NEHTA has just published its 2006-7 Annual Report.
The document can be found here.
It is a glossy 48 page document which provides just three pages describing what has been achieved in the last 12 months.
The achievements are summarised thus (By NEHTA):
NEHTA Outcomes at a Glance
- The International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation (IHTSDO) was created with NEHTA’s Karen Gibson as Deputy Chair, and held its first meetings in Chicago and Brisbane.
- Australia’s National Product Catalogue was released, with over 50 of Australia’s top medical and pharmaceutical product suppliers taking advantage of the improved ability to communicate up-to-the-minute information about their products directly to current and potential customers.
- A comprehensive examination of key privacy issues and risks relating to the establishment of unique healthcare identifiers (UHI) and the shared electronic health record (SEHR), which included extensive feedback from clinician, consumer and privacy advocate audiences.
- Significant development of the Australian Medicines Terminology (AMT), including establishing world-first processes for the documentation of editorial rules, and ensuring safe and reliable terminology development and maintenance. NEHTA’s efforts in 2006-07 culminated in the early release of the AMT to enable international feedback during the Brisbane IHTSDO meetings.
- Specifications released to standardise the content of electronic communications in the following areas – pathology requests and results reporting, discharge summaries, referrals between general practitioners and specialists/critical care units and diagnostic procedures and test results reporting.
- 110 (approximately 90%) work program milestones achieved.
- 77 public documents produced for review and feedback.
- Established the National E-Health Standards Catalogue, containing the e-health specifications and standards recommended by NEHTA to date. The Catalogue includes 36 NEHTA-developed specifications, and 75 NEHTA recommended standards or specifications.
These outcomes have been achieved with the following expenditure:
Salaries and wages 8,434,627
Contractors 3,169,354
Consultants 444,620
Depreciation 452,483
Amortisation of leasehold improvements 54,029
Lease expenses 656,877
Operating leases 30,997
Accounting fees 190,560
Audit fees 29,200
With various other expenditure the total spent has been $18,136,972 (Last year $9,741,516)
Thus, since it incorporated NEHTA has spent $27,878,488
A little arithmetic comes up with an interesting figure.
For example, each of the riveting NEHTA 2006/7 deliverables cost us $235,000 overall given that NEHTA has yet to deliver anything that actually does anything.
Here is the list of what has not been done.
1. The SNOMED CT core is developed overseas and there are no final Australian extensions yet available (e.g. Medicines Terminology still in beta as of late September, 2007) from NEHTA – so usable clinical terminology has not been delivered.
2. The planned Identifier Services are not yet available – maybe in 2009.
3. The Business Case for HealthConnect II has now been in development for two years and has a while yet to run (not due until COAG 2008).
4. The detailed privacy documents are not at all detailed or rigorous, and the feedback document is frankly a joke in my view (all of 4 actual pages of self congratulatory comment).
5. No one I am aware of has implemented, tested and proven to actually work a single electronic communications content specification.
6. The Australian Product Catalogue is operated by GS1 / EANNet. As NEHTA itself says “The data stored in the NPC is hosted by EANnet, developed by GS1 Australia. NEHTA will build on the NPC to develop a national approach to public health electronic procurement and business intelligence tools.” NEHTA’s role is largely co-ordination and the reports I receive suggest the scale of achievement claimed by NEHTA remains slightly optimistic (at best). It is clearly still a work in progress.
What we have here is an organisation which has yet to deliver anything much and has a productivity level that means it takes 1.2 man years to produce each document and has cost $27M + over 2 years.
We all deserve better explanations of just why it costs accommodation of less than 100 people costs $650,000+ p.a. and why accountants are being paid $195,000 p.a. to do the accounts.
More ominous is the following – note the report was finalised 19/10/2007
On page23 we find
After Balance Date Events
No matters or circumstances have arisen since the end of the financial period that significantly affected or may significantly affect the operations of the company, the results of those operations, or the state of affairs of the company in future financial years.
Future Developments
Likely developments in the operations of the company and the expected results of those operations in future financial years are in accordance with the principal activity.
I wonder what the Boston Consulting Group report will make of all this – and whether we will ever see it. Sounds like NEHTA is confident there will be no change other than minor tweaks around the edges. That NEHTA is underperforming was confirmed my multiple submissions to the BCG Review.
This report is really a model of self aggrandising obfuscation that I am sure many in the commercial sector wish they could get away with matching. Mercifully they can’t. The pages padded with useless lists and photos of the directors are a true joy to behold!
I really think that after two full years we should have more concrete and tangible outcomes for our almost $30 million.
David.
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