Here are a few I have come across the last week or so.
Note: Each link is followed by a title and a few paragraphs. For the full article click on the link above title of the article. Note also that full access to some links may require site registration or subscription payment.
General Comment
Good to see all these people signing up to have a NEHRS / PCEHR. I wonder when we will discover just how many useful clinical outcomes are being achieved.
The Qld Health Department Payroll issue is droning along - surely it will end soon!
Lots of other stuff also on National Cloud Policy, data breech legislation and some fun tech news bits at the end.
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PCEHR uptake doubled in two months
28th May 2013
IT MIGHT not reach the Department of Health and Ageing’s benchmark of 500,000 users by July 2013, but personally controlled electronic health record (PCEHR) enrolments have soared over the past two months, with numbers more than doubling.
After embarrassing reports that enrolments were little better than one-tenth of the 500,000 target more than six months after the July 2012 launch, the department confirmed numbers had been “rapidly increasing” in recent weeks — up from 73,000 in early March to 173,726 late last week.
There are now an average of 3175 people registering for a PCEHR every day, with 22,000 new records registered last week as MO went to print.
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Government proposes mandatory data breach alerts
Date May 29, 2013
Businesses and government agencies will be forced to disclose privacy breaches under draft laws to be introduced to Federal Parliament on Wednesday.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said there have been some "spectacular" recent examples of data breaches where names and personal information have been disclosed publicly – via Sony PlayStation, Australia Post, Vodafone and Telstra.
He said the draft laws to be introduced on Wednesday could pass through Parliament before the September election.
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Proposed mandatory data breach notification bill read in Parliament
Government agencies, businesses would be required to inform customers if personal, credit and tax file number information is breached
- Hamish Barwick (Computerworld)
- 29 May, 2013 12:06
The Privacy Amendment (Privacy Alerts) Bill 2013 has received its first reading in Parliament by Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus.
If passed, the legislation will come into effect on 12 March 2014 alongside the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).
The Bill will require government agencies and businesses to notify customers of serious data breaches in relation to personal, credit reporting, credit eligibility or tax file number information.
According to the amendments (PDF) contained in the Bill, the entity involved must give a data breach statement to the Privacy Commissioner, Timothy Pilgrim, publish a copy of the statement on its website and in at least one newspaper circulating in the state or territory.
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Gilbert + Tobin
Privacy law is once again on the Government’s legislation reform agenda with the introduction on Wednesday of the Privacy Amendment (Privacy Alerts) Bill 2013.
The Bill if passed will amend the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) to introduce a new mandatory data breach notification scheme for entities regulated under the Federal Act, including public sector agencies, private sector organisations (other than small business), credit reporting bodies and credit providers.
Under current Australian privacy law, there is no legal requirement for an entity to notify either affected individuals, or the Commissioner, if personal information the entity holds is compromised. The Federal Privacy Commissioner – part of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner - actively encourages voluntary notification by entities in accordance with the OAIC’s guide Data Breach Notification: A guide to handling personal information security breaches.
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Privacy war looms over wearable computers
Date May 28, 2013
Nick Bilton
Protectors of privacy and propriety are beginning to speak out.
Perhaps the best way to predict how society will react to so-called wearable computing devices is to read the Dr Seuss children's story The Butter Battle Book.
The book, which was published in 1984, is about two cultures at odds. On one side are the Zooks, who eat their bread with the buttered side down. In opposition are the Yooks, who eat their bread with the buttered side up. As the story progresses, their different views lead to an arms race and potentially an all-out war.
Well, the Zooks and the Yooks may have nothing on wearable computing fans, who are starting to sport devices that can record everything going on around them with a wink or subtle click, and the people who promise to violently confront anyone wearing one of these devices.
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IT pros ignorant about privacy laws
- by: Andrew Colley
- From: Australian IT
- May 29, 2013
TECHNOLOGY professionals are still not getting the message when it comes to ensuring that company systems are compliant with privacy legislation.
System privacy specialist and consultant Stephen Wilson said that most technicians and engineers still believed that privacy was still primarily a concern for company lawyers.
Most did not understand how easily that how easy it was to fall foul of Australia's privacy regulations which set a "very low bar" when it came to breaches.
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29 May 2013 - 10:01pm | |
“Important step forward” as Government launches combined online portal for Australians
The Federal Government has launched its new myGov online portal, described as “an important step forward in service delivery for Australians.”
The portal combines access to Centrelink, Medicare, Child Support and eHealth details, allowing Australians to link services, make claims, view their payment histories and update their personal details.
The Government said its aim was to provide Australians with easier, faster access to secure digital government services.
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South Australian practice leads the way in eHealth records
Created on Tuesday, 28 May 2013
South Australian practice manager Dr Sim Hee Neoh is leading the way towards the future of eHealth, registering more patients to the personally controlled electronic health (eHealth) record system than any other general practice in the country.
“From the first time we heard about the potential for eHealth we decided it was in our patients’ best interests and we had to get them involved."
We owe it to our patients to keep their records accurate and accessible and this is the best way we can do it,” Dr Neoh said.
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New health informatics course launched in China and Adelaide
Posted Wed, 29/05/2013 - 18:27 by Fran Molloy
Over 100 students in China and a few dozen in Australia will this year complete a new Health Informatics course taught by Mark Brommeyer, an international eHealth Consultant, working with NEHTA as eHealth Supply Chain Reform Manager.
Fifty students will attend the first course, which starts at Nankai University in Beijing next week, with another hundred students attending courses in Guangzhou and Shanghai in coming months.
Brommeyer, who trained as a nurse and also holds formal education qualifications at both Graduate Diploma and Masters level, is an adjunct lecturer in Flinders University’s Health Sciences Faculty and travels regularly to China where he teaches in the Flinders-Nankai University Master of Hospital Administration program.
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Medicare Locals to face review under new government
27 May, 2013 Kate Cowling
Medicare Locals will face a formal review to prove they're fit for purpose if the Coalition gets elected in September.
The new threat, made by Federal Opposition health spokesman Peter Dutton, comes a year after he pledged to ditch them altogether, dubbing them an “unnecessary bureaucracy”.
The newly announced review would focus on reducing administration costs, duplication and bolstering the groups' interaction with local hospital.
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5CPA to be audited
28 May, 2013 Nick O'Donoghue
The $15.4 billion Fifth Community Pharmacy Agreement (5CPA) is set to be put under the microscope by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO).
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Pharmacy linked to PCEHR problem
28 May, 2013 Nick O'Donoghue
A community pharmacy is believed to be the source of an error in a journalist’s Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR).
Kate McDonald, a reporter with Pulse+ IT, revealed that she had discovered two prescriptions, for conditions she did not have, had been erroneously added to her PCEHR.
“The prescriptions were written on 12 March 2012, and came with a number of repeats for each drug,” she said.
“Two of those repeats scripts were dispensed from my local pharmacy on 4 January 2013, and the details then found their way onto the PBS section of my PCEHR in February, although there were no corresponding MBS items on my record showing that a consultation had taken place.”
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Department of Health and Ageing tenders for text-to-speech software
The department requires the software to cover 55 of its websites that come under its portfolio
- Rebecca Merrett (Computerworld)
- 28 May, 2013 16:47
The Department of Health and Ageing has issued a request for tender (RFT) for the provision of text-to-speech software for its websites.
To further meet the federal government’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, the department wants to extend its use of text-to-speech software so that people with visual impairments or who have reading difficulties can easily access its online services and information.
Having already been implemented on its main website, the department requires the software to cover 55 other websites that come under its portfolio, in addition to intranets, e-learning modules and blogs. Also, the provider will need to allow for an increase in the number of websites over three years.
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Health calls tenders to add disability aids to websites
Tender Watch
Christopher Jay
30/05/2013
The federal Department of Health and Ageing is acting to improve access to government-funded internet websites by persons with disabilities, starting with text-to-voice technology for the vision-impaired and people with reading difficulties on its own cluster of about 55 websites.
The Australian government requires all government-operated and funded websites to meet the legal requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. Under the act, they are enjoined to ensure information and services are provided in a non-discriminatory, accessible manner.
The relevant implementation reference is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, from the World Wide Web consortium.
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Conroy launches national cloud computing strategy
Communications minister launches government's strategy for promoting Australia's cloud services sector
- Rohan Pearce (Computerworld)
- 29 May, 2013 13:24
Communications minister Senator Stephen Conroy today used the CeBIT trade show in Sydney as the venue for unveiling the government's national cloud computing strategy.
The strategy is intended to boost adoption of cloud services and promote the cloud services sector within Australia.
“Cloud computing has reached its tipping point. It is no longer a trend,” the minister said.
Conroy told the conference that Australia “cannot rely on the resource-based boom times to last forever.”
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National cloud plan to boost innovation
Date May 30, 2013 - 10:02AM
Lia Timson
IT Pro Editor
Government agencies will move their public-facing websites to the cloud as part of the Federal Government's new push to increase the use of cloud computing in both the public and private sectors.
The strategy, revealed by Communications Minister Stephen Conroy at CeBIT Australia in Sydney on Wednesday, aims to promote cloud computing among individuals, businesses and government departments in the hope of boosting productivity, Senator Conroy said.
Cloud computing allows data and applications to be stored and accessed on the internet rather than on local servers.
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Avatars help silence schizophrenia's voices
Date May 30, 2013 - 11:46AM
People who didn't respond to medication learned to control hallucinatory voices with the aid of a computer program, a study found.
LONDON: People with schizophrenia who didn't respond to medication learned to control hallucinatory voices with the aid of a computer program that used an avatar of their imagined persecutor, in a study by British researchers.
The Wellcome Trust, the world's second-largest biomedical charity, said on Wednesday that it is giving scientists at University College London and King's College London £1.3 million pounds ($2.04 million) to test the avatar therapy in more patients.
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Healthdirect donates thousands to Libs, Labor
31 May, 2013 Paul Smith
The national health call centre company set up, owned and funded by Federal and state governments has donated more than $20,000 of taxpayers money to Australia's main political parties.
Healthdirect was originally formed back in 2006. through the Council of Australian Governments. to manage the 24/7 nurse triage helpline and more recently the GP after-hours helpline.
Its sole source of income — other than interest — is from taxpayers via grants received from the Commonwealth and a number of state governments.
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Former Qld health minister 'unaware' Qld payroll was so complex
When asked if he knew whether his department had one of the most complex payroll requirements in the government, Lucas said he did not
- AAP (CIO)
- 30 May, 2013 14:32
Queensland's former health minister says he was unaware how complex the department's payroll requirements were when he was considering an automated system that ultimately failed.
Lucas, also the former deputy premier, has been cross-examined by Queensland's health payroll inquiry on Thursday over the state's most costly IT fiasco.
It resulted in thousands of pay errors under his watch and is expected to end up costing taxpayers $1.2 billion.
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Bligh defends 'judgment call' on health payroll
Date May 27, 2013 - 4:22PM
Amy Remeikis
State political reporter
The impacts on the state's health workers outweighed any possible gain from suing IT contractor IBM over the payroll system, former Premier Anna Bligh said.
Ms Bligh, appearing at the final stage of the Health Payroll System Commission of Inquiry, said she had considered suing IBM, but ultimately decided, at the time, it was not worth the loss of "goodwill" and what that could mean fixing the system.
Under questioning from Counsel Assisting Peter Flanagan SC, Ms Bligh said she made a "judgment call" not to launch legal action based on the advice and material provided to her at the time.
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Former Queensland premier Anna Bligh faces health payroll inquiry
- by: Sarah Elks
- From: The Australian
- May 28, 2013
FORMER Queensland premier Anna Bligh has insisted she took a politically unpopular decision when she agreed her government would not sue IBM over the failed health payroll system.
Legal action against the company was deemed to be too risky, she said.
Ms Bligh, who lost office in the Liberal National Party's electoral victory in March last year, is giving evidence to an inquiry into the bungled rollout of the Queensland Health pay debacle.
The rollout was plagued with problems, with 83,000 current and former staff members not paid, underpaid or overpaid after the March 2010 rollout.
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No guarantee in Queensland versus IBM: Bligh
Bligh is being cross-examined about her government's dealings with IBM, which was contracted to roll out a new Queensland Health payroll system
- AAP (CIO)
- 27 May, 2013 13:47
Former premier Anna Bligh has told an inquiry into Queensland's most costly IT disaster she decided not to sue IBM because there was no guarantee the state would win.
Ms Bligh is being cross-examined about her government's dealings with IBM, which was contracted to roll out a new Queensland Health payroll system.
The system, which went live in March 2010, resulted in thousands of pay errors.
Ms Bligh told the inquiry on Monday she was given legal advice in 2010 that the state had a case against IBM for breaching its contract.
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http://www.smh.com.au/it-pro/government-it/bligh-to-front-health-payroll-inquiry-20130527-2n60q.html
Bligh to front health payroll inquiry
Date May 27, 2013 - 10:19AM
Former Queensland premier Anna Bligh is due to front an inquiry into the state's health payroll bungle on Monday.
Ms Bligh is expected to be cross-examined about her government's dealings with IBM, which was contracted to roll out the system.
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Scam website targeting doctors
30th May 2013
GENERAL practices are facing a wave of billing scams, with some practices being charged thousands of dollars for directory listings.
The AMA issued the warning yesterday, just a week after MO revealed another company suspected of similar behaviour was under investigation by NSW Fair Trading after complaints by several practices.
The AMA said the scam involved several practices being charged up to $5200 for listing in the Australasian Health Professionals Directory.
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Here be Dragons
Posted on May 27, 2013 by Grahame Grieve
Keith’s got a post up entitled “Here be Dragons“:
Where the real dragons are is in MAY, or PERMITTED content. In this, danger abounds. Because it says MAY, people are free to ignore it. The MAYs in a specification are the places where you can do cool stuff, and where new capabilities can be explored.
I was reminded of this post’s title when I was looking at a proposed conformance requirement for using SNOMED-CT (taken from somewhere, the source doesn’t matter):
If the application supports displaying Snomed-CT concepts that have been received from another system, it shall display the Original Text associated with the code in order to be faithful to the original semantic context. If the originalText is not available, it shall display the displayName instead. When the application displays both displayName and originalText, it shall be clearly labelled so that the user can clearly distinguish between the Original Text and the Preferred Term.
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NASA's Curiosity proves Mars trip would blast humans with radiation
Today's radiation-shielding technology can't protect humans in deep space
- Sharon Gaudin (Computerworld (US))
- 30 May, 2013 21:07
Radiation measurements sent back from NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission as it delivered the rover Curiosity to Mars last year is giving scientists the information they need to protect astronauts on future deep space missions.
NASA researchers will use the radiation measurements to design protective systems to shield humans from radiation exposure on deep-space expeditions, such as planned journeys to Mars.
Initial research into the measurements shows that the radiation exposure on a trip to Mars, using current shielding technology, would exceed NASA's career limit for its astronauts.
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Lisa Randall’s Guide to the Galaxy
The famed cosmologist unveils her latest theories on the invisible universe, extra dimensions and human consciousness
- By Ron Rosenbaum
- Smithsonian magazine, June 2013,
Lisa Randall is telling me she may have a clue to the next great mystery in cosmology.
We are having lunch in a restaurant at the Charles Hotel, not far from Harvard where she teaches theoretical physics, with specialties in particle physics, string theory, mathematics, astrophysics and cosmology. Randall, a slender woman, now 50, reminds one of a younger Joan Didion— light-years of consciousness behind her eyes.
She is a star professor of the stars, a cosmological celebrity, and only in part because she is the first female theoretical physicist tenured at Harvard . It was really her conjecture in the late ’90s about string theory’s “extra dimensions” that gained her prominence in the field. She garnered more attention for her explication of the Higgs boson quest, and for her subsequent writings attempting to explain to the rest of us what she does and how exciting it is to do it, most recently Knocking on Heaven’s Door.
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http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/computers/start-button-to-return-to-windows-8-20130531-2nfnb.html
Start button to return to Windows 8
Date May 31, 2013
Where to Start? The Windows 8 launch screen.
- Start button returning in Windows 8.1
- Option to boot directly to traditional desktop
- Update to be released later this year
Microsoft is bringing back the Windows Start button among a slew of improvements aimed at winning over tablet users and placating PC customers alienated by Windows 8.
Windows 8.1, a free update to be released later this year, represents Microsoft's concessions to long-time customers taken aback by the dramatic changes to an operating system that had become a staple in households and offices around the world during the past 20 years. Research group IDC has blamed Windows 8 for accelerating a decline in PC sales.
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Enjoy!
David.
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