one we need to ensure we have strong engagement with the patients, carers and families, clinicians and our partners in primary health care,” she says.
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COVID-19 scams: how to recognise them and how to protect yourself
Scammers are taking advantage of people’s fears during the COVID-19 pandemic. Common scams include phishing for personal information, online shopping and superannuation scams. Here is how to spot a scam and how to protect yourself.
8 March, 2022
By Chiara Pazzano
Scamwatch has received over 6,415 scam reports mentioning the coronavirus with more than $9,800,000 in reported losses since the outbreak of COVID-19.
Key points
- Scamwatch is aware of vaccination scams, government impersonation scams, superannuation scams, online shopping scams and business scams.
- Victims of scamming can be at risk of financial loss or identity fraud.
- There are a few ways to protect your computer from malware
Dr Steve Hambleton is the Chief Clinical Advisor to the Australian Digital Health Agency.
He says there is a wide range of scams relating to COVID-19 vaccines in Australia.
"There are people selling fake vaccine appointments and of course, to get an appointment they need to know who you are — that's what they want," he said.
"You might be asked for payment to send you a vaccine, which you shouldn't be paying for," Dr Hambleton explained.
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Thursday, 10 March 2022 10:15
Netvault facilitates Starlink internet access to Northern Rivers locals
Brisbane telecommunications provider Netvault has granted Starlink internet access to parts of flood-ravaged Northern Rivers in Australia to allow locals to contact their family, friends, and first responders.
After hearing surf legend Mick Fanning’s call to billionaire Elon Musk, Netvault senior systems consultant Radek Tkaczyk decided to donate more than ten Starlink https://www.starlink.com/ Rapid Deployment Kits (worth $10,000) to some of the worst affected areas in the Northern Rivers.
Terminals are being deployed to places like Upper Wilsons Creek and Upper Main Arm that are currently still isolated due to recurring landslides, along with the Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter Service and Medical Rescue Group (who has a vital health truck based in Murwillumbah).
Tkaczyk is delivering Starlink terminals to give free internet access to people who have been affected by the Brisbane floods.
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https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/are-gp-video-consults-really-necessary
Are GP video consults really that necessary?
We ask three GPs about their experiences
9th March 2022
Greg Hunt has said the introduction of Medicare-funded telehealth was 10 years of health reform delivered in just 10 days.
But the use of video consults remains relatively small-scale , despite the government saying it's the preferred option because of the greater ‘information transfer’ .
Is this the experience of GPs? Or is the technology failing to deliver on its clinical promise?
We asked three GPs: Dr Michael Wright, chief medical officer at Avant; Dr Maria Boulton, chair of AMA Queensland’s committee of general practice; and Associate Professor Chris Pearce, GP and director of Outcome Health.
Australian Doctor: We’ll start with the colourful question. Since the pandemic, what has been your worst experience with a video consult?
Dr Michael Wright: I’ve had patients answer video calls on the toilet, while at the checkout at Bunnings and even one while driving.
And of course, I’ve frequently had video drop out — a problem I seldom get on the phone.
Professor Chris Pearce: I’ve ended up staring at the patient’s ear for the large part of the consult.
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The billionaire who won’t bid for Australian government health work
By Emma Koehn
March 7, 2022
The spectre of rising interest rates, inflation and the geopolitical shockwave of war in the Ukraine, is haunting corporate Australia, but the billionaire boss of medical imaging software business Pro Medicus is unfazed.
Dr Sam Hupert, who began his career as a GP, has seen all sorts of market conditions since co-founding the company with Anthony Hall in 1983. He said the company would be protected from global post-pandemic economic turbulence because of the essential nature of its products, and the company’s cautious approach to debt.
“We’re a little bit of a hybrid because we’re a growth company but we make money; we don’t have debt, and we pay dividends,” said the Pro Medicus chief executive. “We are financially conservative, that’s in our DNA.”
Much of the company’s growth has come amid the COVID-19 pandemic of the past two years. The business, which sells imaging software to hospitals and radiology groups, has secured a footing in the US market and inked several long-term hospital partnerships for its products.
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Telstra, Optus and TPG Telecom get funding for 544 mobile site upgrades
By Staff Writer on Mar 8, 2022 7:23PM
Hardening to improve resiliency.
Telstra, Optus and TPG Telecom will get $10.9 million from the federal government to upgrade a total of 544 mobile base stations under the second round of the mobile network hardening program (MNHP).
Site upgrades approved include expanding battery capacity, adding generators and upgrading power systems, site hardening, and improving transmission redundancy to clusters of sites.
Sites all over the country have been funded, but the government particularly singled out sites in the electorates of Corangamite, Corio, Bendigo and Ballarat in its announcement.
“Successful projects we’ve announced nationally include the installation of permanent power generators, increased battery reserves, transmission resiliency upgrades to protect against network transmission outages and site hardening measures such as protective ember screening to protect sites from potential impacts of embers, radiation or flames”, minister for emergency management Bridget McKenzie said.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nsw-digital-photo-card-rollout-stalls-over-confiscation-issues-577003
NSW digital photo card rollout stalls over confiscation issues
By Justin Hendry on Mar 8, 2022 11:53AM
Agencies working to find solution.
Issues around how authorities will confiscate digital photo cards are holding up the statewide rollout of the plastic card alternative in NSW, with work currently underway to final a solution.
The NSW government began trialling digital photo cards in and around the Sydney suburb of Penrith in February 2021 following the successful rollout of the digital driver’s licence.
The trial later expanded to a further 60 postcodes in August 2021, bring the total number of suburbs across Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains to more than 200.
The postcodes were chosen due to the number of photo card holders in those locations, customer service and digital government minister Victor Dominello said at the time.
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https://www.innovationaus.com/accentures-vaccine-data-contract-quadruples-in-value-to-23m/
Accenture’s vaccine data contract quadruples in value to $23m
Denham
Sadler
National Affairs Editor
7 March 2022
Accenture’s contract to develop and maintain a Covid-19 vaccine data solution has nearly quadrupled in value, ballooning to just under $23.5 million across five amendments since it was first awarded.
The Department of Health posted an amendment to Accenture’s contract for “vaccine data solution and administration services” last week, marking a jump in value of $13.3 million.
The total contract is now worth $23.494 million and runs from 17 May 2021 to 31 December 2022.
The contract was originally worth $6.7 million when it was first awarded to Accenture, but has since nearly quadrupled in value.
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Think, Eat and Move Program- Free Online healthy lifestyle program for Teens and their families
7 March, 2022
Think, Eat and Move (TEAM) is a free healthy lifestyle program for adolescents that are above a healthy weight, have a chronic health condition, or demonstrate increased risk of diet and lifestyle disease.
TEAM is delivered by Better Health Company in partnership with Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network (CESPHN). The TEAM program is developed by health professionals and aligns with the Australian Dietary Guidelines and the Australian 24 hour movement guidelines.
Across eight weeks, adolescents learn about healthy eating, physical activity and behaviour change through interactive modules and activities. Participants also receive weekly health coaching calls with a qualified health professional.
Results
demonstrate that the TEAM program has positive outcomes for participating
adolescents, with significant improvements in daily fruit and vegetable intake,
physical activity, reduced sugary drink intake and screen time. As the
program is evidence based it is designed to complement any patient care you
offer. A referral or recommendation from a trusted source, such as a GP, is
often the motivation needed for a teen to join the TEAM program.
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NSW Premier not told of leak of secret addresses from QR code dataset
New details have emerged about the accidental leak of hundreds of secret addresses that had been collected as part of NSW’s coronavirus QR code system.
March 7, 2022 - 5:54PM
NSW Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello never alerted the Premier of the accidental leak of hundreds of secret addresses contained in a QR check-in database.
It was revealed last month the addresses, including locations of domestic violence shelters and critical infrastructure sites, had been uploaded to a public government website.
Mr Dominello told a budget estimates hearing on Monday he was first told of the incident on September 30, 2021 and that he received updates twice in the following month.
He said he didn‘t tell Premier Dominic Perrottet because the Customer Services department had already resolved the matter by alerting the Privacy Commissioner.
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David.
