IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Development is on hold for about 60 technical standards relating to key aspects of the personally controlled e-health record system.

Members of the IT-014 committees, which do the standards work, were last month told that SA halted the program on July 1 after failing to secure a contract for 2011-12.

Under the current system, aged care providers cannot find the capital and recurrent funding needed to introduce new technologies.

“The AACC will take into account the contribution of technology in delivering services in its recommendations on prices and subsidies for approved providers,” the commission said in its landmark report.

The PCEHR project was initially funded in the 2010 Federal Budget to the tune of $466.7 million after years of health industry and technology experts calling for development and national leadership in e-health and health identifier technology to better tie together patients’ records and achieve clinical outcomes. The project is overseen by the Department of Health in coalition with the National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA).

According to the United Nations, around 55 per cent of the world’s population presently live in cities. By 2050, that proportion will increase to two-thirds. According to predictions, from 10 “megacities” (with populations of more than 10 million residents) in 1990, there will be around 43 by 2030.

It is perhaps a misnomer that “smart” cities are purely smart because they are more sophisticated in their use of new technology to automate functions and services. Smart cities are well-planned, combining medium and high-density dwellings with reliable resources from water, energy and internet speed through to green spaces, transport and community facilities.

Since 1 July, doctors have been eligible to receive a one-off payment for installing videoconferencing equipment for use in consultations of $6000 and an additional amount per consultation for conducting video conferencing consultations.

The idea is that patients in remote or regional areas will have better access to technology via video-conferencing appointments set up through their GP.

The government hopes to have personally controlled electronic health records (PCEHR) up and running by mid next year. Different medical providers will contribute to the record, which will not be stored together, but use indices to link information.

The college warned in a submission to a Concept of Operations for the scheme that as the record will draw on data from multiple sources, contradictions or incorrect information could make its way into the record.

General Practitioners are not technically nor functionally ready for the advent of personal e-health records, a representative body for the industry has warned.

In a public submission to the Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) on the federal budget for 2011-2012, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners urged the Federal Government to spend more on programs to aid implementation of software, communication standards and comprehensive support for general practitioners looking to implement the government’s $467 million personally controlled electronic health record (PCEHR).

Australian is moving slowly towards the use of telehealthcare, despite its potential for health care cost savings, and assisting older people to remain in their own homes rather than moving into residential aged care.

This was demonstrated most recently by the absence of any direct recommendation or section within the Productivity Commission's draft report on the potential of emerging technologies and possible savings.

The Government says it is "committed to the use of cloud to improve the efficiency of its services while maintaining data security and provide services that are more responsive to business and community needs."

The program will be co-ordinated by National ICT Australia (NICTA) and is supported by the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA), the Australian Computer Society (ACS) and the Australian Council of Deans of ICT (ACDICT).

Prepared by the IPAA's Submissions Standing Committee under the leadership of Martin Stewart-Weeks, the paper "The Future Course of Modern Government" recognises the need for some fundamental rethinking but not at the expense of replacing existing systems and proven practices.

According to the paper, some of these systems and practices would disappear over time, but there were certain underlying issues of public administration that were perennial challenges which any new public governance and management frameworks had to accommodate.

In theory, a public service super-department could eliminate duplication of work and garner greater purchasing power with potentially seductive savings, but the potential for disaster is huge, information technology industry analysts warn.

The Australian government's new chief information officer says government IT projects are ''not well understood'' by the wider community and their implementers deserve recognition.

Notwithstanding several documented IT stuff-ups in various government agencies over the past decade, including Victoria's CenITex and Queensland's payroll debacle, Australia's recently installed CIO, Glenn Archer, said ''IT departments or sections within departments'' were the quiet achievers in delivering services in a sector that spends over $6 billion a year in technology.

Industry research firm Ovum has warned the Gillard government to develop a new IT strategic plan in order to remain relevant in 2011.

Ovum research director, public sector, Kevin Noonan, said the political changes of 2010 were likely to cause a shift in the government IT space in the coming year.

“This can provide long-term opportunities for astute IT suppliers, but it means 2011 could be a time of big upheaval in the state government IT market,” Noonan said in a statement.

"The government has bigger fish to fry than IT in this budget," given that it's likely to be the federal Labor's final term, Gedda said.

Mr Gray said: "The revised policy further strengthens agency software procurement processes by requiring agencies to consider both open source and proprietary software when undertaking all software procurement."

The government's previous position on open source software, established in 2005, was one of 'informed neutrality'. This ensured an unbiased position that did not favour the selection of either open source or proprietary software. Both the previous and the new policy positions ensure 'value for money' and 'fit for purpose' decisions in accordance with the Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines.

The Australian federal government needs a bold strategy and digital champion within Cabinet to make e-Government a success, the National Commission of Audit has recommended in its over 1200-page report released today.

The Government’s focus on cost savings has helped it achieve its fiscal strategy and return the Budget to surplus in 2012-13, while also delivering on its key social policy priorities.

Global government organisations may turn away from traditional shared services arrangements to new models like cloud computing and stronger supplier partnerships this year, Gartner predicts.

The analyst firm surveyed 213 IT executives from national, state and local government organisations in the US, Europe and Asia Pacific for its Government IT Sourcing Survey Highlights 2012 report, released this month.

New IT infrastructure to help crack down on welfare cheats

The Federal Government is taking action to replace a 30-year-old welfare payment system that delivers around $100 billion in payments to 7.3 million people each year.

Minister for Social Services, Scott Morrison, and Minister for Human Services, Marise Payne made the announcement on Friday.