The introduction of electronic patient records would be the biggest health reform in a generation, delivering an estimated $8 billion in savings over the next decade.
But the Government is refusing to guarantee compensation for doctors who will be expected to deliver the scheme on the ground.
The Australian Medical Association yesterday warned of a "bumpy ride" if doctors were expected to foot the bill.
"Where the doctor has to do stuff that is above and beyond what is necessary for their internal practice, there are various costs that need to be met," AMA president Andrew Pesce said.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners delivered a similar message last week, demanding "funding for general practices to support required software and business changes".
In a 2007 stoush with Government, doctors won an 18c-per-transaction sweetener to process Medicare rebates by Eftpos.
An e-health system would give medical practitioners instant access to a patient's entire medical history.
It could store scans and X-rays, send SMS reminders to patients and help chronic disease sufferers manage their conditions.
Under National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission recommendations, doctors would not get lucrative Medicare payments unless they signed up to the plan.
Department of Health secretary Jane Halton told a Senate committee last week that it was expected patients would drive e-health take-up by putting pressure on GPs.
"One of the things I genuinely hope, quite frankly, is that patients will go to the doctor and say: 'Why can't we get this stuff electronically now? I understand there is the potential. Why can't we'?" she said.
The National E-Health Transition Authority's Dr Mukesh Haikerwal said the comments were "simplistic and naive".
"If you look at e-health systems around the world, the cost falls on to the shoulders of the healthcare providers; the benefits are reaped by the patients and Government," Dr Haikerwal said.
The Government introduced legislation into Parliament last week to assign an individual e-health number to every Australian.
But privacy groups are yet to be persuaded, warning that such a system could become a "honeypot" for those with malicious intent.
Health Minister Nicola Roxon has pledged that people's personal medical records would be safe.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Ben Packham
Quelle/Source: Herald Sun, 16.02.2010
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