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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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https://www.innovationaus.com/accc-issues-first-fine-for-alleged-cdr-breach/
ACCC issues first fine for alleged CDR breach
Brandon
How
Reporter
13 July 2022
The competition watchdog has issued its first infringement notice for an alleged breach of the Consumer Data Right to the Bank of Queensland.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) issued a $133,200 fine along with an infringement notice to the Bank of Queensland (BoQ) for allegedly breaching the CDR rules. Phase one of data sharing obligations under the CDR for all banks came into effect on July 1, 2021, however the ACCC alleges this was not met by the bank.
The services required by the CDR legislation were only made available by BoQ from December 13 last year, five months after the obligations came into effect, and more than a month after the rectification date proposed by the bank.
A spokesperson for Bank of Queensland said it acknowledges the delays in implementing the first phase of the CDR open banking regime. It said the delay was “largely due to the complexity of adapting BoQ source systems to the Open Banking requirements and third-party testing issues”.
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https://www.innovationaus.com/retailers-facial-recognition-roll-out-should-have-been-avoided/
Retailers’ facial recognition roll-out should have been avoided
Joseph
Brookes
Senior Reporter
11 July 2022
A simple risk assessment would likely have stopped Bunnings, Kmart and The Good Guys from deploying controversial facial recognition security systems, according to privacy experts, who say that mandating the considerations could create a “seismic” improvement in data practices.
The three retailers are now facing backlash after consumer group Choice revealed their use of facial recognition technology last month and filed a complaint with the federal privacy regulator.
The companies defended the use of the technology as a way to make their stores safer and argued consumers had been informed by signage and privacy policies.
But under mounting pressure, The Good Guys backed away, saying it would “pause” its trial of the technology. The Wesfarmers retailers said they will continue to use it while awaiting a possible investigation.
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Are you ready for quantum computing?
Astonishing speed, capability and power: quantum computing is almost here. Brace for the transformation of the digitalised world as we know it.
July 15, 2022
Quantum computing is no longer a distant promise of superfast computers some time in the future. Elements of it are here now, and fully blown quantum computers are predicted by about 2030.
When that happens, the transformation of our digital systems will be mind-blowing. It is estimated that a classical computer would take up to 10,000 years to perform a calculation an early quantum computer already managed in 200 seconds in 2019.
In everyday life, we’ll see a quantum version of GPS mapping that enables objects to be tracked on a scale of millimetres. Quantum computers are expected to be ideal for optimising logistics such as calculating the routes for moving parcels around the world, with the ability to consider multiple solutions at once. Quantum capability is also expected to improve the quality of pharmaceutical medications, with faster simulations of the interaction of chemicals within the body.
The coming quantum transformation is possible because the building blocks of storing information are different from those of the classical computers of today.
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https://medicalrepublic.com.au/the-week-in-payroll-tax-good-news-this-time/73192
15 July 2022
The week in payroll tax: good news this time
It looks like fixing the payment flow issue isn’t that hard, albeit a lot of work. But that's not the end of it.
We’ve been thinking seriously this week of launching a new newsletter called “Medical tax compliance daily”.
The topic is so complex and moving so fast, we think it might fly. I wonder if the ATO, the various SROs and even Services Australia would come on board as founding advertisers?
We almost certainly wouldn’t be able to attract sponsorship from any of the practice software vendors after suggesting this week that, although it is not their responsibility to make sure a practice or doctor configures their software correctly for tax compliance, they need to get out in front of the problem more on behalf of their clients.
Their software gatekeeps all the data which ultimately ends up in the hands of an SRO or ATO to assess compliance.
It most definitely is not their problem if the data isn’t making an SRO happy, but they are in a position to help because they build and maintain the single point of transaction where this data is being generated. They might be able to do a bit of reconfiguration which makes a confusing process around emerging payment flow tax law easier to manage, or, if they haven’t got the money or inclination yet to build out easier product, they might be able to provide pointers to clients who are configuring their software and payment flows incorrectly.
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Kmart and Bunnings’ use of face-recognition tech sparks investigation
By Maeve Bannister
July 13, 2022 — 12.01pm
Two major Australian retailers are being investigated by the privacy watchdog for their use of facial recognition technology in stores.
Kmart and Bunnings will be investigated over the technology, which captures images of shoppers’ faces and stores the unique “face prints”.
Kmart and Bunnings will be investigated over their use of technology that captures images of shoppers’ faces.
The retailers say facial recognition is being used in some stores to protect shoppers and staff, to combat anti-social behaviour and reduce theft.
But the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner has concerns over the companies’ “personal information handling practices”.
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Australia's CSIRO develops machine learning tool that spots emerging COVID-19 variants
Using VariantSpark, researchers were able to identify new variants a week before they could be flagged by health professionals.
By Adam Ang
July 12, 2022 12:12 AM
Researchers at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia’s national science agency, have developed a machine learning tool to quickly identify emerging dangerous COVID-19 variants.
WHAT IT DOES
CSIRO did not mention how they developed the AI tool called VariantSpark but it was used to analyse around 10,000 COVID-19 samples in a new study, whose findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal. The researchers worked with both Intel and ACT-based cloud system provider RONIN on the said study.
According to a media release, VariantSpark can provide hourly updates, enabling the quick sharing of information with public health decision-makers and helping hospitals prepare for potential increases in admissions.
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Atlassian to donate Russian revenue as Ukrainian protestors demand full boycott
Updated July 12, 2022 — 4.58pmfirst published at 3.24pm
Australian software giant Atlassian will donate all future revenue generated from Russia to Ukrainian causes as it faces fresh pressure from activists to exit the country altogether.
After internal and external anger in March, Atlassian announced it was making humanitarian donations, stopping new sales to Russia in protest at President Vladimir Putin’s illegal war, and cutting off licenses to entities linked to the conflict.
But the $US56 billion firm, which makes workplace collaboration software, allowed ordinary Russian businesses to keep renewing existing subscriptions, arguing they were caught up in a war they could not stop.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, will meet with Atlassian on Friday for a “better insight”. He praised its steps aiding Ukraine so far, but said the benchmark for all Australian companies was the graphic design software giant, Canva, which blocked Russia entirely last month.
“I understand the pain of losing the Russian market, but we’re losing people,” Myroshnychenko told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
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ACCC calls for banks to name check transfers to cut fraud
Tom Burton Government editor
Jul 12, 2022 – 5.02pm
Banks are being pressured to ensure money transferred online arrives in the correct account by confirming the name of the intended recipient, a move the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says will reduce the $420 million worth of frauds that occur each year.
In its latest scam report, the ACCC said banks and financial firms were in a unique position to identify fraud risk and invest ways to mitigate risks by adopting what is known in the UK as “confirmation of payee”.
“The ACCC appreciates that the finance sector is increasing its effort to combat scams but is of the view that more is required to increase the effectiveness of scams prevention,” the report said.
But banks in Australia are resisting any mandatory requirement to check names, preferring for customers to instead use the Reserve Bank’s new PayID technology to make bank transfers.
“Payments made to a PayID give the user the ability to see the name of the account holder before they transfer their funds,” Australian Banking Association chief executive Anna Bligh said.
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https://wildhealth.net.au/healing-healthcare-strain-and-inequity-with-data/
12 July 2022
Healing healthcare strain and inequity with data
The strain on Australia’s healthcare sector will not diminish, but continue to compound. While it’s positive to see different sides of politics make health system performance a priority, it’s crucial to move away from short-term fixes.
Instead, we need to resolve the root causes of existing constraints, and these are largely clinical variation, limited care coordination and insufficient early intervention. The long-term performance of the sector depends on it.
With the election behind us, there are major opportunities to convert pre-election discourse into outcomes for healthcare, and for the benefit of all Australians, by expanding the use of data and automation to overcome the aforementioned challenges.
Healthcare funding was predictably a focal point of the election campaign. The reality is there is likely to be sufficient funding in our healthcare budgets provided we can identify and remove waste from the system. Healthcare waste accounts for up to half of all healthcare expenditures. They arise from workflow inefficiencies, poor communication, inappropriate treatment, missed treatment opportunities and insufficient meaningful information exchanges.
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https://wildhealth.net.au/the-wicked-problem-in-general-practice/
12 July 2022
The wicked problem in general practice
Lately I start my day with coffee, cereal, and AMA daily media briefings.
I ought to get a life, you say, and you’re possibly right, except I’m obsessed by hyperboles. “‘Dangerously constipated’ hospitals”, “Buck passing shows failure of national leadership”, “Medicare is friendless”, “Health system buckles under unbelievable stress”, “Perfect storm hits EDs”, “General practice is on life support”. I am a councillor for AMA Queensland these days and need to keep up with health politics.
Here in Australia, health is both big business and big politics. Politics is about leveraging money or status and it’s rarely bipartisan. Leaders made their mark by polarising the debate.
I was a medical student in Sydney during the 70s when university culture was counter-cultural; socialism was the new black. I was still basking in that socialistic afterglow in the late 80s when Bruce Shepherd AM was the president of AMA NSW before becoming federal AMA president. Through my university student lens, Shepherd sat to the right of Genghis Khan. The bombastic orthopaedic surgeon withdrew his orthopaedic mates from NSW public hospitals in a Machiavellian manoeuvre. It’s a classic strategy called creative perturbation.
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https://wildhealth.net.au/gps-left-behind-on-virtual-care/
12 July 2022
GPs left behind on virtual care
Although covid has transformed what treatment looks like in mental health, chronic care, and primary care, there are still plenty of obstacles for doctors trying to provide remote care and for patients trying to access it.
These obstacles, as well as what can be done about them, were a hot topic of discussion at the “Models of Care in the Cloud 2” panel, held at the Inaugural CXO Cloud Healthcare Summit.
Moderated by Jeremy Knibbs, publisher of Wild Health and The Medical Republic, panelists spoke about the current state of telehealth in their respective fields, and what the future of telehealth in medicine might look like.
Although the pandemic propelled some funding for telehealth in general practice, not all virtual care services were covered, according to Dr Paresh Dawda, director and principal of Prestantia Health and Next Practice Canberra.
“We almost need a fundamental rethink around how we fund care,” he said.
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https://wildhealth.net.au/what-exactly-is-digital-health/
12 July 2022
What exactly is ‘digital health’?
Government Insights Technology
A number of years ago I was working as a consultant in a government health department when it changed name from the “eHealth” division to the “digital health” division.
I spent some time wandering the floor, asking people what they thought the change of name meant. Almost without exception the answer was the same: “It’s just another phrase that means the same thing”.
While innovators in the digital health sector understand that this isn’t the case, sadly many government departments and government funded organisations still don’t understand the full implications of the shift from eHealth to digital health.
And, since I work with healthcare organisations to develop digital health strategies and implement new digitally enabled models of care, I’ve seen that this is a consistent theme across healthcare. Many people working in the industry don’t fully grasp the breadth and power of what digital health can help us achieve.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/oaic-opens-probe-into-bunnings-kmart-over-facial-recognition-582541
OAIC opens probe into Bunnings, Kmart over facial recognition
By Justin Hendry on Jul 12, 2022 5:08PM
After CHOICE investigation.
Bunnings and Kmart Australia’s use of facial recognition to analyse CCTV footage will be probed by Australia’s privacy watchdog after a CHOICE investigation of the country’s 25 largest retailers.
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) opened an investigation into the personal information handling by the two retailers owned by Wesfarmers on Tuesday.
The investigation will focus on the “companies’ use of facial recognition technology”, the privacy watchdog said.
Bunnings and Kmart, as well as The Good Guys, were referred to the OAIC by Choice two weeks ago for potential breaches of the Privacy Act.
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https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/outspoken-gp-ordered-brush-social-media-courtesy
Outspoken GP ordered to brush up on social media 'courtesy'
Supporters of Dr David Berger say he is being 'punished' for his criticism of the government's pandemic policies
11th July 2022
An outspoken GP and critic of government policies on COVID-19 has been ordered by the Medical Board of Australia to complete education on being courteous to fellow doctors on social media.
Dr David Berger has argued strongly for tougher pandemic controls and better PPE for healthcare workers primarily through his high-profile Twitter account that has 35,000 followers.
But, after what is believed to be an anonymous complaint about his tweets, the board ordered he complete education “in relation to behaving professionally and courteously to colleagues and other practitioners including when using social media”.
Last week doctors and researchers, including former AMA WA president Dr Andrew Miller, came out in defence of Dr Berger, who works as a locum in emergency settings in rural and remote locations.
“He calls a spade a spade, rather than a single-operator soil relocation device. Fools best avoid him because the diagnosis will be rapid and forthright,” Dr Miller wrote in an opinion piece in The West Australian newspaper on Monday.
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Tuesday, 12 July 2022 09:31
ACMA puts onus on telcos to block SMS scams
New rules developed by the Australian Communications and Media Authority in conjunction with industry body Communications Alliance require telcos to identify, trace and block SMS scams.
"SMS scams can be highly sophisticated and have devastating financial and emotional impacts for victims. In some circumstances, scammers can take a person's life savings and cause profound ongoing distress," said ACMA chair Nerida O'Loughlin.
"These scam messages are deeply frustrating to Australians because they are received on devices that are an essential part of our social and economic lives. Almost every Australian adult and business is affected. We shouldn't have to screen messages and adopt workaround behaviours to be able to feel safe and stay connected."
The new rules have been introduced following the success of the 2020 industry code that tackled scam calls. According to O'Loughlin, that led to more than 549 million scam calls being blocked and a dramatic drop in scam call complaints.
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Telcos and regulator line up to find, track, and block scam text messages
12:00AM July 12, 2022
Text message scammers are set to be targeted under a new code rolled out by industry in a bid to clamp down on rapidly spiralling losses.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority has registered the new code which would see telcos and network operators identify, trace, and block scam text messages and the numbers behind them.
The aim of the Reducing Scam Calls and Scam Short Messages industry code would be to cut off scam messages before they even arrive.
The code, which has been put together by the Communications Alliance, a peak body for telco vendors, suppliers, service providers, and consultants, comes after heightening scrutiny of scam messaging.
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https://www.fnarena.com/index.php/2022/07/11/benefits-in-view-for-radiology-ai-adopters/
Benefits In View For Radiology AI Adopters
Australia | Jul 11 2022
After a huge step up in funding over the last three years, artificial intelligence in radiology may be approaching adoption.
-Integration
of AI in radiology has made leaps and bounds amid accelerated investment
-Algorithms
support efficiency and accuracy of diagnosis
-Radiologists
with development partnerships stand to benefit from short-term efficiencies and
longer-term market gains
By Danielle Austin
While it has taken some time for AI to secure a foothold in the radiology sector, with the technology largely underperforming initial expectations to date, analysts from Goldman Sachs have highlighted ongoing investment into the technology has accelerated progress, with revenue generation now on the horizon for the technology.
Funding for AI in radiology quadrupled in 2018-2021, compared to spending in the preceding three years, has seen the sector make huge strides forwards in recent years. There are now more than 190 AI algorithms approved by the FDA, and the industry is highly competitive with more than 200 independent software vendors vying for share in a market Goldman Sachs is estimating to be worth US$18-25bn, with growth potential offering substantial further upside.
The broker highlights to date these algorithms do not seek to replace the need for radiologists, but rather improve or support the efficiency and accuracy of the diagnosis process. Approved algorithms are focused on improving measurement and image processing, workflow management and visualisation, but the broker sees potential for further use of AI technology in retrieving patient information and relevant medical information.
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Could 'shared care' be the answer to Australia's health crisis?
Monday, 11 July, 2022
Amid significant doctor shortages and growing patient demand, an Australian doctor is calling for a change in how the healthcare industry understands continuity of care.
Dr Andrew Thompson, Medical Director at telehealth service InstantScripts, believes Australia needs to shift to a ‘shared care’ model whereby patients see telehealth doctors when needed while continuing with their long-term GP for their overall health care.
The digital evolution of health care has been taking place amid GP shortages, Thompson said, noting that this shortage is proving a problem across the nation, particularly in the country, with around 20% of people in rural Australia unable to see a GP and around 50% unable to access specialists in their region.1
“Against these interconnecting factors, maintaining a relationship with one doctor is unrealistic. In an increasingly digitalised healthcare environment, the answer to ensuring all Australians have quick and easy access to healthcare services while maintaining the quality of patient care is changing how we understand continuity of care.”
A new era of health care
An independent survey of 1000 Australians commissioned by InstantScripts found that just over 15% of Australian adults don’t have a regular GP, with just under half of those (48%) saying the lack of a chronic condition or need to visit a GP on a regular basis swayed their decision not to have their own doctor.
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https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=1ba63ebf-f0f4-4597-8b24-93fcd56b7014
Sweeping data privacy reform planned, and first dedicated Minister for Cyber Security appointed
Clayton Utz - David Benson and Sam Fiddian
Australia July 7 2022
More transparency and accountability are expected as the result of planned reforms to Australia's data privacy and cyber security laws, although we are yet to see the details.
The Commonwealth Government has recently put cyber security and data privacy reform at the centre of its agenda. In addition to the new Attorney-General flagging sweeping data privacy reform, the Commonwealth Government will have a dedicated Minister for Cyber Security for the first time. This recognises the importance of cyber security in the protection of Australia's national security and economic future, and forms part of the broader legislative reform in the cyber security and data privacy spheres.
These actions and comments reflect the Commonwealth Government's election campaign which identified the importance of the interplay between cyber security and national security, and how it is intimately entwined with Australia's defence and economic future, particularly considering recent geo-political unrest. This is evident from the Australian Cyber Security Centre's annual cyber threat report for the 2021 financial year which identified over 67,500 cybercrime reports (up 13% and nearly one incident every eight minutes), self-reported losses of $33 billion and approximately one quarter of those cybercrime reports affecting entities associated with Australia's critical infrastructure.
We expect the ongoing reforms to place increased obligations on Government entities and public sector organisations to ensure they adequately protect themselves, their operations and the data and information they hold.
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Scamwatch: Getting someone to do your tax return? Make sure it's legitimate
July 8 2022 at 1:00pm
Scams, and the con artists behind them, are forever evolving and becoming more sophisticated and harder to spot.
ACM has compiled a list of current scams identified on sites such as scamwatch.gov.au, cyber.gov.au and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's website dedicated to informing people about fraudulent and dishonest activities.
If you have been the victim of a scam report it to scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam.
Tax practitioner scams
Scamwatch: Getting someone to do your tax return? Make sure it's legitimate
· It 's tax time and unfortunately that means there are several news tax related scams doing the rounds.
· The Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) is warning people to be extra vigilant of scams aiming to lure unsuspecting honest consumers into using the tax services of unregistered preparers.
· According to the TPB, unregistered preparers operate outside of the law, often making money by skimming a portion of their clients' refunds and charging inflated fees for return preparation services.
· They attract new clients by promising large refunds.
· Some will encourage filing fraudulent claims for refunds on items that their clients aren't entitled to, while others will obtain myGov sign in details from clients, putting their personal information at risk.
· The TPB recommends visiting its website for its online guide which offers tips for avoiding unregistered preparers.
· Check your tax practitioner is registered on the public register at tpb.gov.au/onlineregister.
· Only registered tax practitioners can charge a fee for tax agent services.
· Be sceptical if an agent offers to secure you unexpected or unexplained payments.
· Never share your myGov password with anyone, even your registered tax agent - doing so puts your personal information at risk.
· You should not allow anyone else to lodge or prepare your tax return through your myGov account.
· Visit www.tpb.gov.au/tpb-taxtime-2022 for more information on unregistered preparers and related scams.
· You can report scams to www.scamwatch.gov.au
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Neighbourhood Centre selected to deliver free ‘Your Health in Your Hands’ program
by News Of The Area - Modern Media - July 10, 2022
HEALTH websites and apps abound today and more than ever, people are relying on the internet to look after their health and wellbeing with varying degrees of online technical skills.
Coffs Harbour Neighbourhood Centre has been selected as a community hub to deliver the free ‘Your Health in Your Hands’ program.
“It supports our community to improve their skills and confidence in being able to access and use digital skills online to improve and monitor health and wellbeing for them and their families,” Di Woods, Manager at Coffs Harbour Neighbourhood Centre, told News Of The Area.
Digital health literacy skills are helpful in ensuring every Australian can make informed, confident choices when supporting their health and wellbeing online.
Donna Hunt, Digital Mentor at Coffs Harbour Neighbourhood Centre said, “With more and more health services being offered digitally, helping people build these skills opens up options such as seeing a doctor or specialist via Telehealth, accessing mental health support, filling prescriptions remotely, and being in control of your own health information.
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David.
