NEHTA Releases an Annual Report for 2008-9. What Fun!

Oh dear. Spin Central from NEHTA rolls on.

Here is page 5 of the report. You find the spin (Italics are a clue)!

Introduction to e-health

E-health is the electronic collection, management, use, storage and sharing of healthcare information. This information can include individual items such as test results, discharge summaries, vaccination history, medication history and diagnoses, to comprehensive medical records which keep all of this information about a person in one place.

The governments of Australia recognise that e-health and an Individual Electronic Health Record (IEHR) are vital to the achievement of major health reform in the next decade.

E-health systems that can securely and efficiently exchange data can significantly improve how important clinical and administrative information is communicated between healthcare professionals.

As a result, e-health systems have the potential to unlock substantially greater quality, safety and efficiency benefits.

E-health has the capacity to benefit all Australians – individual consumers, healthcare providers and healthcare funders.

The National E-Health Transition Authority Limited (NEHTA) is a company established by the Australian, State and Territory governments in 2005 to develop better ways of electronically collecting and securely exchanging health information.

As a collaborative vehicle, NEHTA has been assigned responsibility for a number of related projects aimed at establishing the foundations for the widespread and rapid adoption of electronic health (e-health).

----- End Extract.

Has anyone noticed Australian Government commitment to this. Given the Health Department Secretary’s most recent comment I do not think so.

The most amazing figures are here:

Employee benefits expense and contractors

2008/9 $30,212,229 – Last Year $27,041,497

Consultants

2008/9 $26,148,157 – Last Year $2,293,259

The consultant budget rose by 1000% in a time of un-employment – why not just employ the people? What a money trough for those involved!

Why no detailed explanation of this amazing rise?

Read the full report here:

http://www.nehta.gov.au/component/docman/doc_download/857-nehta-annual-report-2008-2009

David.

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