So we are to have $460+Million to be spent over 2 years, with the possibility of some more if success is seen as coming, to develop Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records (or maybe Individual Electronic Health Records (IEHR) or maybe something in between).
As with all such announcements the only thing that is missing is any detail. Until that becomes clear this is so much hot air.
Worryingly, the lack of information on the following issues leave one wondering just how seriously all this has been planned and developed.
1. How on earth can a program of this size be kicked off and undertake useful work starting in only seven weeks?
2. What will happen after two years and who would bother if there is no confidence of some reasonable follow-on?
3. Who is going to deliver this national system? Public sector, private sector, a PPP or what?
4. Where is the information that is to apparently populate these records come from?
5. What will be the governance framework for these records?
6. What is the evidence for the actual value of these records to health outcomes – as opposed to provider EMRs?
7. What is NEHTA’s role and what is DoHA’s role to be?
8. What will be the management and organisational framework for delivery of these plans?
I anticipate the Department will make the answers to these questions available over the next week or so. They must know or how else can they say the spend – over 2 years – will be exactly $466.7 Million.
If this information is not forthcoming promptly we will all be able to draw our own conclusions about all this.
David.
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