Here are a few I have come across this week.
Note: Each link is followed by a title and a paragraph or two. For the full article click on the link above title of the article.
General Comment:
The is little doubt the biggest item this week has been the ‘sham’ consultation process conducted by DoHA / NEHTA on the proposed legislation for the Health Identifier Service.
Civil Liberties Australia made the point most forcefully!
“Timing of the consultations
Finally, we note that the request for comment on this draft legislation was issued on 10 December, with a closing date of 7 January 2010.
We note that the public servants within the Health Department will have been able to enjoy a break over Christmas and New Year while expecting civil society, in the form of unpaid volunteer organisations, to provide unrecompensed analysis and input into making the legislation as good as it can be.
CLA raised this timing issue at the face-to-face consultations, and warned the department against doing exactly what the department has done in terms of timing. In our opinion, there could be no more contemptuous action on the part of the department, representing the government, than to treat the consultation process, and civil society organisations and people who contribute to it, in this manner.
We trust that the public servants of the Department of Health enjoyed their Christmas and New Year break.
We request that the department never, ever do something like this again, and we ask that our request be communicated to the Secretary of the Department for her to issue an instruction to the appropriate effect. Whether she chooses to apologise for the abysmal behaviour of her staff is up to her.”
See here:
http://www.privacy.org.au/Papers/HId_Bill-CLA-100107.pdf
There also some other important issues raised in the submission – some very serious indeed!
Love the paragraph quoted!
Another public service favourite is to release major tenders late in December to close in early February – to ruin responders Christmas Breaks. SA Health stands condemned this year for that annoying act!
See here:
http://aushealthit.blogspot.com/2010/01/south-australian-health-treats-nehta-as.html
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http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/14/2792636.htm
Doctors call for patient privacy protection
Posted
A group representing general practitioners has called on the Federal Government to ensure patient confidentiality is maintained when privacy laws are reformed this year.
The Government has proposed streamlining the Privacy Act into a national set of principles across the public and private sectors.
The move coincides with a widespread increase in the use of electronic patient data by doctors, specialists and hospitals.
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http://www.australiandoctor.com.au/articles/8e/0c06678e.asp?
E-health patient privacy warning
14-Jan-2010
By Sarah Colyer
A FORMER employee of the nation’s top e-health body is warning of ‘Big Brother’-style privacy breaches if a plan to identify every patient with a unique number goes ahead.
Software developer Peter West, who quit the National E-Health Transition Authority last year, is now facing legal action from his former employer for setting up an alternative patient identification system.
Mr West told Australian Doctor he left NEHTA because he believed its project to identify all Australians in the health system using a single number was a privacy risk.
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Australia responds to threats of internet war
DAN HARRISON
January 16, 2010
HACKERS are launching 200 attacks a month on the Defence Department's computer networks, the Defence Minister, John Faulkner, revealed as he unveiled a new centre to co-ordinate the nation's response to online threats.
Journalists were allowed into the Defence Signals Directorate yesterday for the first time since its creation in 1947. The occasion was the opening of the Cyber Security Operations Centre.
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http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/tmj.2009.0079
Telehealth on Advanced Networks
Laurence S. Wilson, Ph.D.,1
Duncan R. Stevenson, M.Sc.,2 and
Patrick Cregan, M.D.3
1CSIRO ICT Centre, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
2Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
3Sydney West Area Health Service, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
Address correspondence to:
Laurence S. Wilson, Ph.D.
CSIRO ICT Centre
P.O. Box 76
Epping NSW 1710
Australia
Abstract
We address advanced Internet for complex telehealth applications by reviewing four hospital-based broadband telehealth projects and identifying common threads. These projects were conducted in Australia under a 6-year research project on broadband Internet applications. Each project addressed specific clinical needs and its development was guided by the clinicians involved. Each project was trialed in the field and evaluated against the initial requirements. The four projects covered remote management of a resuscitation team in a district hospital, remote guidance and interpretation of echocardiography, virtual-reality-based instructor–student surgical training, and postoperative outpatient consultations following pediatric surgery. Each was characterized by a high level of interpersonal communication, a high level of clinical expertise, and multiple participants. Each made use of multiple high-quality video and audio links and shared real-time access to clinical data. Four common threads were observed. Each application provided a high level of usability and task focus because the design and use of broadband capability was aimed directly to meet the clinicians' needs. Each used the media quality available over broadband to convey words, gestures, body movements, and facial expressions to support communication and a sense of presence among the participants. Each required a complex information space shared among the participants, including real-time access to stored patient data and real-time interactive access to the patients themselves. Finally, each application supported the social and organizational aspects of their healthcare focus, creating and maintaining relationships between the various participants, and this was done by placing the telehealth application into a wider functioning clinical context. These findings provide evidence for a significantly enhanced role for appropriate telemedicine systems running on advanced networks, in a wider range of clinical applications, more deeply integrated into healthcare systems.
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http://www.pharmacynews.com.au/article/agreement-ushers-in-new-dispensing-charter/509268.aspx
Agreement ushers in new dispensing charter
14 January 2010 | by Mark Gertskis
A nationwide system of medication information and compliance will be implemented in every pharmacy under the Fifth Community Pharmacy Agreement negotiated by the Pharmacy Guild with the Federal Government.
According to new details of the agreement released yesterday, a new Prescription Commitment will compel pharmacies to issue every patient filling a prescription with a leaflet tailored to the patient and the drug dispensed.
The leaflet will include consumer medicine information (CMI) for that drug, information on premium free products and a patient's compliance score for chronic disease medications derived via dispensary systems.
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http://www.pharmacynews.com.au/article/pharmacists-gain-e-script-incentive/509272.aspx
Pharmacists gain e-script incentive
14 January 2010
Community pharmacies will receive a financial incentive for every prescription they fill using an electronic prescribing system, under a new measure proposed in the Fifth Community Pharmacy Agreement.
New details of the agreement reveal that pharmacies are set to be paid $0.15 per script to "offset some of the costs of providing electronic prescriptions".
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ICSGlobal US expansion hits legal wall
- From: Australian IT
- January 15, 2010
ICSGlobal's bid to enter the US health billing and banking market with the $2.16 million purchase of Georgia-based Medical Recovery Services has been marred by financial irregularities in MRS's accounts and alleged misconduct by the former owner, Donna Murphy, the company told the Australian Securities Exchange.
In a statement this week, ICSGlobal managing director Tim Murray said management had begun legal proceedings after "becoming aware of irregularities in the MRS accounts and actions by Ms Murphy and three (of her) relatives, which the company believes are in breach of employment and other agreements they entered into.”
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http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/software/soa/iSoft-lays-off-several-dozen/0,130061733,339300421,00.htm
iSoft lays off several dozen
By Suzanne Tindal, ZDNet.com.au
14 January 2010 12:15 PM
in brief Australian health software company iSoft has recently held a round of redundancies, despite outlining a vision late last year to increase its workforce.
ZDNet.com.au understands that the company laid off around 25 to 30 Australian workers in December, naming a restructure as the reason. There had also been rumours that a further round was planned. The company has declined to comment on the issue.
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NEHTA sicks lawyer on ex-staffers
By Suzanne Tindal, ZDNet.com.au
13 January 2010 05:35 PM
Two former National E-Health Authority employees who are pushing a self-developed alternative to individual health identifiers have been threatened with legal action by the authority for what it claims is theft of its intellectual property.
NEHTA's charge has been to bring Australia into the e-health era where every Australian has an electronic medical record. It has been working with Medicare on a number for each citizen which can be used to collate medical information.
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E-prescribing tender cancelled
- Karen Dearne
- From: Australian IT
- January 13, 2010
NINE months after a tender aimed at resolving key management arrangements for new national electronic prescribing systems closed for consideration, the federal Health Department has quietly advised bidders by letter that the project has been canned.
Department officials say the call for a consultancy to develop an e-prescribing and dispensing "benefits realisation and implementation plan" has been overtaken by recent events.
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http://www.6minutes.com.au/articles/z1/view.asp?id=509249
Government scraps e-prescribing project
by Jared Reed
The Federal government has abandoned an electronic prescribing project started last year, claiming that its health reform agenda has changed the course of the project.
The open tender call was launched in May 2009, one month before the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission released its 123 reform recommendations, and called for advice in the creation of an “e-prescribing and dispensing of medicines benefits realisation and implementation plan”.
Broadband billions left hanging as wireless bites back
ARI SHARP
January 13, 2010
AUSTRALIANS are flocking to 3G mobiles and wireless broadband devices, bringing into question some of the assumptions behind the Rudd Government's $43 billion national broadband network.
A report published yesterday by the Australian Communications and Media Authority shows that take up of wireless technology more than doubled last financial year as quicker speeds and more sophisticated handsets made it a viable alternative to fixed-line internet.
''Australians increasingly seek flexibility in where and how they access communications and content,'' the report found.
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Federal government boosts e-health funding
- Karen Dearne
- From: The Australian
- January 12, 2010
FOUR more e-health projects will be funded under the federal government's $60 million Digital Regions initiative.
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy yesterday allocated an additional $6.5m to clinical outreach and telehealth programs.
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http://www.smh.com.au/national/vinnies-misused-donor-data-20100111-m2rr.html
Vinnies 'misused' donor data
ERIK JENSEN
January 12, 2010
THE St Vincent de Paul Society has been accused of breaching public trust and aspects of the Privacy Act after entering into an agreement that allowed one of the world's largest data companies to gather information through a Christmas mail-out from the charity.
The society defended its relationship with Acxiom but admitted to allowing it to write half the questions in the survey - and to collecting only limited data from the four-page questionnaire.
It paid for the printing and mailing of the survey in exchange for a targeted mailing list from Acxiom.
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http://www.psnews.com.au/Page_psn1996.html
New DVA health cards are big deal
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs is to reissue its Repatriation Health Cards which are due to expire in 2010.
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Alan Griffin said some improvements would be made to the new cards which would be given to all eligible veterans, war widows/widowers and dependants.
Mr Griffin said the changes would increase the cards’ security, improve provider satisfaction and increase veteran access to services.
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http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10426627-56.html?tag=rtcol;pop
January 6, 2010 12:04 PM PST
Windows 7 has lots of 'GodModes' (exclusive)
Those intrigued by the "GodMode" in Windows 7 may be interested to know that there are many other similar shortcuts hidden within the operating system.
Intended for developers as a shortcut to various internal settings, such features have been around since Vista and even before, according to the head of Microsoft's Windows division, who tells CNET that the so-called GodMode settings folder uncovered by bloggers is just one of many undocumented developer features included in Windows.
In an e-mail interview, Steven Sinofsky, Windows division president, said several similar undocumented features provide direct access to all kinds of settings, from choosing a location to managing power settings to identifying biometric sensors.
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See article for all the possibilities! Just amazing!
Enjoy!
David.
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