Artificial Intelligence

The revolution changing the face of healthcare delivery

NSW local health districts go live with PCEHR clinical portal

1 October 2013

Five local health districts (LHDs) in NSW are now able to access patients’ PCEHRs through the NSW Health Clinical Portal, which allows hospital and community clinicians to view health information through commonly used software packages. Western Sydney, Nepean Blue Mountains, South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Shoalhaven LHDs and the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network now have […]

TGA issues guidance on regulation of medical apps

27 September 2013

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has issued a guidance paper on its responsibilities in regulating medical software and mobile medical apps. The TGA said the guidance was issued to address questions frequently put to the agency, saying software is becoming increasingly important in medical devices and its rapid evolution presented new and complex challenges for […]

Queensland and NT roll out Multiprac infection control system

27 September 2013

Queensland Health has installed Ocean Informatics’ Multiprac Infection Control (IC) system in 22 of its hospitals, with the Northern Territory also beginning to roll it out this month. Queensland’s Centre for Healthcare Related Infection Surveillance and Prevention (CHRISP) first installed the system at the Gold Coast, Princess Alexandra and Royal Brisbane hospitals earlier this year, […]

DVA implements PCEHR-enabled case management

26 September 2013

Melbourne-based IT consulting firm Sinapse has completed the deployment of the Penelope case management system from Canadian firm Athena Software for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA). The new web-based system replaces the Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service’s (VVCS) bespoke management information system known as VMIS. VVCS provides mental health counselling programs to Australian […]

HCS and Sysmex to market integrated product suite

26 September 2013

Tasmanian-based health IT company Healthcare Software (HCS) and NZ company Sysmex have signed an alliance to integrate their product suites and offer an alternative approach to electronic medical records for the Australasian eHealth market. HCS offers a range of software solutions for use in both acute care and community health settings, including a clinical pharmacy […]

Coalition to continue wireless and satellite NBN rollout

25 September 2013

The new federal government has committed to continuing the rollout of fixed wireless and satellite internet services under the NBN while a new board and strategic plan are developed. Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the government had issued an interim statement of expectations to NBN Co outlining operational activities for the immediate future until a […]

Dr Pat adds audit trail, chronic pain clinic to PAT

25 September 2013

A full audit ability and a biopsychosocial assessment wizard for chronic pain have been added to the Patient Assistance Tool (PAT) developed by Bundaberg GP Pat Byrnes and distributed by Best Practice Software. Dr Byrnes launched the PAT in August last year to provide a step-by-step approach to creating general practice management plans (GPMPs) for […]

Rural medicine and telehealth: the ACRRM approach

23 September 2013

This article first appeared in the August 2013 edition of Pulse+IT Magazine. The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) is responsible for setting professional medical standards for training, assessment, certification and continuing professional development relevant to rural generalist medicine. The use of telehealth in accordance with ACRRM standards is seen by the College […]

HIMAA seeks leadership from conference

23 September 2013

This article first appeared in the August 2013edition of Pulse+IT Magazine. The upgrade of the national inpatient clinical classification system to ICD-10-AM 8th edition will be high on the agenda at this year’s Health Information Management Association of Australia (HIMAA) national conference. A Q&A on eHealth and the PCEHR is also certain to provoke a […]

Activity-based funding: the elephant in the room

20 September 2013

This article first appeared in the August 2013 edition of Pulse+IT Magazine. At the 2013 Health Informatics Conference, held from July 15 to 18 in Adelaide, the dominant themes were digital service delivery and eHealth, with discussion revolving around the revolutionary benefits to be gained through the adoption of digital service delivery applications and eHealth. […]

WebRTC to enable telehealth through your browser

19 September 2013

This article first appeared in the August 2013 edition of Pulse+IT Magazine. The browser-based real time communications standard known as WebRTC is gaining a lot of interest around the world, backed as it is by heavyweights like Google and Mozilla. Its full maturity is also being eagerly awaited in the field of telehealth, as it […]

“PCEHR password” probably an access code

19 September 2013

An Adelaide man who claimed he was emailed a “private login password” to the PCEHR probably received an erroneous personal access code (PAC) instead, the Department of Health said. ABC News reported on Tuesday that it had been contacted by an unnamed man, who said he had received an email from the PCEHR system operator […]

eRx gears up for Express launch

18 September 2013

Electronic prescription exchange service eRx is gearing up to go live with its new Express app in late October, releasing details of the pricing structure for pharmacists using the service. eRx is offering two plans for Express, one a standard plan of $50 per month and the other a premium plan for $60, which offers […]

Department of Health loses ageing, picks up sport

18 September 2013

The Department of Health and Ageing has been renamed the Department of Health (DoH), with the new government confirming that the aged care portfolio will move to the new Department of Social Services. In its administrative arrangement order signed today by the Governor-General, the federal government announced that sports policies and programs will be managed […]

Rural doctors prepare to JAMIT

18 September 2013

The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) is running an inaugural Just a Minute Instant Tutorial (JAMIT) competition on telehealth and eHealth topics for the Rural Medicine Australia 2013 conference. The conference, organised in conjunction with the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA), is being held in Cairns from October 31 to November […]

Time to focus on the national telehealth strategy

17 September 2013

This article first appeared in the August 2013 edition of Pulse+IT Magazine. Last year, the Australasian Telehealth Society (ATHS) held a workshop to gather ideas for a national strategy for telehealth in Australia. From this, a white paper was developed that outlines practical steps towards a national, workable telehealth system that benefits all. The vision […]

Mobile watch designers expand platform into aged care

17 September 2013

Personal care technology company mCareWatch has made its anticipated move into residential aged care, launching a monitoring and support system called ConnectiveCare for aged and other care facilities. It has also signed up Anglican Retirement Villages (ARV), which intends to offer the technology to its independent living clients. mCareWatch’s SOS Mobile Watch was officially launched […]

NT pushes for its pathology model for PCEHR

16 September 2013

The Northern Territory Department of Health is hoping that its model for posting pathology results and diagnostic imaging reports to the My eHealth Record (MeHR) will be adopted in the short term for the national PCEHR. Debate has raged around what is the best method to post pathology results and diagnostic reports to the PCEHR […]

Dutton takes on health portfolio, eHealth still unclear

16 September 2013

As expected, Queensland MP Peter Dutton has been named as the new Minister for Health in the Abbott government, and will add Minister for Sport to his portfolio responsibilities. A new Assistant Minister for Health, Nationals Senator Fiona Nash, will join the outer ministry, along with NSW Senator Marise Payne, who has been named Minister […]

Microwave broadband: an alternative to fibre for telehealth

16 September 2013

This article first appeared in the August 2013 edition of Pulse+IT Magazine. One of the big selling points for the former government’s National Broadband Network (NBN) was its potential to open up new modes of healthcare delivery, including telehealth and telemedicine, to areas of Australia that experience barriers to access. However, the fibre, fixed wireless […]

Pharmacy Guild takes a wait and see approach to PCEHR

12 September 2013

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia has clarified its position on community pharmacy involvement in the PCEHR, saying that while a concern over legal risks to pharmacists using the system had largely been overcome, it would wait to review its position until the outcome of the new government’s audit of the system was known. In a […]

Embarcadero releases app development platform for Android

12 September 2013

US company Embarcadero Technologies has added support for Android to its RAD Studio app development suite, allowing developers to design apps that can run like native apps on multiple devices and languages. Embarcadero released RAD Studio XE4 in April, allowing developers to use one code base for devices including the iPhone, iPad, Windows Slates and […]

Black Dog launches online suicide prevention trial

11 September 2013

The Black Dog Institute is running a trial of an online intervention for people experiencing suicidal thoughts that can be accessed at all hours. The trial involves a six-week program to study the effectiveness of the intervention compared to a different program. Online self-help programs have been shown to be effective in helping manage anxiety […]

ACT and Queensland hospitals go paperless in ICU

11 September 2013

Calvary Hospital in the ACT went live with the MetaVision electronic clinical information system from iMDsoft in its intensive care and coronary care units in late July, joining Canberra Hospital, two private hospitals in NSW and six public hospitals in Queensland in installing the system. Canberra Hospital has been using MetaVision for over two and […]

Lessons on implementing the PCEHR in aged care

11 September 2013

Melbourne’s mecwacare recently became the first aged care provider in Australia to upload an event summary to the PCEHR at one of its three residential aged care facilities, and is now gearing up to get the other two facilities onboard. It certainly has not been a straightforward journey for either mecwacare or its software provider, […]

HL7 head to address interoperability in eHealth

10 September 2013

HL7 International CEO Charles Jaffe and NEHTA CEO Peter Fleming will headline the eHealth Interoperability Conference being held in Sydney later this week. Mr Fleming will speak about how to define and support a “layered approach” to interoperability through standards development. He will be joined by former NEHTA clinical terminology lead Paul Frosdick, who will […]

Telehealth and Medicare: where should we be going?

9 September 2013

This article first appeared in the August 2013 edition of Pulse+IT Magazine. Telehealth has been shown to be an effective way to deliver healthcare to those in need and the introduction of MBS rebates was a welcome move. Opening up the MBS to allow GPs to consult directly with patients has great merit for the […]

Telemedicine service achieves net savings in travel costs

9 September 2013

A study of the Townsville Cancer Centre’s teleoncology service over almost five years has found that it can achieve net savings through major reductions in travel costs for patients and specialists, which could then be redirected into enhancing rural health resources. The study, published in today’s Medical Journal of Australia (MJA),, was aimed at assessing […]

ICT the biggest infrastructure challenge for health: Leeder

9 September 2013

As the senior members of the Coalition’s leadership team meet in Canberra today, public health expert Stephen Leeder predicted that general practice would be the field where new initiatives will probably appear first under the new government. Professor Leeder, director of the Menzies Centre for Health Policy at the University of Sydney, repeated his belief […]

NEHTA reveals PCEHR and eHealth uptake data

5 September 2013

The National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) has released a scorecard showing the adoption of the PCEHR and other eHealth foundations amongst general practice, community pharmacy, aged and acute care and the wider community. The scorecard (PDF) data is limited to information available to NEHTA and is only available up to July. It covers readiness, adoption […]

Murtagh goes digital with flashcards app

5 September 2013

Publisher McGraw-Hill has released an updated version of its diagnostic flashcards for general medical practice app, developed by GP, author and Monash University professor emeritus John Murtagh and based on content from his 1535-page book John Murtagh’s General Practice. The app offers more than 500 diagnostic flashcards that allow users to enhance their knowledge and […]

Clinical decision-making at the heart of eHealth

5 September 2013

This article first appeared in the August 2013 edition of Pulse+IT Magazine. Rather than spend many millions on poorly designed eHealth systems like the PCEHR, the healthcare industry and the government that funds it should look at the evidence for what works and design systems with clinical decision-making and clinical information management taking a central […]

iCIMS brings native interoperability to clinical specialties

5 September 2013

Well-known health information specialist Jon Patrick has developed what he calls a new class of technology to address the need for custom-designed information systems for clinical specialties. Since leaving the paid service of the University of Sydney in July last year, Professor Patrick (pictured) has established two new companies, one called Health Language Laboratories (HLL) […]

eMIMS on the desktop and in the cloud

4 September 2013

MIMS has developed two delivery platforms for the new version of its eMIMS drug reference product, launching a cloud-based version this week with a desktop version to follow. The new eMIMSCloud allows users to access the resource by key, click or touch on a PC or Mac desktop or laptop or Android tablet. It is […]

Softlogic to expand its allied health offering for ABF

4 September 2013

Allied health software specialist Softlogic is in discussions with several hospitals interested in the AlliedOne system it developed for Townsville Hospital for allied health case-mix funding. Softlogic’s Priyantha Jayawickrama said while the company had not marketed the AlliedOne system widely, it was hoped that with the introduction of activity-based funding (ABF) that hospitals will look […]

CHI conference on integration for innovation in health

4 September 2013

UK-based telecare specialist Kevin Doughty and South Australia Health CIO David Johnston are two of the keynote speakers at the Innovation in Health conference being organised by the Australian Centre for Health Innovation (CHI) in Melbourne in October. CHI clinical director and conference host Keith Joe (pictured) said the focus of the two-day conference would […]

Dawn of the age of the app for in-home care

3 September 2013

The Australian Centre for Broadband Innovation (ACBI) has released a guide to broadband-connected services outlining how apps and remote monitoring will enabled new services to be offered in health, aged care, education and energy. The ACBI’s App-trepreneur’s Guide to Broadband Connected Services report uses case studies from the recent Apps4Broadband competition, which saw $65,000 in […]

Telehealth benefits people of all ages

3 September 2013

This article first appeared in the August 2013 edition of Pulse+IT Magazine. The intense demand on established healthcare services in Queensland has prompted the introduction of an array of telehealth services throughout the state, which aim to provide a solution that is not only more efficient and effective but also to reduce travel time and […]

Few answers from either party on eHealth

3 September 2013

Labor’s health spokesperson Tanya Plibersek is standing by the government’s record of introducing the PCEHR and supporting telehealth in the lead up to this weekend’s federal election. Both Ms Plibersek and Opposition spokesperson for primary healthcare Andrew Southcott were offered the opportunity to outline their respective policies on eHealth. Dr Southcott is yet to reply. […]

Cloud9 enters hospital market, moves Monet users to Clarity

2 September 2013

Sydney-based enterprise healthcare solutions vendor Cloud9 Software has entered into a strategic merger with Indian hospital information systems provider IdeaObject. C9, which markets the Clarity primary care clinical information system as well as the Monet system it bought from iSOFT in 2010, will target private hospitals and day surgery groups with the new offering. In […]

More incentive for pharmacies to take up ETP

2 September 2013

Community pharmacies can receive up to $2000 per outlet under a new electronic prescription scanning incentive (ePSI) negotiated between the Pharmacy Guild and the Department of Health and Ageing. The incentive will be funded through a reallocation of existing electronic transfer of prescriptions (ETP) funding within the 5th Community Pharmacy Agreement (5CPA) and will therefore […]

HealthEngine looks to expand with Telstra, Seven investment

30 August 2013

Online health directory and appointment booking service HealthEngine is preparing for a consumer-focused marketing campaign following the widely publicised $10.4 million investment by Telstra and Seven West Media in May. While the site has long used search engine optimisation techniques to expand its online presence, the investment by two such large companies and their focus […]

Welcome to the FOAM revolution

29 August 2013

This article first appeared in the August 2013 edition of Pulse+IT Magazine. Have you heard medics talking about FOAM or #FOAMed? What does it mean and what exactly is it? Why are so many people giving up their free time to generate free online content? We explain exactly what it is that everyone’s getting so […]

GPs to recruit allied health to PCEHR for diabetes care

29 August 2013

General practices in western Sydney are being encouraged to each recruit two allied health professionals who are involved in the care of patients with diabetes to register to use the PCEHR. NEHTA’s measurement and validation manager Heather McDonald told an Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) forum in Sydney last week that as part of a […]

Telstra buys DCA’s healthcare division

28 August 2013

Telstra has acquired the healthcare division of Database Consultants Australia (DCA), which markets the Argus secure messaging service and the tcm and Communicare clinical software packages. DCA Health has a diverse portfolio and has made a few purchases of its own, including last year’s acquisition of Aboriginal healthcare software specialist Communicare and the recent purchase […]

Claydata launches browser-based telehealth for aged care

28 August 2013

Sydney-based eHealth systems vendor Claydata is ramping up its telehealth offering to both the aged care and specialist healthcare sectors, developing a new browser-based teleconferencing system that predates the WebRTC standard currently in development by Google and Mozilla. Claydata markets the Putty range of solutions, which includes a full EHR package, a communications package for […]

iCareHealth uploads first event summary to PCEHR

28 August 2013

Melbourne-based mecwacare has become the first aged care provider to upload an event summary to the PCEHR, using iCareHealth’s clinical and care management software. iCareHealth understands it is the first member of NEHTA’s aged care software panel to successfully upload an event summary to the system. Event summaries are clinical documents written in narrative form […]

AutumnCare takes Medicate on the road

27 August 2013

Aged care software vendor AutumnCare will kick off a national roadshow of its Medicate medication management module in Perth next week. Medicate was launched at the Information Technology in Aged Care (ITAC) conference in Melbourne last year, with an update released in April. AutumnCare’s managing director Stuart Hope said Medicate was designed from an aged […]

GP colleges develop online learning module for eHealth

26 August 2013

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) have developed a new online education module that provides information and resources on the integration of a range of eHealth technologies in general practice. In a statement, the colleges said the “Making eHealth work for your general […]

PCEHR exposes more examples of PBS errors

26 August 2013

Two more instances of incorrect PBS data appearing on individuals’ PCEHRs have been reported, including one example in which a drug that was not even dispensed has been added. As with this reporter’s recent experiences with incorrect PBS information, in both cases the errors have only come to light once they appeared on the PCEHR […]

DoHA rejects claims patients “inveigled” into PCEHR sign-up

22 August 2013

The Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) has rejected claims by the Australian Privacy Foundation (APF) that patients are not giving informed consent to their information being shared on the PCEHR, and that some have been “inveigled” into signing up. The APF recently released a statement claiming that the federal government’s advertising campaign for the […]

SA hospitals sending discharge summaries to PCEHR

22 August 2013

Nine hospitals in South Australia are now sending discharge summaries to the PCEHRs of registered patients. SA Health sent out a directive (pdf) in July mandating a uniform approach to sending discharge summaries to the PCEHR for eight metropolitan and one regional hospital. Each hospital’s medical records department is charged with reconciling Individual Healthcare Identifiers […]

Medicare Local signs with Intrahealth to offer hosted IT suite

21 August 2013

Townsville-Mackay Medicare Local (TMML) has formed a partnership with software vendor Intrahealth to offer a suite of fully hosted and customised software solutions to other Medicare Locals and community and allied health organisations. Intrahealth’s Profile practice management package has been used by TMML in its previous incarnation as a division of general practice since 2008, […]

EpiSoft to launch cloud-based Cancer CareZone

21 August 2013

Sydney-based software developer EpiSoft has received a grant from Commercialisation Australia to help launch a new cloud-based solution for integrated cancer management later this year. Called Cancer CareZone, the new system is aimed at medical oncology and haematology but will also allow for the provision of shared care with cancer surgeons, skin cancer procedural specialists, […]

UQ telehealth receives funding boost

20 August 2013

A University of Queensland-led consortium has been awarded a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grant of $2.5 million to bring together a team of telehealth researchers into a new Centre of Research Excellence in Telehealth. The CRE in Telehealth will bring together four telehealth research groups from UQ – the Centre for Online […]

Webstercare launches antipsychotic drug report for aged care

20 August 2013

Pharmacy software specialist Webstercare has worked with medicines information service NPS MedicineWise to develop a new reporting function that will allow aged care facilities to monitor and review their use of antipsychotic medications for residents with dementia. The new quality use of medicines (QUM) report functionality is now available to all Webstercare users through its […]

cdmNet can help improve clinical outcomes in diabetes care

19 August 2013

The clinical outcomes of patients with diabetes can be significantly improved by using general practice management plans and team care arrangements underpinned by web-based shared care management systems, a study has shown. The study, published in today’s Medical Journal of Australia, looked at the the management of 577 people with types 1 and 2 diabetes […]

Anywhere Healthcare adds to specialist panel for national roll-out

19 August 2013

Medibank Health Solutions plans to have a panel of up to 30 specialists offering video consultations by the end of September as part of the national roll-out of its new Anywhere Healthcare telehealth service. Anywhere Healthcare was officially launched nationally in May following a scoping period in the Queensland town of Gladstone and in Darwin […]

Safety commission makes findings on incorrect scripts on PCEHR

16 August 2013

An independent team that has investigated the circumstances in which incorrect PBS data was added to a Pulse+IT journalist’s PCEHR has recommended that the Department of Health and Ageing consider lowering the stringent evidence of identity threshold for the PCEHR helpline, but did not consider making a recommendation to remove PBS data entirely from the […]

Haikerwal resignation raises concerns about PCEHR: AMA

15 August 2013

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has issued a statement on the resignation of NEHTA’s head of clinical leadership, Mukesh Haikerwal, and other members of the clinical leads team, saying it raises “serious concerns” about clinical input into decision-making in the implementation of the PCEHR. Pulse+IT understands that Dr Haikerwal actually resigned several days ago, along […]

Panel on IT solutions to link aged, acute and primary care

15 August 2013

The Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) is holding a panel discussion on how to better link aged, acute and primary care in Sydney next week. Panellists will include Stephen Leeder, professor of public health and community medicine at the Menzies Centre for Health Policy and board director of the Western Sydney Local Health District; Sue […]

NEHTA clinicians resign as DoHA “takes the lead” on PCEHR

15 August 2013

The Department of Health and Ageing and the National E-Health Transition Authority have confirmed that Mukesh Haikerwal, head of clinical leadership and stakeholder management for NEHTA, has resigned. It is understood that a number of other high-profile clinicians have also resigned from the clinical leads program, although NEHTA and DoHA declined to comment. In a […]

HSAGlobal adds advance care planning functionality to CCMS

14 August 2013

New Zealand-based collaborative care software vendor HSAGlobal has introduced new advance care planning functionality into its Collaborative Care Management Solution (CCMS). CCMS is widely used in NZ, including in Auckland’s National Shared Care Project and in Canterbury for its Collaborative Care Program. South Eastern Sydney Medicare Local has signed up to use CCMS to manage […]

Grampians ML launches dementia pathways tool

13 August 2013

Victoria’s Grampians Medicare Local has officially launched a dementia pathways tool for GPs and nurses involving a web-based repository of a range of localised information and resources to help enhance assessments and referrals for people with dementia. Health pathways in the primary care sector are an increasingly popular tool to help clinicians – particularly GPs […]

iPhone app with ECG a candidate for mass AF screening

12 August 2013

The University of Sydney is trialling the AliveCor health monitor for iPhone device in general practices in Sydney, following research that found it was highly successful in screening for atrial fibrillation in community pharmacies. The AliveCor device is a single-lead ECG device built into an iPhone case that has an accompanying app that can analyse […]

eHealth applications score high at iAwards

12 August 2013

The Integrative Medicine Gateway that has been integrated into eMIMS to provide information on complementary and prescription drug interactions has won the health category at the national iAwards, announced late last week. The IMGateway has been developed by UnityHealth to provide evidence-based information and research on complementary medicines. Last year, a drug-herb interaction module was […]

Letter to the editor: eHealth – who is to benefit?

9 August 2013

I snapped this shot as the truck removed the eHealth computer kiosk machine from its former owner – a Medicare Local. The image is apt. Moments before this photo I was consulting with the hardworking manager of a group home. The home is operated by the State and houses half a dozen ageing intellectually disabled […]

HealthLink passes SMD milestone

9 August 2013

Secure messaging provider HealthLink has announced it has commissioned over 1000 general practices to use its SMD-compatible offering. Having a secure messaging solution that uses the SMD protocol commissioned is one of the requirements general practices seeking to maintain compliance with the current eHealth Practice Incentives Program must meet. The ‘commissioning’ process refers to a […]

South West Alliance ramps up eHealth rollout

8 August 2013

Victoria’s South West Alliance of Rural Health (SWARH) has installed a new patient administration system in 10 of its hospitals, based on InterSystems’ TrakCare web-based technology. TrakCare is also used as the clinical information system in most of the member hospitals in the alliance, and plans are afoot to also install InterSystems’ TrakCare Analytics and […]

Telehealth in pharmacies through the cloud

8 August 2013

eHealth solutions firm REND Tech Associates has formed a partnership with telehealth company TeleMedicine Australia (TMA) to enable telehealth consultations to be carried out in community pharmacies with secure access to clinical software in the cloud. TMA offers a suite of telehealth services, including a bank of GPs, specialists, nurses and allied health professionals who […]

Safer, smarter home platform up for iAward

6 August 2013

The Safer Smarter Homes platform being developed by the Australian eHealth Research Centre (AEHRC) to enable older people to remain in their own homes for longer is in the running for a national iAward, to be announced in Melbourne on Thursday. The AEHRC, a joint venture between CSIRO and Queensland Health, is developing the platform […]

HCF expands health monitoring in the home

6 August 2013

Health insurer HCF is rolling out what it calls is the largest ever telemonitoring program in Australia, partnering with health management company Healthways and Telstra to provide wireless monitoring devices for use in the home. The rollout follows a trial last year of a mobile glucometer for people with diabetes in association with the My […]

Queensland to use existing infrastructure in telehealth network

5 August 2013

The Queensland government has announced seven evaluation sites for its promised Rural Telehealth Service, which it says will use existing and underused infrastructure to improve telehealth provision to people in rural and remote areas of the state. The towns of Alpha, Eidsvold, Moura, Kowanyama, Normanton, Roma and Bedourie have been chosen as the evaluation sites […]

RCPA adds voice to concerns over pathology and the PCEHR

5 August 2013

The Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA) has added its voice to concerns raised by the private pathology sector about the method by which pathology results may be added to the PCEHR, saying it disagreed with what it understood was the government’s preferred model. Last week, Pathology Australia, the industry association that represents many […]

Private pathology sector “deeply concerned” over PCEHR plan

2 August 2013

The peak body representing private pathology practices in Australia has expressed its concern over the government’s plans for pathology and the PCEHR, saying it was not consulted on the recent announcement of an extra $8 million to make test results and diagnostic imaging reports available in the system. Katherine McGrath, CEO of Pathology Australia – […]

Satellite links look ROSIE for eHealth in the Kimberley

1 August 2013

Healthcare organisations servicing some of the remotest parts of the country will have access to dedicated satellite internet links for use in eHealth and telehealth provision following a $2 million subsidy agreement with a supplier of corporate satellite communication links. A number of healthcare providers have come together in an initiative led by the Kimberley-Pilbara […]

Android version of iMIMS in development

31 July 2013

MIMS is developing a version of its iMIMS app for Android smartphones and tablets and has also added the ability to purchase and renew the medicines information platform from directly within the app. MIMS has recently moved the app from its previous UBM Medica Apple developer account following the sale of UBM Medica Data Services, […]

MOOCs draw in the crowds to the iTunes of higher education

31 July 2013

The University of NSW and the University of Western Australia have this week announced they have partnered with US-based education company Coursera, the largest provider of massive open online courses (MOOCs). Described by the dean of the Australian School of Business at UNSW Geoffrey Garrett as like the “iTunes of academe”, MOOCs are high-quality online […]

Integrated photos and email added to AutumnCare

30 July 2013

Aged care software vendor AutumnCare has released version 4.4 of its enterprise-grade product, adding enhanced camera support technology that allows photos to be embedded within the resident’s file and a one-click email or messaging function complete with a full audit trail. AutumnCare’s software encompasses residential care, respite care, home care, medication administration and eHealth and […]

Prompts during trauma treatment sees major reduction in errors

30 July 2013

The introduction of a computerised decision-support tool for treating trauma patients in the emergency department of Melbourne’s The Alfred Hospital has seen the rate of clinical errors reduce by 21 per cent. The system, known as Trauma Reception and Resuscitation (TRR), was devised by the head of The Alfred’s Trauma Centre, Professor Mark Fitzgerald, with […]

DocAppointments launches check-in app for patient flow

29 July 2013

Online appointment booking service DocApppointments.com.au has released a new check-in app for Android tablets that aims to streamline patient flow in general practice and free up receptionists’ time. The app is a simple one that can be downloaded onto an Android device that is attached by a mount to the wall. When the patient arrives […]

ePIP deadline extended for SMD commissioning

26 July 2013

General practices interested in maintaining compliance with the eHealth Practice Incentives Program have been granted an 11th hour reprieve, with the deadline by which they must have a secure messaging solution commissioned being extended until October 31. The ‘commissioning’ process refers to a series of technical and administrative steps that practices – usually with the […]

NSW Health considering FirstNet ‘Lite’ for small EDs

26 July 2013

The NSW Ministry of Health is currently reviewing a simplified version of the Cerner FirstNet emergency department system to see whether it would be suitable to install in smaller EDs throughout the state. Julie Roberts, director of the electronic medical records (EMR) program at HealthShare NSW, which manages ICT shared services for the state, told […]

Healthcare terminologies to align for more interoperable EMRs

25 July 2013

The standards organisations behind the healthcare terminologies LOINC and SNOMED have signed a 10-year agreement to begin work aligning the two terminologies, which they say will make electronic medical records more effective for patient care. LOINC, or Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes, was developed by the US-based Regenstrief Institute to provide a definitive standard […]

Healthdirect Australia to implement WebRTC for video calls

24 July 2013

Healthdirect Australia will use the open source WebRTC standards for real time video, audio and data communication as part of plans to implement video consultations for the nurse-led health advice line and after-hours GP helpline (AGPH), as well as the Pregnancy, Birth and Baby counselling service. The federal government announced last month that it planned […]

Digital pen project draws interesting conclusions

24 July 2013

A research project looking at the use of digital pen and paper technology by nurses and allied health teams in a Victorian hospital has revealed some interesting findings, not the least of which is that clinicians and computer programmers speak very different languages. The digital pen and paper project, led by Virginia Plummer of Monash […]

Expert committee for HISA aged care special interest group

24 July 2013

The Health Informatics Society of Australia’s (HISA) aged care special interest group elected a new committee at the Health Informatics Conference (HIC) in Adelaide last week. Andrew Georgiou, an associate professor at the Centre for Health Systems & Safety Research at the University of NSW and last year’s SIG committee chairman, was re-elected to the […]

Low-cost future for sensor alarms in falls prevention

23 July 2013

The University of Adelaide is developing a low-cost movement sensor alarm system to aid falls prevention in the acute care setting with plans to trial the technology in residential aged care. Using radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology, the researchers from the university’s Auto-ID Lab in association with the Adelaide Geriatrics Training and Research with Aged Care […]

Doctors’ views on patient access to EHRs “need to evolve”

22 July 2013

A recent survey by technology services company Accenture found that while most Australian doctors want patients to actively participate in their own healthcare, there is still a great deal of reluctance about allowing patients full access and input into their electronic health records, a view that will need to evolve as patient expectations change. Leigh […]

PCEHR: it’s time for some big changes

22 July 2013

This article first appeared in the July 2013 edition of Pulse+IT Magazine. Most clinicians would agree that eHealth records have lots of potential. Unfortunately, the current PCEHR is far from ideal and many clinicians will not participate unless changes are made. One practising GP gives his view on the problems facing the system. It seems […]

Trust me, I’m a … data manager

19 July 2013

This article first appeared in the July 2013 edition of Pulse+IT Magazine. Computerisation has changed both the world and medicine in the last 40 years, but medical records have been surprisingly resistant to its advances. After close to a decade of building the foundations of eHealth, long-standing practices in medical record keeping are set to […]

Study on effect of EMR on lab ordering wins big at HIC

19 July 2013

Research into the effect of an electronic medical record on the quality of laboratory test orders has won the Branko Cesnik award for best scientific paper at the Health Informatics Conference (HIC 2013). The study, led by Andrew Georgiou of the Centre for Health Systems & Safety Research at the University of NSW, assessed the […]

Phone a lifesaver with emergency ID app

19 July 2013

Medical jewellery distributor Emergency ID Australia has released an app for Android and iOS that shows a user’s critical medical details as wallpaper on the locked screen of their mobile phones. The app allows users to display urgent information such as allergies and emergency contact details on the screen for easy access by paramedics, emergency […]

HISA board and award winners announced at HIC 2013

18 July 2013

The Health Informatics Society of Australia (HISA) has announced the new members of its board and its award winners at the Health Informatics Conference (HIC 2013) in Adelaide. The current members of the board are chair Katerina Andronis, Jen Bichel-Findlay, Tam Shepherd and David Hansen. This year, Phil Robinson and Nick Buckmaster have been re-elected […]

$8m for pathology and diagnostic imaging to be added to PCEHR

17 July 2013

Federal Minister for Health Tanya Plibersek has announced the government will spend $8 million to enable pathology results and diagnostic reports to be added to the national PCEHR system, with diagnostic images to come online in future. Speaking at the Health Informatics Conference (HIC 2013) in Adelaide today, Ms Plibersek said the money would go […]

NSW to link acute and community care to PCEHR in August

16 July 2013

NSW Health plans to allow clinicians in its public hospitals and community health services to view clinical documents and images held in statewide repositories and the national PCEHR through a portal integrated into the Cerner acute care EMR system and the CHIME community care solution by the end of August. NSW Health also plans to […]

NSW, NT prepare for advance care planning

16 July 2013

The NSW government has released a five-year plan outlining moves towards better end of life care by using advance care planning, which will see changes made to aged care, hospital admissions, clinical reviews and discharge procedures as well as the incorporation of advance care plans in all electronic health records. The government’s Advance Planning for […]

PCEHR as a catalyst for change

15 July 2013

Many people had serious misgivings about the PCEHR when it was first announced, particularly in light of failures such as the UK’s National Programme for IT. And while there are still many teething problems, the system seems to be the impetus behind real change in eHealth, where progress has been glacial for decades. At the […]

NEHTA aims for meaningful use for PCEHR

15 July 2013

The National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) has established a clinical usability steering committee to oversee potential improvements to the PCEHR to make it more useful and usable for clinicians and consumers. A steering group for NEHTA’s new Clinical Usability Programme (CUP) will meet for the first time next week to provide strategic oversight of the […]

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