Australia’s chief health bureaucrat is excited by the opportunities for technology in healthcare. My Health Record “can improve treatment decisions, reduce adverse events, avoidable hospital admissions and reduce duplication of medical tests”.
It is an exciting time to be a steward of the Australian health system. Our government has committed to reforms across the system: to improve co-ordination of care; efficiency of care; and sustainability of the system to improve health outcomes for all Australians.
Read more: AU: Martin Bowles: using health information to improve care
Two new Perth hospitals have implemented Telstra Health's e-records, with the system to improve efficiency and data sharing in healthcare.
Telstra Health has successfully implemented an enterprise electronic medical record (EMR) system at the two newest Australian hospitals, which will complement the government's My Health Record System and the hospitals' own administration system.
Read more: AU: Telstra Health implements e-records at hospitals; retail exec resigns
The health records of Australians are set to go online by default, with the new system to be trialled first in northern Queensland and in the Blue Mountains.
The medical records of all Australians are set to go online after legislation to revamp the e-health system and get more people using it cleared Parliament.
The new My Health Record system is to be trialled first in north Queensland and the NSW Blue Mountains region, and will be rolled out nationally if it proves a success.
Read more: Revamped Australian e-health system passes Parliament
The Privacy Foundation has accused the Australian Senate of ignoring privacy concerns in making the e-health record system opt-out.
The Australian Privacy Foundation has accused the Senate of being "dangerously naive" in thinking that opt-out e-health records could be secured against breaches of privacy.
Bernard Robertson-Dunn, a member of the Privacy Foundation who has also constructed IT systems for several government departments, said it is "patently absurd" for the Senate inquiry committee to think that Australian laws will do anything to deter criminals and cyber attacks from overseas
Read more: AU: E-health opt-out records a 'huge invasion of privacy'
A parliamentary committee has been labelled "dangerously naive" after giving its tick of approval to electronic health records for all Australians.
A Senate inquiry has recommended that proposed legislation to reboot Australia's current e-health system and switch it from an opt-in to an opt-out model be passed by the Senate.
It said tough new penalties would address fears around privacy and concerns that sensitive medical details could be accessed or used inappropriately.