News

• Medicare Locals' e-health system receives $50m funding

  The Medicare Locals network has received $50 million in funding over two years to help general practitioners and healthcare providers use the e-health record system.

• Govt shells out $21m for final leg of e-health record system

  The Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) has allocated $21 million to the National E-Health Transition Authority’s (NEHTA) for the final scope of the national e-health record system.

• Govt finally offers e-health incentive for GPs

  The Federal Government has confirmed it will provide incentives for GPs to participate in its $467 million national e-health record system, scheduled to go live on 1 July, following a prolonged period of lobbying by industry.

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  NBN trial sites to roll out e-health, education projects

  National Broadband Network (NBN) trial sites in Townsville, Queensland and Armidale, New South Wales are in the process of rolling out separate trials over the NBN designed to help Townsville type two diabetes sufferers and, in Armidale, offer remote access to TAFE courses.

• E-health market set to grow as Australia ages: KPMG

  IT companies are been urged to look at opportunities in the e-health market as Australia faces an aging population over the next 10 years.

• Telehealth initiative a success in WA: RACGP

  Australia’s peak body of general practitioners (GPs) has given the Federal Government a pat on the back following the implementation of its telehealth incentive scheme last July, labelling the project a success in Western Australia.

• Mirus Australia creates aged care BI

  In a bid to provide better patient data to care providers, aged care services firm, Mirus Australia, has developed an Aged Care Metrics (ACM) system which utilises business intelligence (BI).

• E-Health Records marred by project, governance failures: APF

  The Australian Government’s approach to managing personally controlled electronic health records (PCEHRs) has resulted in poor governance and repeated project failure, a Senate committee hearing into the PCEHR Bill 2011 has heard.

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  MSIA recommends alternative e-health record rollout

  The Medical Software Industry Association (MSIA) has detailed an alternative rollout schedule for the Federal Government’s Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) project, following claims the system will be not even be close to completion by 1 July.

• MSIA doubts e-health record delivery deadline

  The Medical Software Industry Association (MSIA), whose members include Cerner, Cisco, iSoft and Microsoft, has delivered a scathing criticism of the National e-Health Transition Authority’s (NeHTA) handling of the government’s national e-health record project.

• Commercial e-prescribing systems a script for better health

  Commercial electronic prescribing, or e-prescribing, systems have the potential to dramatically reduce prescribing error rates, a new University of New South Wales study has found.

• NEHTA presses pause on e-health records

  The National E-Heath Transition Authority (NEHTA) has halted the implementation of primary care desktop software development at a number of lead implementation sites for the $466.7 million Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) project.

• BT appoints new Australian chief operating officer

  Communications services company, BT, has appointed former Macquarie Telecom customer service and operations group executive, Simon Gatward, as its new chief operating officer.

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  NeHTA rejects electronic health record fears

  The National E-Health Transition Authority (NeHTA) will maintain its current design for personal e-health records despite acknowledging concerns that increased consumer control over health information could potentially result in poorer health outcomes for patients.

• E-health test site kicks off e-discharge pilot

  A Katoomba-based hospital has kicked off a trial under which it will share electronic discharge summaries with GPs and vice versa, ahead of the Federal Government’s Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) launch in July 2011.