The head of Health's e-health division, Fionna Granger, invited public comment on the PCEHR System: Proposals for Regulations and Rules paper, by April 11.
"The Personally Controlled E-Health Records Bill 2011, currently before Parliament, provides the legislative framework for the operation of the PCEHR system but not the particular operational detail," she said.
"The bill provides for this detail to be specified in subordinate legislation -- either regulations or rules.
"The proposals paper outlines the main provisions proposed to be included in the regulations and rules."
Ms Granger said the paper had been developed following public submissions over the legislation issues paper and the exposure draft legislation last year, and feedback on the concept of operations.
"The PCEHR Bill includes provisions relating to participation in the system, the circumstances in which PCEHR information can be accessed, obligations on users, penalties for inappropriate use, and functions and responsibilities of the PCEHR system operator," she said.
Key consumer advocacy groups have objected to Labor's plan to install the Health department secretary as head of the PCEHR system, saying the move was "totally inappropriate".
In January, the government dumped previous commitments to install the secretary as PCEHR system operator on an interim basis only, pending the formation of an independent oversight body.
Meanwhile, the security and safety of PCEHR records under the proposed regime is now under scrutiny from the Joint Select committee on Cyber-Safety.
The Health department has been called to give evidence at a Cyber-Safety for Seniors hearing in Canberra today.
The government had originally hoped to pass the PCEHR legislation during the autumn sitting, as the operational system is due to launch on July 1.
However, the Senate rises on Thursday and will not sit again until the May Budget session.
Many submissions to the Community Affairs committee noted the difficulty of appraising the Gillard government's PCEHR Bills in the absence of the underpinning regulations.
While the Labor majority report recommended passing the legislation, it noted a range of concerns; a dissenting Coalition report called for the PCEHR to be delayed for a year so that outstanding matters could be resolved.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Karen Dearne
Quelle/Source: Australian IT, 21.03.2012
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