And You Think NEHTA has Improved Do You? I am Not So Sure!

With all the excitement of the HI Service we have maybe let our attention on other areas NEHTA is meant to be addressing slip.

I was brought back to earth when I found these recent entries in the new publications area.

IHTSDO Update October 2009 10/03/2010

Medicare OTS Information Sheet 04/03/2010

Doctors in Training Dinner- 13th February 2010- Victoria- Sean Holmes 03/03/2010

Connecting Healthcare- 9-10 February 2010- Sydney- Mukesh Haikerwal 03/03/2010

The top one is a three page report on the meetings held by 5 NEHTA staff members for 5 days in Bethesda, Maryland, USA. Not that the location is mentioned as far as I can see. I hear Maryland is a very nice spot to visit for 5 days in early Autumn!

What is worse the meeting was held October 3-9, 2009 and we get a brief report all of at least six months later. Just pathetic. Hardly the level of communication we should see from a publicly funded organisation.

Grab the 3 pages from here:

http://www.nehta.gov.au/component/docman/doc_download/953-ihtsdo-update-october-2009

More amazing is the last presentation from Dr Haikerwal – The NEHTA Clinical Lead.

This is the explanation of the Personal EHR in a few slides:

Extract Begins – Sorry the Format is Hard to Read.

PEHR Explanation: 1

Smart use of data is at the core of a self-improving system

Key: nationally consistent standards

Data:

•Should drive Clinical decision-making

•Measure and improve health outcomes

•Measure and improve performance

•Transparent reporting

•Inform Planning

PEHR Explanation: 2

All ‘users’ -consumers, health professionals, managers, funders and governments have a part and will benefit

Access record: generate an audit trail to inform us when and by who record viewed

Patient does not hold the infra-structure

•They will not be using a USB key

•They do control the access to the data

This does not change GP/local/hospital records, use or ownership

PEHR Explanation: 3

CORE COMPONENT: HEALTH SUMMARY RECORD: like RACGP’s Maintained at the Patient’s choice of ‘Health Care Home’: Generally by the GP in the Practice setting (or other authorised source).All Providers are part of the System which will provide data that is:

•Technologically current

•secure

•standards driven

•quality assured

Being able to link data:

Consistently

Confidence of users (Providers & Consumers)

Consent and Confidentiality

PEHR Explanation:4

System FOR the patient / citizen at the centre of the information tree

The PEHR is a driver of the change: bold and clear expectations (from the health eco-system)

Our PEHR:

We citizens drive:

What is on it

Who we permit to access it and write to it.

Control access to our own health information

(what information shared and with whom including which health practitioners –trusted source); (add information: self carer alternative self-management (e.g. monitoring BP DM) (respected source)

Where and how health record stored, backed-up retrieved

Integrity of the data and provenance (who wrote the entry) is core

Can base decisions on this with PROVENANCE.

An entry can be added to or removed “in toto” from share not altered

PEHR Explanation:5

Understand and inform that our care is better co-ordinated

•within practices

•between providers

Outcomes and satisfaction enhanced if information about care:

•available at the point of care

•up to date historical information

•timely new interaction information

•accurate

Enabled greater e-Health environment: added functionality indexed allowing exchange of information from various data repositories.

PEHR Explanation:6

Patients controlling access to their own health information may be confronting: can be liberating!

Patients chose to access different practitioners at points in their life may choose not to reveal all the details of their health and health care.

This is regrettable and hampers their care and hinders the efforts of those treating them.

PEHR Explanation:7

A person-controlled electronic health record part of the broader e-health environment

Health performance metrics measurement and data enhance :

Health research and planning

Recognise, plan for and combat disease

Need ongoing development of e-Health records by health services

Must join up and integrate information across the care continuum.

General Practice consults: encounter remains on the practice/primary care organisation’s system.

PEHR Explanation:8

Add to the PEHR summary record (from the GPs, hospitals or other trusted sources) at the push of a button (with patient request)

Patient requests information to be stored on their PEHR

Copy resides on PEHR and in the Practice.

Accessed with patient permission by authenticated users

Enhance care co-ordination which is more complex

PEHR Explanation:9

PEHR full and comprehensive summary of patient history e.g. :

- Medications

- Allergies

- encounters with medical and other specialists

- pathology and radiology results and

possible access to images can be through it being used as a portal but it may not be complete if patients so desire.

Health professionals are aware that even today all records may not be complete.

PEHR Explanation:10

For best health care and outcomes available records on PEHR, should be:

- Comprehensive

- accurate and the concept of accurately recording

- up to date (requires data cleaning)

- PROVENANCE of entries is crucial

The veracity of the record as a trusted source must be assured to allow it to be a source of data when making clinical decisions.

The patient area for documentation by the individual, their carer or other authorised representative / advocate is a respected source and clearly annotated as such. It is a vital part of the record providing information to guide care.

End Extract.

I can’t imagine why Dr Haikerwal was provided with such confusing and vague material to present.

I have read this through many times and am still not sure what is being proposed. If interested I suggest a download of the whole presentation.

You can grab it from here:

Connecting Healthcare- 9-10 February 2010- Sydney- Mukesh Haikerwal

It is really time NEHTA came clean and explained just what it is they are on about and just what the plans if any are.

If they are proposing some form of centralised shared record – the blood sport going on between the British Medical Association and the Department of Health should provide some real pause for thought!

See here for links:

http://www.bma.org.uk/about_bma/BMAinthenews.jsp

Summary Care Record
The BMA’s press release outlining concerns with the rollout of the Summary Care Record stimulated significant interest and was covered by The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Times, The Daily Express, The Daily Mail, Sky News and BBC Online. Hamish Meldrum also appeared on Radio 4’s Today programme to discuss the issue further. The BMA and/or its representatives were quoted, mentioned, or interviewed in over 30 other broadcasts across the country regarding this issue.

Lots of excitement and worry.

David.

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