On Sunday I posted a blog suggesting the CeH letter to the Prime Minister was an unalloyed good.
I have learnt a lesson here. I had seen a range of circulated drafts but had not actually seen, and carefully reviewed, the final letter before posting.
This paragraph appeared late in the drafting and I did not notice it before I put the file up for downloading.
“We believe that the National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) has shaped a coherent vision and roadmap and has defined several “Foundation Projects” that must be funded and implemented to provide a shared basis for success. The States and Territories are also progressively aligning with the NEHTA roadmap and its foundation projects. We also note growing support of the private sector; the Business Council of Australia has strongly supported action on e-health in their letter to you dated 21 October 2009, the content of which we endorse. Finally, there is widespread consumer acceptance of and desire for a health system transformed by e-health – an independent public opinion poll commissioned by NEHTA found that 82% of consumers say they would use an e-health record.”
For the record I totally support the CeH thrust in getting more attention on e-Health and supporting the funded implementation of the National E-Health Strategy.
I do not believe NEHTA has shaped a ‘coherent vision’ and I do not believe they understand what their role is in supporting health system reform and improvement. I have no idea just how many of the CeH members agree with this sentiment. As far as I can tell I was not asked but I could have missed it!
My view is that NEHTA is a dysfunctional disaster that has slowed e-Health progress in Australia a great deal – but all regular readers know that and the reasons why I feel this way.
I have posted earlier on the issue of NEHTA’s claim of total public support. See here:
http://aushealthit.blogspot.com/2009/12/more-evidence-regarding-silliness-of.html
I am sorry I did not check more carefully before putting this final version up for download. Excluding that paragraph the letter is good – with it – not so!
Sorry again! Running a blog like this is a learning experience!
David.
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