Health minister, Nicola Roxon, is expected to release the draft concept of operations document for the $467 million personally controlled electronic health record (PCEHR) as early as Friday this week, providing greater detail into the the construct and ongoing operations of the initiative.
Roxon has previously been lax to release the document, which had so far only been provided to vendors tendering for work on the project. The withheld document led some consumer advocacy groups to claim the Federal Government was purposefully being secretive about the entire project.
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.
Weiterlesen: AU: Government moves to encourage use of Open Source Software
Doctors and clinicians are eagerly awaiting the NBN, but telehealth experts are already trialing new technology that will save not just money but lives.
This is healthcare in the not too distant future, but the tools will familiar to many tech savvy households - high definition television, video conferencing and the latest iPad.
Minister for Health and Ageing, Nicola Roxon said e-health was one of the critical elements of the Government’s efforts to modernise the health system.
“In these nine projects we can see practical examples of how e-health can improve health care for patients,” Ms Roxon said.
“Most importantly, these projects can help to reduce the chance of medical errors and save patients from having to repeat their health history every time they visit a new doctor.”
A high speed national broadband network could create new business models for hospitals, enabling them to expand services provision beyond their local area, potentially reaching patients both nationally and internationally, according to telco analyst, Paul Budde.
In a recent blog post, Budde noted how high-speed broadband under the National Broadband Network (NBN) could lead to the creation of 'e-hospitals'.
Weiterlesen: AU: High speed broadband will create e-hospitals: Budde