With an eye to the federal government's e-health program, the NHCCN is developing a "centralised, comprehensive and reliable" online directory of healthcare providers.
"The directory is designed to provide a searchable and up-to-date listing of medical centres, pharmacies, dental services, hospitals and community health services, giving people better information on local resources," its annual report said.
"This is a national priority project and is closely linked with the e-health agenda."
The NHCCN has held discussions with the National e-Health Transition Authority and state health departments to "discuss how this could support other aspects" of the e-health rollout.
It is also in talks with the Office of Health Protection on the use of data gathered from its call centres for monitoring influenza outbreaks and future surveillance of other infectious diseases.
NHCCN chairman Rick Cullen said the board has begun a "significant transformation project" and "re-focus" on core contract management, marketing, clinical governance and stakeholder management functions.
"As part of this, our national network of offices will be consolidated in Sydney by the end of 2011, we are reviewing all positions and recruiting new staff," he said.
"The board has taken this step now because NHCCN's role has evolved significantly since it was established in 2007.
"The company needs to evolve, too, so that we can continue to be a preferred provider of important health services for the community, and more actively engage with the sector as a whole."
Foundation chief executive Julian Henderson, who is based in Perth, will not be making the move to Sydney and a new chief executive, Colin Seery, has been appointed.
Mr Seery was formerly chief executive and managing director of the National Safety Council of Australia.
The organisation is presently searching for a new chief information officer.
"NHCCN's web strategy and online service offerings have been critical considerations within the wider transformation project, and the next CIO will have a significant role in leading our work in new and different areas of e-health delivery," the annual report notes.
The previous CIO was responsible for liaising with Nehta over linkages with the government's personally controlled e-health record program.
"Work on this project will continue throughout 2011-12 in partnership with the federal Health department," the report says.
The not-for-profit NHCCN received more than $56 million in government funding for its work last year, recording a $7m surplus attributed to timing differences between receipt of grants and expenditure.
The body is responsible for managing the federal government's HealthDirect advice call centre and the After Hours GP hotline, although the actual services are provided under contract by Medibank Private's Health Solutions arm.
It also manages the Pregnancy, Birth & Baby helpline, operated under contract by the Royal District Nursing Service, and hosts the government's HealthInsite web portal.
NHCCN has been paid more than $145m since startup in 2007 to deliver HealthDirect, and has been allocated $165m for the After Hours GP service over the next four years; a further $17m in funding over four years has been committed to the Pregnancy helpline.
Call centre costs amounted to $34m in the last financial year.
HealthDirect does not operate in Queensland and Victoria, where the state governments run their own advice call centres.
Since its launch in July last year, the Pregnancy helpline has risen from around 760 calls a month to over 3500 per month, and is expected to reach its service target of 60,000 calls annually by early next year.
HealthDirect handled 740,000 calls during the year, 7pc down on the previous year which included a spike in calls during the H1N1 flu epidemic.
The new GP hotline operates through HealthDirect, with nurses triaging calls and referring callers on to a doctor if required.
Medibank Health Solutions has taken on around 100 GPs who use clinical decision support software, the CareEnhance Call Centre system, to manage the triage process and ensure appropriate diagnosis and advice.
Mr Henderson said engaging Medibank as the service provider meant "we are working with a known supplier with a strong track record of delivery".
Developing the GP service involved "significant logistical, clinical and stakeholder challenges", the report says.
"Although the service is intended to operate nationally, its delivery through the HealthDirect network has made implementation in Queensland and Victoria problematic.
"Work to facilitate the rollout to these states will continue this year."
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Karen Dearne
Quelle/Source: Australian IT, 27.10.2011
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