Here is the link:
http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/commsen/0b1b0fd0-9f50-442e-ac5d-0401c291161c/toc_pdf/Community%20Affairs%20References%20Committee_2018_09_11_6555.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf#search=%22committees/commsen/0b1b0fd0-9f50-442e-ac5d-0401c291161c/0000%22
David.
Thursday, September 13, 2018
Is This The Biggest Threat To Keeping Your Information Private If You Sign Up For The myHR.
This appeared last week:
Snooping Perth hospital staff caught in 40 patient privacy breaches
Regina Titelius PerthNow September 2, 2018 2:00AM
DOZENS of snooping hospital staff have been caught accessing patient medical records without proper authority.
The 40 breaches of patient confidentiality under the State’s Health Services Act occurred between 2014-15 and 2016-17.
Not a single staff member lost their job as a result of the privacy breaches.
Discipline involved counselling, written warnings, a formal reprimand, “improvement action” and training.
The highest number of cases, 14, were at South Metropolitan Health Service, which includes Fiona Stanley, Rockingham, Fremantle and Murray District hospitals.
Scandal-plagued North Metropolitan Health Service, which includes Sir Charles Gairdner, King Edward Memorial and Graylands hospitals, as well as Joondalup Health Campus, had 13 incidents, including eight alone in 2016-17.
The remainder were at East Metropolitan Health Service (10 breaches of patient confidentiality), Children and Adolescent Health Service (two) and WA Country Health Service (one).
This information on the cases was provided to The Sunday Times only after Health Minister Roger Cook was made aware the Department of Health repeatedly refused to provide details.
Many more details here:
What can you say. People just love to snoop just a little, and with the myHR audit trail not really able to finger individuals – just organisations – I reckon it is likely to be open slather – considering how many access points there will be!
What do you think?
David.
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Obfuscation And Obstruction Really Have Become Standard Operating Procedure For The ADHA.
This appeared last week:
My Health Record access controls used only 214 times in million record trial
Individual document controls were used only 10 times during the electronic health record trial.
As one begins to work with numbers that approach zero, small differences in weightings and roundings can easily become orders of magnitude out of whack.
So it was that back in May, officials from the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) told Senate Estimates that less than 0.1 percent of users in its trial areas had set access codes to change the default setting of general access to health care providers, and instead restrict data to nominated health care providers or people.
Thanks to numbers released by the Department of Health in response to Questions on Notice last month, we now know that "less than 0.1 percent" was incorrect by three orders of magnitude, or, more precisely, around 500 times smaller than ADHA said.
The department revealed that of the 971,252 records created during its trial period, only 214 access controls were set. Of that number, 196 records had a code applied to the entire record, 10 had individual documents locked down with a code, and eight had both record and document codes applied.
…..
Given such a low number of interactions, it's quite a stretch from Kelsey to portray that users are engaged with the system. This appears to be more of a 'set and forget' scenario, and with the high number of people who have been surprised to learn they had a record when attempting to opt-out during the official window, that million also contains people ignorant that they were in the system.
……
The department also said that only 3 percent, or 287, specialist organisations were hooked up to My Health Record as of June 3, and in the year to June 3, an average of 3,641 general practices had uploaded one document each week to the system. – (There are about 35,000 GPs or so)
Read even more details here:
The information reported above can be found here:
A few comments:
1. Note how in para 3 they (ADHA) flat out misled the Senator by 3 orders or magnitude.
2. When asked directly it seems that in the two opt-out trials approximately 2/3 of people did not know they had been given a record during the trial. Many still don’t know!
3. Almost no-one set any security controls – presumably because they did not know they had a record or how to do it.
4. The 3% penetration of the myHR among specialists after so long has a message…its useless.
Talk about saying the trials were a success when they were clearly an object failure with patients!
And now they plan the same stunt on the rest of us.
What shysters..
David.
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Useful Recording Of The Evidence Given For The Senate Inquiry.
Here you go.
https://www.aph.gov.au/News_and_Events/LiveMediaPlayer?vID={31B626FB-BD6B-4308-875C-56E87B13B70C}
You can play forward and rewind as of tonight at the bottom of the recording. Link is now updated below.
Enjoy
David.
p.s. This is the new permanent link:
http://parlview.aph.gov.au/mediaPlayer.php?videoID=415699
D.
https://www.aph.gov.au/News_and_Events/LiveMediaPlayer?vID={31B626FB-BD6B-4308-875C-56E87B13B70C}
You can play forward and rewind as of tonight at the bottom of the recording. Link is now updated below.
Enjoy
David.
p.s. This is the new permanent link:
http://parlview.aph.gov.au/mediaPlayer.php?videoID=415699
D.
Commentators and Journalists Weigh In On The MyHR Debate And Related Matters. Lots Of Interesting Perspectives - 8.
Note: I have excluded any commentary taking significant funding from the Agency or the Department of Health on all this to avoid what amounts to paid propaganda. (e.g. CHF, RACGP, AMA, National Rural Health Alliance etc. where they were simply putting the ADHA line – viz. that the myHR is a wonderfully useful clinical development that will save huge numbers of lives at no risk to anyone – which is plainly untrue) (This signifies probable ADHA Propaganda)
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If privacy is dead, why can't we sell our own data?
By Michelle Jamrisko & Mark Miller
7 September 2018 — 2:03pm
If privacy is truly a thing of the past, then people should at least profit off their own personal information.
That's the view of data rights advocate Brittany Kaiser, who came forth this year to testify about how former employer Cambridge Analytica improperly hoovered up data on millions of Facebook users.
It's a perspective shared by an increasing number of online users around the world, who're waking up to the fact that Facebook and Google's online empires are built on data they signed away without compensation.
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Paid Post
Taking My Health Record on the Road
by Seniors News ADHA Propaganda
7th Sep 2018 11:10 AM | Updated: 11:10 AM
CARSELDINE retirees Peter Button and Cathy Zappala join a legion of grey nomads taking their health on the road with My Health Record.
Cathy suffers from chronic health issues and has been using My Health Record for many years to keep all her health information in one place and easily accessible for her treating doctors, specialists and hospitals.
"The benefits of My Heath Record at my age are undeniable. My wife and I are about to set off on a trip around Australia in our motorhome and we plan to rely solely on My Health Record to contain all our health information" Peter said.
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Getting The Facts About My Health Record
She is encouraging everyone to find out the facts about My Health Record to decide whether it’s right for them.
“The whole point of My Health Record is that all the current medications I am on will come up on My Health Record,” Esther said.
“If I travel to Victoria or New South Wales, and anything happens to me, health professionals need to know what medication I am on.”
Esther’s initial concerns about confidentially were overcome when she learnt more about My Health Record’s privacy and access controls.
“It’s something that you really need to think about and the LGBTI community really need to think about it – enough with the scaremongering, you’re LGBTI and you’re aging, you’ve got chronic disease, you’ve got illness, people need to know,” Esther said.
“Don’t listen to everyone else. You really need to think about what’s good for you – you’ve got to ask questions.”
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Dr Bob Walker said...
Hi, my name is Dr Bob Walker and I am a GP working in Lindisfarne, Tasmania but I also run student clinics in our local Y11/Y12 State Co-Ed College. Over the last 10 years these Clinics have been highly successful and we have had thousands of consultations providing non judgmental, evidence based advice in strictly confidential surroundings. Our Clinics are easy access/drop in and all students are bulk billed. The local path lab provide bulk billed tests and we record and prescribe using our practice software. In this time we have clearly dropped the pregnancy rate, significantly limited the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and done a lot of good mental health work. Not one of the students who have engaged with us in this time have taken their lives.
However, the arrival of My health Record (MHR)is a total disaster as our Clinics will be a lot harder to run. After a lot of soul searching we plan to close our Clinics on 15 November - a very backward step for youth health. About 15% of our young patients have a MHR, presumably enrolled by their parents and almost all without their knowledge. These students are really distressed by having a MHR and now worry about their confidentiality. If we do not tick a box on our path referrals to avoid results going onto their MHR, parents and others can see the results of STD and HIV screens. If a pharmacist slips up and fails to block a dispensing activity, scripts for contraceptives and medications for STDs are also visible. All Medicare items numbers including the names and locations of doctors, all path results and all scripts appear on these records up to the age of 14yrs. Medicare limits these flows between 14 and 18yrs unless we slip up as mentioned. However, Health Summaries, with explosive diagnoses can be uploaded by hurried/unthinking providers for all age groups. After 18yrs, all new data uploads is clearly visible to home viewers. The ADHA proudly states that young people can take over their records and limit access but this is easier said than done and our students (and quite tech savvy ones, too) have found this quite difficult. Also, parents can put pressure on their teens to open up a private record and if they do not comply, suspicions and arguments arise. As doctors we have all had cases where a young person would have been seriously injured, made homeless or possibly suicided had details of their medical record been seen by others. Doctors will now become targets even though we are treating mature minors and only working in their best interest and safety. I am saddened by the lack of consultation by the ADHA with us youth health workers. The support of MHR from the AMA and the Royal Australian College of GPs is not based on a sound knowledge of how young people interact with our health system. As a GP, I can see the benefit of a well maintained, up to date and accurate MHY for older people and other patients with complex health conditions, multiple medications, serious allergies, drug addictions and complex psychiatric illnesses. However the risks to young people far outweigh the advantages of the current 'Opt Out' System. There has to be a better way and I hope the forthcoming Senate Enquiry will recommend a modified 'Opt In' system and spare our young people from what is now a cruel cyber threat to their wellbeing. If anyone reading this can influence Government policy at this critical time, your action will be much appreciated by young Australians.
However, the arrival of My health Record (MHR)is a total disaster as our Clinics will be a lot harder to run. After a lot of soul searching we plan to close our Clinics on 15 November - a very backward step for youth health. About 15% of our young patients have a MHR, presumably enrolled by their parents and almost all without their knowledge. These students are really distressed by having a MHR and now worry about their confidentiality. If we do not tick a box on our path referrals to avoid results going onto their MHR, parents and others can see the results of STD and HIV screens. If a pharmacist slips up and fails to block a dispensing activity, scripts for contraceptives and medications for STDs are also visible. All Medicare items numbers including the names and locations of doctors, all path results and all scripts appear on these records up to the age of 14yrs. Medicare limits these flows between 14 and 18yrs unless we slip up as mentioned. However, Health Summaries, with explosive diagnoses can be uploaded by hurried/unthinking providers for all age groups. After 18yrs, all new data uploads is clearly visible to home viewers. The ADHA proudly states that young people can take over their records and limit access but this is easier said than done and our students (and quite tech savvy ones, too) have found this quite difficult. Also, parents can put pressure on their teens to open up a private record and if they do not comply, suspicions and arguments arise. As doctors we have all had cases where a young person would have been seriously injured, made homeless or possibly suicided had details of their medical record been seen by others. Doctors will now become targets even though we are treating mature minors and only working in their best interest and safety. I am saddened by the lack of consultation by the ADHA with us youth health workers. The support of MHR from the AMA and the Royal Australian College of GPs is not based on a sound knowledge of how young people interact with our health system. As a GP, I can see the benefit of a well maintained, up to date and accurate MHY for older people and other patients with complex health conditions, multiple medications, serious allergies, drug addictions and complex psychiatric illnesses. However the risks to young people far outweigh the advantages of the current 'Opt Out' System. There has to be a better way and I hope the forthcoming Senate Enquiry will recommend a modified 'Opt In' system and spare our young people from what is now a cruel cyber threat to their wellbeing. If anyone reading this can influence Government policy at this critical time, your action will be much appreciated by young Australians.
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Using data to shape the future of health services
Amanda Lyons 7/09/2018 2:36:10 PM
newsGP spoke with two organisations running primary care data projects that show the potential value of secondary patient data for planning – and predicting – health services at a population level.
General practice data can be extremely useful in predicting future health services and informing current ones.
The ongoing debate over My Health Record highlights the sensitive nature of handling information from medical records, particularly in terms of the secondary use of patient data.
An example of such secondary use is when data collected for one purpose, ie to register a personal account, is then used again for another purpose, such as targeted advertising. This is how a company like Facebook monetises its social media platform.
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An example of such secondary use is when data collected for one purpose, ie to register a personal account, is then used again for another purpose, such as targeted advertising. This is how a company like Facebook monetises its social media platform.
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NDIS flaw let providers log in and steal thousands
- 12:00AM September 7, 2018
A security flaw in the service portal for the $22 billion National Disability Insurance Scheme was closed last night after it was revealed fraudulent operators could search random numbers, bring up private information of disabled people and steal thousands of dollars without question.
The agency in charge of the rollout is investigating a “small number” of providers who exploited the security gap and it will set about recovering stolen or misappropriated tens of thousands of dollars.
The design fault in the NDIS interface allowed any participant or registered provider to guess a nine-digit plan number in the search function and bring up random support packages from participants. Companies have then used this function to essentially raise their own invoices in these windows and be paid immediately.
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New blockchain ledger will let US residents sell personal healthcare data
IBM and a start-up have launched a blockchain-based app that lets patients eventually sell anonymized data to pharmaceutical companies, researchers and others while retaining greater control over privacy.
Lucas Mearian (Computerworld)07 September, 2018 08:41
Most people don't know it but there is a multi-billion dollar industry that collects healthcare information, strips it of basic personal identifiers such as name, address and Social Security Number, and then sells it off to researchers, drug developers, marketers and others.
Medical informatics companies, such as Iqvia (IMS Health), Optum, and Symphony Health reap the profits of selling the healthcare data while the people from whom it's collected have no control over how it's used. Nor do they get any compensation for it.
Start-up Hu-manity.co has partnered with IBM to develop an electronic ledger that gives consumers the cryptographic key to grant to their personal data, even allowing patients or others to control the specific purpose for which it's used, while also allowing them to eventually profit from it.
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September 5, 2018
How My Health Record Could Benefit Parents Who Travel
Written by Karli Steenkamp
Travelling is an exciting thing to do with your kids. It could also be stressful to make sure everything is packed. You have things to do for the kids and the places you go have be somewhat child-friendly. The last thing you might have thought of is what to do in an emergency. You will definitely have peace of mind knowing that your family is taken care of during your travels and one way to ensure this is with a My Health Record.
Many Australians are unsure of what My Health Record is about and how it could benefit you as a family. The Australian Digital Health Agency encourages parents to find out more about the great benefits of this system. Six million people already have a My Health Record with thirteen thousand health professionals joining this system. My Health Record will take the stress of your family’s health out of travelling.
What is My Health Record?
My Health Record is an online summary of a person’s health. It is a simple way for parents to monitor their children’s health, providing all the important information such as allergies, immunisations, test results and health checks.
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Hawkesbury Residents Get Their Chance to Have a Say on My Health Record
Source: Susan Templeman MP, Member For Macquarie
Posted: 5 Sep 2018
Hawkesbury residents now have a chance to have their say on the My Health Record system, with a Senate inquiry underway.
Member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman MP said the Senate had agreed to Labor’s calls for a comprehensive inquiry into the My Health Record system in response to significant privacy and security concerns.
Ms Templeman said the inquiry would give concerned residents an opportunity to share their views about My Health Record or suggest improvements.
“We support the My Health Record in principle but the Government has really botched the implementation,” Ms Templeman said.
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My Health Record access controls used only 214 times in million record trial
Individual document controls were used only 10 times during the electronic health record trial.
As one begins to work with numbers that approach zero, small differences in weightings and roundings can easily become orders of magnitude out of whack.
So it was that back in May, officials from the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) told Senate Estimates that less than 0.1 percent of users in its trial areas had set access codes to change the default setting of general access to health care providers, and instead restrict data to nominated health care providers or people.
Thanks to numbers released by the Department of Health in response to Questions on Notice last month, we now know that "less than 0.1 percent" was incorrect by three orders of magnitude, or, more precisely, around 500 times smaller than ADHA said.
The department revealed that of the 971,252 records created during its trial period, only 214 access controls were set. Of that number, 196 records had a code applied to the entire record, 10 had individual documents locked down with a code, and eight had both record and document codes applied.
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5 September 2018
Doctors, not Dr Google, are the answer
The patient looks at me, desperate – “But what do you think it is, Preeya?”
Honestly, I have no idea. Which is not what I say out loud to the patient, who is getting increasingly anxious about the abdominal pain she has had for the past three days.
“I know it’s nothing nasty. Your appetite is normal, you don’t have a fever, your tummy is soft on examination and you’re still able to attend work and the gym despite the pain. So I think we should catch up in 72 hours and see how you’re going. If anything changes you come sooner.”
She stares back at me: “OK, but what’s causing the pain?”
The truth is we don’t always have the answer. Despite how the community often perceives us, or how we project ourselves, doctors are not magicians.
When I tell my patients: “Honestly, I don’t know” or “I can’t answer that”, I’m often faced with a shocked expression.
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Health in Australia: a quick guide - August 2018 update
31 Aug 2018
Description
Australia’s health outcomes are among the best in the world. At the same time, as Australia’s Health 2018 notes, our health system is a complex network of services and settings, involving a mix of health professionals, service providers, funders and regulators.
This updated guide provides an overview of Australia’s complex health system: what governments do, the role of private health insurance, how much we spend on health care, how Australian health outcomes compare internationally, the health care workforce and links to further information and resources.
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Denham Sadler
September 3, 2018
AusPost Digital iD on the rocks
Digital ID
Focus has moved away from the Digital iD project at Australia Post, with a reduction in funding and staff changes, InnovationAus.com understands.
Multiple sources have confirmed that focus has been moved away from the Digital iD project since new CEO Christine Holgate took over at Australia Post, and that its funding has been reduced.
The organisation also recently scoped interest in the private sector for funding or a sale, but this has now been “halted”. There were concerns that such a move could jeopardise the project’s deal with the federal government’s Digital Transformation Agency, and a potential partnership with the controversial My Health Record service.
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In encryption wars, it can be a matter of life or death
By Ben Grubb
4 September 2018 — 8:52am
Imagine this: Australia's police and intelligence agencies, acting on multiple anonymous tips, have identified a plot to set off a bomb in the CBD some time in the next 24 hours.
Now further imagine, at a midnight hearing, they request that a magistrate grant them a warrant to intercept the suspects' smartphone calls and texts. Without hesitation, the judge gives them approval.
Despite this, it's possible they will hear and see nothing. Perhaps the suspects are using Apple's iPhones to communicate with each other, making use of its built-in encrypted messaging app iMessage and another encrypted app, Wickr.
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My Health Record: fact vs fantasy
Dr Simon Torvaldsen
Chair, AMA (WA) Council of General Practice ADHA Propaganda
Monday 27 August 2018
Chair, AMA (WA) Council of General Practice ADHA Propaganda
Monday 27 August 2018
I doubt that many of you would have escaped the recent storm of publicity over the Federal Government’s My Health Record. In many respects, it is good to have this debate. If we are to spend large amounts of public money on a universal electronic health record, then it should be useful, effective, secure and trusted.
Unfortunately, some of the public debate has been misinformed and factually incorrect.
The AMA has played a central role in overseeing the development of the electronic health record, as it is a very expensive piece of public policy that has a lot of potential for good if well implemented. It also has the potential to be an expensive white elephant if not trusted, ineffective or too hard to use.
As initially proposed by the Department of Health, MyHR was a useless bureaucratic nightmare for doctors and patients alike. The AMA walked away from it, along with the key doctors contracted by the DoH to assist with implementation.
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Comments welcome!
David.
Public Hearing Alert: Today Sep 11, 2018 - My Health Record Senate Inquiry. Starts 4.15pm
Here is the link to the Inquiry Home Page:
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/MyHealthRecordsystem
Go to this link to watch on-line:
https://www.aph.gov.au/Watch_Read_Listen
David.
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/MyHealthRecordsystem
Go to this link to watch on-line:
https://www.aph.gov.au/Watch_Read_Listen
David.
Monday, September 10, 2018
Weekly Australian Health IT Links – 10th September, 2018.
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
Very quiet week, with a huge amount of paid propaganda coming from the ADHA. I sense a little unease with the Senate Enquiry etc. A little bird tells me the press might have some good stories next week!
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Qld Health's new ERP system faces funding shortfall
Expected to blow $105m budget.
Queensland Health’s second attempt at replacing its long out-of-support ERP system faces the prospect of falling into the red due to complications with integration and change management.
The new SAP system, which was due to be up and running last month, has also come up against delays, though the department is still convinced it can deliver the project by the end of this year.
The department has been working on the $105 million financial system renewal project (FSR) since December 2016, after aborting its $36 million first attempt to replace the system in 2014-15.
The project is intended to replace the department’s heavily customised, 20-year-old SAP R/3 4.6 ERP suite known as the finance and materials management information system (FAMMIS), which has been out of support for a decade.
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Real-time script monitoring roll-out begins
Monitored drugs include zolpidem, quetiapine and codeine
3rd September 2018
The first wave of GPs are now able to track opioid and benzodiazepine prescriptions in real time under Victoria's new system to combat doctor-shopping, addiction and overdoses.
The monitoring regime started on Monday for doctors and pharmacists based in the western part of the state.
It will be rolled out in the rest of Victoria at the beginning of next year, and cover some 6000 GPs.
"The main problem is not so much that of people doctor-shopping deliberately, but accidental doctor-shopping," says Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones, acting director of the department of addiction medicine at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne.
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5 September 2018
Victoria ready to trial real-time drug monitoring
Victoria is about to launch a long-promised real-time prescription monitoring system to cover all restricted drugs, with a trial to begin next month in the state’s west.
The SafeScript system will be trialled by doctors, pharmacists and nurse practitioners in the Western Victoria Primary Health Network, before being rolled out across the state early next year.
“Too many Victorians have died from the misuse of prescription medications. SafeScript will save lives,” Health minister Jill Hennessey said.
The system will guarantee “up-to-the-minute” information on patients’ prescription histories to avoid the dispensing of unsafe quantities of medications, the government said.
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First GPs to trial real-time prescription monitoring system in Victoria
Doug Hendrie 4/09/2018 4:30:57 PM
The SafeScript program rolls out next month and will be mandatory by 2020.
Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessy calls SafeScript a ‘cutting-edge real-time prescription monitoring system’.
GPs in western Victoria will be the first in the country to test out a large-scale real-time prescription monitoring system, as the state moves to tackle a growing spate of deaths from addictive legal drugs.
The SafeScript program will become available to GPs across the Western Victoria Primary Health Network from October, ahead of a state-wide roll-out next year that will cover 6000 GPs.
The move brings Victoria a step closer to the long-sought goal of real-time prescription monitoring, which is designed to cut down on doctor-shopping by patients addicted to potent pharmaceuticals.
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An inferior solution
A better solution is needed for codeine-containing medicines says Warwick Plunkett, in our final UTS Pharmacy Barometer article
Responses to the UTS Barometer survey about the removal of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines containing codeine this year has raised questions about the role pharmacists play in the real-time monitoring of patients on prescription opioid drugs.
The MedASSIST tool, which closed down after pharmacists stopped selling non-prescription codeine medicines in February, had played a significant role in identifying opioid addicts.
The UTS Pharmacy Barometer results from November 2017 showed the vast majority of pharmacists were very comfortable using MedASSIST. Overall, the tool achieved a comfort reading of 7.46 out of 10, which meant most pharmacists felt confident identifying patients at risk of codeine dependence and help them find the best clinical support.
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Victoria announces first stage launch of its SafeScript prescription monitoring system for October
Lynne Minion | 07 Sep 2018
Victoria’s SafeScript real-time prescription monitoring system will come online next month, with the Western Victoria Primary Health Network poised to be the first to use the platform designed to prevent doctor shopping.
SafeScript will be activated across the state early next year, according to the state’s Minister for Health Jill Hennessy, who this week joined clinicians at a Yarraville pharmacy to announce the initial October go-live.
“Too many Victorians have died from the misuse of prescription medications. SafeScript will save lives,” Hennessy said.
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Why SafeScript is like seat belts
SafeScript is set to roll out in one Victorian PHN area, ahead of its state-wide expansion next year
And president of the Pharmacy Guild Victorian branch Anthony Tassone has compared the system to the implementation of road safety measures.
Minister for Health Jill Hennessy joined clinicians at the Carnovale Pharmacy in Yarraville, inner-western Melbourne, over the weekend to announce that the program will begin in the Western Victoria Primary Health Network catchment in October.
SafeScript is set to give pharmacists, doctors and nurse practitioners access to up-to-the-minute information about their patients’ prescription histories, says the Andrews Labor Government.
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5 September 2018
Mobile apps prove effective for heart medication
Smartphone apps designed to help patients with their for heart medication do work, but there’s no need to splash out on a flash one, an Australian study has found.
University of Sydney researchers told the European Society of Cardiology Congress last month that even basic apps, some of which are cost-free, were effective in improving medication use.
A three-month randomised clinical trial involving 160 mainly male patients, with an average aged of 58 years, compared medication usage of patients in usual care to those supported to download and use medication apps.
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BUPA turns to tech to simplify health insurance
'Curates' paths through complexity for customers.
Health insurer BUPA is hoping to use technology to “curate” paths for customers through Australia’s complex healthcare system, augmenting mandated simplifications due next year.
Growth and performance managing director David Hirsch told the Adobe Symposium Australia 2018 last month that BUPA was yet to “nail” a simple experience for customers.
The importance of doing so is two-fold. First, the industry must conform to new regulations next year that aim to cut the complexity out of categorising hospital insurance products.
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Concerns raised over genetic test interpretation
It comes as MBS funding has increased access to the tests
6th September 2018
Genetic specialists are concerned that MBS funding for genetic tests for patients at high risk of breast and ovarian cancer may lead to patients being falsely reassured by negative results.
Associate Professor Judy Kirk, head of the Familial Cancer Service at Sydney’s Westmead Hospital, is worried that specialists who do not have appropriate training or genetic counselling experience are able to order genetic tests for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations.
The tests have been MBS-funded since last November.
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Machine learning cuts surgical infections by 74 percent
Dash Analytics now investigating using machine-learning techniques for other medical procedures
By applying predictive analytics and machine learning techniques to patient data and real-time data from operating theatres the University of Iowa Hospital in the US managed to reduce the incidence of wound infections acquired during surgery by 74 percent.
The hospital has now spun-off a company, Dash Analytics, to commercialise its technology.
Dr John Cromwell, associate chief medical officer at University of Iowa Hospital, and now also CTO at Dash Analytics, initiated the project in 2012.
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Vic Health dumps Lotus Notes
12,000 users move to Office 365 over a year, but apps to hang around for ages.
Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has commenced a project to migrate from Lotus Notes to Office 365.
The move sounds the death knell for the one of the last and largest known hold-out enclaves of the once mighty and celebrated fax-era platform.
A post by Victorian DHHS CIO Steve Hodginkson revealed that the department started the move a few weeks ago, with around 400 users moved to the Microsoft platform already but another 12,000 plus waiting to migrate “over the next year.”
iTnews understands that Notes has been present at the Department since 1998 after it was adopted across much of the Victorian public service. That gives it three decades on the clock.
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Work on $100 million National Oracle Solution suspended
Tuesday, 4 September 2018
eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth
Work on developing a national financial management and procurement IT system for DHBs has been suspended following the release of an independent review of the project.
Late last year, the Ministry of Health commissioned Deloitte to review the National Oracle Solution programme to inform its advice to the Government after New Zealand Health Partnerships, which is leading the design and build, asked for a further $22.8 million for the project.
More than $100 million has already been spent on the solution since 2012 “with little to show for it”, says Health Minister David Clark, adding that the Deloitte report is a window into a troubled project.
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South Australia seeks to lure space agency
State budget funds Australian Space Innovation Precinct
South Australia’s government has set aside funding to develop the ‘Australian Space Innovation Precinct’ at Lot Fourteen (the former Royal Adelaide Hospital site) as part its efforts to lure the Australian Space Agency to the state.
The state budget, handed down today provides $200,000 in 2018-19 and a further $356,000 a year over three years from 2019-20.
The site will be developed to make it “a perfect location to house the Australian Space Agency, as well as other key space sector organisations,” budget documents state.
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Clinical Informatics White Paper launched
Digital health leaders are invaluable to the transformation of Australian healthcare. More and more we are seeing leaders across the health system called on to help educate, inform and inspire change in hospitals and healthcare organisations.
In acknowledging the important role clinicians play in leading digital transformation in health, HISA is pleased to launch a White Paper on Leadership in Clinical Informatics.
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‘An absolute mess’
Guild leader blasts doctors’ handling of Health Care Homes amidst floundering recruitment numbers
Pharmacy Guild national president George Tambassis has criticised the rollout of Health Care Homes in a session about the 6CPA held at the Pharmacy Connect conference in Sydney on Friday.
Health Care Homes are general practices or Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS) that provide coordinated, team-based care for Australians with chronic and complex health conditions.
More than 170 practices and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS) are providing Health Care Home services around Australia.
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Snooping Perth hospital staff caught in 40 patient privacy breaches
Regina Titelius PerthNow September 2, 2018 2:00AM
DOZENS of snooping hospital staff have been caught accessing patient medical records without proper authority.
The 40 breaches of patient confidentiality under the State’s Health Services Act occurred between 2014-15 and 2016-17.
Not a single staff member lost their job as a result of the privacy breaches.
Discipline involved counselling, written warnings, a formal reprimand, “improvement action” and training.
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Privacy Law Update 2018
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Data breach book: practical advice on how to handle aftermath of a break-in
- 03 September 2018
- Written by Sam Varghese
"If there's one thing worse than a bungle, it's a cover-up. And if there's one thing worse than a cover-up, it's being caught covering up." Wise words those, from the authors of a small, but very useful, book on data breaches and how to manage them.
Peter Coroneos, a well-known figure in Australian IT circles, and brand consultant Michael Parker have put out their Cyber Breach Communication Playbook at an opportune time, a few months after Australia began enforcing a data breach law.
Both authors are pragmatic about the possibility of a breach; their stance can be summed up in the words, "it's not whether, but when". And, accordingly, their book, which is an excellent read, concentrates on advising businesses the best way to react after the deed has occurred.
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Hospitals told: Don't write to GPs, write to patients
This should help patients better understand what's going on, says new UK guidance
7th September 2018
GPs in the UK will no longer receive letters from other specialists; instead they’ll get copies of letters written to their patients, under new guidance.
The concept — which is not mandatory but considered best practice — aims to help patients better understand what is going on and to make them feel more supported, according to the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.
“Writing directly to the patient ... should also avoid awkwardness caused by writing about patients in the third person,” the academy adds in a new report.
It has told hospital doctors to ensure the letters contain everything the GP needs to know, including all relevant facts and details of the patient’s management plan.
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Aug 31, 2018,9:00 am
58% Of All Healthcare Breaches Are Initiated By Insiders
Louis Columbus Contributor
- 58% of healthcare systems breach attempts involve inside actors, which makes this the leading industry for insider threats today.
- Ransomware leads all malicious code categories, responsible for 70% of breach attempt incidents.
- Stealing laptops from medical professionals’ cars to obtain privileged access credentials to gain access and install malware on healthcare networks, exfiltrate valuable data or sabotage systems and applications are all common breach strategies.
These and many other fascinating insights are from Verizon’s 2018 Protected Health Information Data Breach Report (PHIDBR). A copy of the study is available for download here (PDF, 20 pp., no opt-in). The study is based on 1,368 incidents across 27 countries. Healthcare medical records were the focus of breaches, and the data victims were patients and their medical histories, treatment plans, and identities. The data comprising the report is a subset of Verizon’s Annual Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) and spans 2016 and 2017.
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Five Eyes to tech industry: Make access to online communications possible, or else
Five Eyes nations call for ICT service providers to make it easier for police to access data
The attorneys-general and interior ministers of the Five Eyes nations — Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US — have called for ICT service providers “to voluntarily establish lawful access solutions to their products and services that they create or operate in our countries”.
The ‘Statement of Principles on Access to Evidence and Encryption’ was one of the outcomes of a five country ministerial meeting held on the Gold Coast on August 28 and 29.
“Governments should not favor a particular technology; instead, providers may create customized solutions, tailored to their individual system architectures that are capable of meeting lawful access requirements,” the statement says. “Such solutions can be a constructive approach to current challenges.”
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03 Sep 2018 10:16 AM AEST
Philips signs two 20-year strategic partnership agreements in New South Wales, Australia for medical imaging solutions
· Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District and Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District engage Philips in long-term managed equipment services agreements
· Partnerships to support nine hospital sites across New South Wales in lifecycle management, financing, maintenance and performance optimisation for all major imaging solutions
· Agreements mark first-of-its-kind service delivery model for Philips in Australia and the ASEAN Pacific region
Sydney, Australia and Amsterdam, the Netherlands – Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced it has entered into two 20-year strategic partnership agreements for Managed Equipment Services with Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District and Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District in New South Wales. Under the terms of the two agreements, Philips will provide delivery, upgrade, optimisation, replacement and maintenance services for all major medical imaging solutions. The partnerships will support precision diagnosis and therapy and drive operational performance across nine hospital sites. This managed service delivery model for medical imaging technology is the first-of-its-kind for Philips in Australia and the ASEAN Pacific region.
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Labor slams govt over NBN 'cost blowout' of $2b
- 31 August 2018
- Written by Sam Varghese
The Australian Labor Party has described the national broadband network as being on "life support" with the announcement on Friday that the total outlay would be $51 billion, compared to the earlier figure of $49 billion, described as "a cost blowout" that was "nothing short of a disaster".
Labor Shadow Communications Minister Michelle Rowland and Shadow Finance Minister Jim Chalmers said in a joint statement that there was a serious question over whether Communications Minister Mitch Fifield could continue in the portfolio.
NBN Co announced its corporate plan 2019-2022 on Friday. The rollout is scheduled to be completed in 2020, but issues with both HFC and fixed wireless have led to missing some financial targets.
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Downloads soar once Australians get on the NBN, Telstra numbers show
By Adam Turner
5 September 2018 — 11:25am
As Aussies develop a taste of Ultra HD video streaming, the average household is chewing through almost 200GB every month and their unquenchable thirst for data shows no sign of abating.
Household fixed-line data usage grew 40 per cent in the 12 months to July 2018, maintaining steady year-on-year growth for the last five years, according to the latest Telstra figures. Across the country, Telstra customers downloaded 243,300TB in July alone.
The nationwide NBN rollout is helping feed this demand for data, with monthly household downloads leaping by 50 per cent once homes move across to the new high-speed network. The increasing usage is not just driven by faster speeds, with households on ADSL still managing to download 23 per cent more data in the last year.
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NBN Co launches medical alarm discount scheme
Encourages owners of unmonitored medical alarms to upgrade
NBN Co has released details of a subsidy scheme to help households upgrade unmonitored medical alarm systems that rely on the copper network to call for help.
Unmonitored medical alarms can be used to call emergency services or a person’s emergency contact. NBN connections rely on premises having access to power; as a result, during power outages older unmonitored medical alarm systems may not function. Some newer medical alarms can connect over the NBN and also offer cellular-based backup connections if mains power is lost.
The new subsidy will cover up to 80 per cent of the cost of a new alarm, up to a maximum discount of $300. Currently two providers, CareAlert and the INS Group, are participating in the scheme.
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NBN to subsidise medical alarm upgrades
NBN will provide up to AU$300 towards upgraded unmonitored medical alarms to help ensure they do not stop working during the migration from legacy services.
The National Broadband Network (NBN) has announced that it will be meet 80 percent of the cost for upgrading unmonitored medical alarms, saying it will improve customer experience during the migration from legacy broadband services.
Unmonitored medical alarms, which alert a chosen contact or emergency services when triggered, may need upgrading so they can dial out during power outages -- and when broadband connections are switched off during an NBN migration.
NBN is providing up to AU$300 off the cost of a replacement when a user is registered with NBN's Medical Alarm Register, which currently has more than 260,000 members.
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Enjoy!
David.
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