Artificial Intelligence

The revolution changing the face of healthcare delivery

Feature: MedView to provide consolidated view of medications history

8 March 2012

This article first appeared in the 20 February 2012 edition of Pulse+IT Magazine. The Wave 2 MedView medications repository project is fast approaching deployment and already has some runs on the board. MedView is developing a national repository that will allow clinicians, pharmacists, aged care facilities and hospitals to see a combined list of prescribed […]

LRS Health launches anatomical pathology module

8 March 2012

Victorian-based laboratory information management specialist LRS Health is shortly to launch a new version of its MediPATH AP system for anatomical pathology. MediPATH AP can be added to LRS Health’s core MediPATH platform or installed as a stand-alone system to run an anatomical laboratory. MediPATH has been installed at Monash Medical Centre for almost a […]

Travel grants open for HL7 meeting

8 March 2012

Health informaticians interested in attending the HL7 working group meeting in Canada in May have been invited to apply for travel assistance from the Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) and Standards Australia. DoHA has made available funds to assist experts to attend the meeting, being held in Vancouver from May 13 to 18. Applications […]

Website tracks hospital hand hygiene

7 March 2012

Hand hygiene data has been added to the federal government’s MyHospitals website. The data is collected by auditors at individual hospitals and collated by the operator of the website, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). Data is provided by state and territory health departments for public hospitals and by private hospitals that have […]

Harvard computer-aided surgery expert joins UWA

6 March 2012

An expert in the use of computer graphics in the operating theatre will join the University of Western Australia later this year. Ron Kikinis is the director of biomedical informatics and founding director of the surgical planning laboratory at Harvard University in the US. Professor Kikinis will work at UWA with Karol Miller, head of […]

HCN updates MD3 to resolve duplication

5 March 2012

Health Communication Network (HCN) has released an update to its Medical Director 3 software to resolve a duplication issue. MD 3.12.1c will be uploaded to users automatically through HCN Automatic Update. The previous version, MD 3.12.1b, contained a small glitch in which investigation results that included more than one OBR segment were appearing multiple times […]

UGPA calls for incentives to use PCEHR

2 March 2012

The heads of the major general practice associations have called on the federal government to properly fund and support GPs to assist in the smooth implementation of the PCEHR. At a meeting in Canberra yesterday, United General Practice Australia (UGPA) expressed concern about the lack of preparation for the practical implementation at practice level of […]

Plibersek rejects PCEHR blow-out claims

1 March 2012

Minister for Health Tanya Plibersek has rejected claims in The Australian newspaper that the budget for the PCEHR had blown out by almost $200 million. During a debate yesterday in which the PCEHR bill was passed unopposed by the House of Representatives, Ms Plibersek said the newspaper seemed to have double counted some of the […]

Telehealth takes on the west

1 March 2012

The WA branch of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is holding a ‘Taking on Telehealth’ workshop in Perth this Friday, March 2. Held in association with Rural Health West and the Western Australian General Practice Telehealth Advisory Group (WA GP TAG), the workshop aims to bring together industry leaders in telehealth service […]

Sysmex launches Delphic update, mobile app

1 March 2012

Auckland-based clinical laboratory specialist Sysmex has released the latest version of its Delphic laboratory information system (LIS) as well as a new mobile application for its Eclair clinical data repository. Delphic v8.5 comes with a new graphical user interface called Delphic Explorer, which provides a seamless and smart front-end for Delphic LIS. It also includes […]

GE-Microsoft JV changes the Caradigm

29 February 2012

The joint venture company established recently by GE Healthcare and Microsoft is to be called ‘Caradigm’, and will develop software to increase adherence to protocols aimed at avoiding hospital-acquired infections. Speaking at the Health Information Management and Systems Society (HIMSS) congress in Las Vegas recently, the CEO-designate of Caradigm, Michael Simpson, said the software will […]

Lopez to head international health metrics board

29 February 2012

Prominent Queensland-based academic Alan Lopez has been elected chair of the executive board of the Health Metrics Network (HMN), a World Health Organisation-hosted body designed to improve health information in poorer countries. Professor Lopez, head of the School of Population Health and a professor of medical statistics at the University of Queensland, will chair the […]

NPS to release e-Audit for respiratory tract infections

28 February 2012

NPS is preparing a new clinical e-Audit for the management of specific respiratory tract infections, to be available in June. Clinical e-Audits are free electronic versions of NPS’ quality improvement activities for GPs, using the audit-feedback-review cycle. The clinical e-Audit process involves participating GPs completing electronic data collection for 10 to 20 patients and securely […]

HCN updates MDref for March

28 February 2012

Health Communication Network (HCN) has released the March 2012 update for its MDref Drug Database for Medical Director 3. The update is current from March 1 and will be delivered to subscribers via its automatic update service. Users can also download the update manually. New drug monographs and products in the update include Jevtana (cabazitaxel), […]

APNA to showcase model healthcare community

27 February 2012

The Australian Practice Nurses Association (APNA) will hold its annual conference in Melbourne from May 3 to 5, and will feature the National E-Health Transition Authority’s (NEHTA) Model Healthcare Community exhibition. The Model Healthcare Community is an interactive exhibition of Australia’s electronic health capability, and the future of healthcare. Jill White, dean of the Sydney […]

Clinical coding and activity-based funding explained

27 February 2012

The NSW branch of the Health Informatics Society of Australia (HISA) is holding an educational session in Sydney next month on activity-based funding and clinical coding. Ric Marshall, executive director of ABF systems with the Independent Hospital Pricing Authority (IHPA) and former manager of the casemix unit at NSW Health, will describe the basics of […]

Secure power for operating theatres

23 February 2012

Energy management specialist Schneider Electric has released a secure power distribution and monitoring solution for hospital operating theatres. The company said the solution delivers almost 100 per cent electric power availability to help ensure patient safety while increasing the efficiency of medical and maintenance personnel. The solution comprises a tightly integrated and pretested electrical switchboard, […]

GS1 conference looks to identify unique devices

23 February 2012

Top speakers from the Asia-Pacific region have been added to the list for the upcoming GS1 Global Healthcare Conference, to be held in Sydney from March 20 to 22. Speakers include SC Chiang, senior pharmacist with the Hong Kong Hospital Authority (HKHA), Richard Medlicott, chairman of the New Zealand Health Information Standards Organisation (HISO), and […]

Oracle updates healthcare analytics platform

22 February 2012

Oracle has released an updated version of Oracle Enterprise Healthcare Analytics, a business intelligence and performance management solution aimed at helping healthcare organisations make informed decisions that improve financial performance, care quality and outcomes. The new version has added modules to support the mobile workforce through functionality for the iPad and iPhone, including the ability […]

Panel to discuss eHealth and broadband at ITAC

22 February 2012

A panel of experts will discuss how the National Broadband Network and initiatives such as the PCEHR can assist in delivering better aged care at the 5th annual Information Technology in Aged Care (ITAC) conference, being held in Melbourne on April 19 and 20. “Smart technology for modern aged care” is the theme of the […]

MD and PracSoft training sessions for Melbourne

22 February 2012

Health Communication Network (HCN) is hold training sessions for Medical Director 3 and PracSoft in Melbourne next month. The training sessions – on Wednesday, 21 March for MD3 and Thursday, 22 March for PracSoft – are aimed at nurses, receptionists, allied health professionals and doctors. The topics covered in the MD3 session are the more […]

Argus achieves CCA for secure messaging

22 February 2012

Database Consultants Australia’s (DCA) Argus version 6.0 secure messaging product has passed the Conformance, Compliance and Accreditation (CCA) assessment process for the National E-Health Transition Authority’s (NEHTA) secure messaging delivery (SMD) implementation. It was evaluated by two independent assessors in January and received its formal documentation of compliance from KJ Ross & Associates on February […]

PCEHR legislation likely to pass: report

21 February 2012

Opposition MPs are likely to vote for the PCEHR legislation in the lower house, The Australian newspaper is reporting. The Australian quoted Andrew Southcott, shadow parliamentary secretary for primary healthcare, as saying his party’s MPs will probably vote for the passage of the legislation, but may recommended changes after the report by the Senate Community […]

Primary care conference investigates eHealth

21 February 2012

Renowned British healthcare researcher Trisha Greenhalgh and the National E-Health Transition Authority’s (NEHTA) head of clinical leadership, safety and engagement Mukesh Haikerwal are headlining the eHealth stream at the upcoming International Primary Health Care Reform Conference, being held in Brisbane from March 6 to 7. Sponsored by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), […]

Real-time access to controlled drugs data from July

20 February 2012

The components of the electronic recording and reporting of controlled drugs system announced by Health Minister Tanya Plibersek last week are still being worked out but will be based on an existing system designed by Hobart-based XVT Solutions under contract to the Tasmanian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). XVT Solutions was contracted to […]

MBS Prompts gives oxygen to PrimaryCare Sidebar

17 February 2012

RACGP Oxygen has added MBS Prompts to its PrimaryCare Sidebar tool. MBS Prompts allows general practice teams to instantly identify what Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) chronic disease management items are claimable for their patients. MBS Prompts is now available to Medical Director version 3 users with Pracsoft 3 as their billing system. It will be […]

Medical Observer delivers on iPad

17 February 2012

The Medical Observer newspaper has launched an iPad edition, offering its entire print issue in tablet format once a week. The move is a response to the rapid uptake of tablet use among Australian health professionals and to address their demand for interactive content, the newspaper’s publisher, UBM Medica, said in a statement. The new […]

PCEHR specification glitch identified: NEHTA

15 February 2012

The technical issue that has held up the implementation of some components of the PCEHR has been resolved and is currently being tested before work restarts, the CEO of the National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA), Peter Fleming, said. Mr Fleming told a Senate Estimates committee hearing in Canberra today that the technical fault was discovered […]

Kyocera Mita releases security-conscious printers

15 February 2012

Kyocera Mita has launched four new A4 monochrome multifunctional printers (MFP) to the Australian and New Zealand markets, with a new private print function for secure printing of confidential documents. The new models come with optional authentication via proximity cards or pin logins for a secure way to manage the access rights for selected devices. […]

Health tech summit looks at future proofing

15 February 2012

A hospital CIO who has developed a “future-proofed” information management strategy and a health district CIO who has introduced a region-wide electronic health record have been added to the speakers’ list for the 3rd Annual Technology in Healthcare Summit, being held in Sydney on February 27 and 28. Elmar Flamme, the CIO of Klinikum Wels […]

A call to arms for telehealth

15 February 2012

The New Zealand Telehealth Forum and Health Informatics New Zealand are holding a one-day symposium in Auckland next week to develop an action plan for the forum’s role of promoting the use of telehealth and maximise the benefits of the NZ’s broadband program. Telehealth – a call to arms is being held at the Tamaki […]

Precedence to add telehealth to cdmNet

15 February 2012

Precedence Health Care will introduce a new telehealth component in the next version of its cdmNet solution, integrating Cisco’s WebEx web-based video conferencing product. The new version of cdmNet, to be released shortly, will allow subscribers to hold a teleconference with the patient and the care team, particularly aimed at diabetic patients who are part […]

MIMS navigates apps online

14 February 2012

MIMS has launched a new online training newsletter to give users tips on how to use MIMS products more effectively. The MIMS Navigator includes training videos as well as articles with screen shots to help subscribers utilise different applications. In the first newsletter, it provides a quick run-down of one feature of the iMIMS iPhone […]

Fast, green IBM machine for medical research

14 February 2012

Melbourne’s medical research supercomputing facility has moved into stage two of its program to host the fastest supercomputer in the southern hemisphere dedicated to life science research with the purchase of an IBM Blue Gene/Q, which has 836 teraflops of processing power. The Blue Gene/Q, which will be housed at the Victorian Life Sciences Computation […]

AGPN calls for PCEHR practice incentives

13 February 2012

The Australian General Practice Network (AGPN) has urged the federal government to consider paying incentives to general practices to use the personally controlled electronic health record (PCEHR). The AGPN’s official position on the PCEHR states that general practices must be provided with an eHealth practice incentive payment to support the necessary infrastructure to establish the […]

Mater and RACGP Oxygen sign up for Pen sidebar tool

10 February 2012

Mater Health Services and RACGP Oxygen have formed a partnership to link GPs to the Mater Shared Electronic Health Record (EHR), a Wave 2 PCEHR project. Incorporating Mater’s clinician portals with a new patient portal being developed by Mater as part of the Wave 2 program, the Mater Shared EHR will enable GPs, private obstetricians, […]

ISN looks to the cloud for private practice

10 February 2012

Medical network specialist ISN Solutions has launched a cloud-based service specifically for the private practice and private hospital sector. The service brings together a number of partners, including wide area network provider M2 Communications, part of the Commander Group, and VMware provider ZettaGrid. The service also offers integrated digital dictation or voice recognition from Speech […]

Aged care on the agenda for HISA NSW

10 February 2012

How ICT can contribute to better care for older Australians is the topic for discussion at a Health Informatics Society of Australia (HISA) NSW branch meeting next week. Being held at St Vincent’s Hospital private function room in Darlinghurst on Thursday, February 16, speakers will include Rod Young, CEO of the Aged Care Association of […]

AEHRC research conference on eHealth for March

10 February 2012

The Australian e-Health Research Centre (AEHRC) is holding its 8th annual eHealth Research Colloquium in Brisbane in March. Speakers include Paul Madden, chief information and knowledge officer at the Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA), who will discuss the national PCEHR program, and Tam Shepherd, CEO of the Greater Metro South Brisbane Medicare Local, who […]

HISA launches online portal for members

9 February 2012

The Health Informatics Society of Australia has revamped its website, offering members added networking opportunities through a new online portal. The portal provides members with their own page and the ability to directly link into forums and special interest groups, as well as free entry registration to to many HISA events. Other functions include the […]

Digital ink makes an impression

9 February 2012

US company Bottomline Technologies recently purchased the assets of mobile documentation software firm Logical Progression and is now bringing its Logical Ink technology to the healthcare sector in Australia. Logical Ink is a mobile documentation solution that uses digital ink and a pen-based interface to enable tablet-based data capture and form completion for healthcare organisations. […]

Denmark chooses InterSystems for patient data sharing

8 February 2012

The Danish government has chosen InterSystems to help develop a new service to link healthcare information systems on a national level. InterSystems will provide its HealthShare informatics platform to enable sharing of patient information via bi-directional integration and unlocking the unstructured data in patient records. The Danish national board of eHealth (National Sundheds-IT (NSI)) is […]

Medical Director training day in Sydney

7 February 2012

Health Communication Network is holding a Medical Director 3 training session on March 1 at its St Leonards headquarters in Sydney. The training session is aimed at nurses, receptionists, allied health professionals and doctors. The topics covered are those more widely used areas of the program, including: Entering effective progress notes with minimal typing Designing […]

DoHA defends PCEHR governance approach

6 February 2012

The Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) has defended its role as the System Operator of the PCEHR, saying it was the most legally sound of the governance options considered. The decision has been criticised by some in the industry, including the Medical Software Industry Association (MSIA), due to a perceived conflict of interest. The […]

No systemic problems with healthcare identifiers: NEHTA

6 February 2012

The National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) has rejected claims that there are systemic problems with the implementation of the national Healthcare Identifiers Service. Appearing before the Senate committee into the PCEHR bill today, NEHTA CEO Peter Fleming rejected claims made earlier by the Medical Software Industry Association (MSIA) that the HI Service was unsafe and […]

MSIA calls for extension to PCEHR deadline due to safety risk

6 February 2012

The Medical Software Industry Association (MSIA) has called for a 12-month extension to the roll out of the PCEHR in order to fix what it says are serious threats to patient safety. Addressing the Senate hearing into the PCEHR bill this morning, Dr Vince McCauley, treasurer of the MSIA and CEO of McCauley Software, raised […]

MSIA voices concern over PCEHR legislation

3 February 2012

The Medical Software Industry Association (MSIA) has strongly criticised aspects of the legislation underpinning the creation of the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR). It has also attacked the National E-Health Transition Authority’s (NEHTA) handling of the recent disruption to the roll out of work at Wave 1 and 2 PCEHR sites due to a […]

RACGP raises governance, liability concerns over PCEHR

3 February 2012

Problems with governance, the administrative burden on general practice, and professional and financial risk need to be resolved in order for general practitioners to have full confidence in the proposed PCEHR, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) says. In its submission to the Senate Committee on the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records Bill, […]

ePrescriptions could save billions: US study

3 February 2012

A US study has found ePrescribing could save the healthcare system billions by reducing the rate of non-adherence. US ePrescription network Surescripts conducted a study from de-identified data that links ePrescribing to a significant increase in first-fill medication adherence. The World Health Organisation estimates that as many as 50 per cent of patients do not […]

Global Health and GP2U partner for secure telehealth

3 February 2012

Secure messaging provider Global Health is partnering with video conferencing specialist GP2U to provide a new interoperable telehealth solution aimed at GPs and specialists. Global Health runs the ReferralNet messaging service, a fully encrypted secure message delivery (SMD) system designed to meet the National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) standards for secure messaging. GP2U is a […]

ePrescribing reduces clinical errors

2 February 2012

Commercial ePrescribing systems are able to reduce prescribing errors by up to 66 per cent, a University of NSW study has found. Researchers studied prescribing errors both before and after the introduction of iSoft’s MedChart and Cerner’s Millennium PowerOrders ePrescribing systems in two Australian teaching hospitals. The study involved a medication chart audit of 3291 […]

HCN updates MDref, fixes PracSoft bug

2 February 2012

Health Communication Network (HCN) has released its February 2012 update of the MDref Drug Database. It has also resolved a bug in its recent update of PracSoft, which was compromising demographic data in the practice management system. A new version of the update is now available through the HCN website and automatic updates. The MDref […]

Rowlands expands Direktly into Asia

30 January 2012

eHealth consultant David Rowlands has stepped down as chair of the Health Informatics Society of Australia (HISA) and director of HL7 Australia to concentrate on the new offices his firm Direkt Consulting has opened in Hong Kong and Singapore. Direkt Consulting opened a Hong Kong office in the first week of January and is in […]

Registrations open for HISA Data Governance conference

27 January 2012

The Health Informatics Society of Australia (HISA) is organising the second annual Data Governance Conference in Melbourne on March 29 and 30. The event is aimed at healthcare executives and managers both clinical and non-clinical, data and information professionals, health informaticians, health policy makers and academics. A HISA spokesperson said the conference will be dedicated […]

Figures bode well for health IT investment

25 January 2012

2011 was a big year for investment in healthcare IT companies, with $US6 billion in mergers and acquisitions activity recorded, according to US consulting firm Mercom Capital Group. In its annual report for the healthcare technology sector for 2011, Mercom found that almost half a billion dollars came into the sector through venture capital investment […]

March the target for NEHTA specification fix

25 January 2012

The National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) is hoping to finalise changes to its specifications for GP desktop software by mid to late March. Problems have been discovered in the specifications for GP software development released in November last year. NEHTA has put a hold on further implementation of the software, affecting most of the Wave […]

BT promotes Fiona Stanley bid leader

25 January 2012

Lisa Altman has been promoted to head of healthcare for BT Australasia, following the company’s successful tender to provide IT and communications services for the Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth. Ms Altman led the bid for the new hospital, due for completion in 2014, which includes deploying a secure local area network and providing systems […]

NEHTA halts GP software roll out for Wave 1 and 2

24 January 2012

The National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) has delayed implementation of GP desktop software development following the discovery of a discrepancy between specifications for the eHealth pilot sites. A NEHTA spokesperson said the delay will affect the Wave 1 and Wave 2 eHealth sites except for the Medibank Private consumer health portal project, the Fred IT-led […]

HCN recalls latest PracSoft update

24 January 2012

The latest update of Health Communication Network’s (HCN) PracSoft practice management software has come with an unexpected bug that is affecting patient demographic data. HCN issued an alert yesterday evening about the latest release of Medical Director and PracSoft, 3.12.1a, warning users not to install the update and to call HCN urgently if users have […]

Telehealth gets $20 million boost

23 January 2012

The federal government has announced $20 million in funding over two years for pilot projects to develop and deliver telehealth services in areas where the National Broadband Network (NBN) is being rolled out. The NBN Enabled Telehealth Pilots Program is aimed at NBN-enabled homes with a focus on aged, palliative or cancer care services, including […]

Practice managers promote MedView, endorse ePrescribing

23 January 2012

The Australian Association of Practice Managers (AAPM) has joined the MedView Wave 2 PCEHR project and will promote it to members as a practical way to improve the efficiency of their practices. AAPM president Brett McPherson said MedView represented a big advance in medicines management and described ePrescribing as a vital link in the secure […]

Medical Director delivers Health Identifiers in latest update

19 January 2012

Health Communication Network (HCN) has added national health identifiers functionality to its Medical Director and PracSoft software packages, in a development that constitutes a boost to the federal government’s eHealth initiatives. Medical Director is the market’s leading clinical software product for general practitioners, while PracSoft is HCN’s practice management software. HCN CEO John Frost said […]

Cook Medical signs up to National Product Catalogue

18 January 2012

Medical device supplier Cook Medical has added its product range information to the National Product Catalogue (NPC). The NPC, hosted on the GS1net data synchronisation platform by GS1 Australia, is a single repository of product, pricing and healthcare data for all health industry product categories, including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, catering and food services and cleaning […]

Registrations open for UWS health informatics summer school

17 January 2012

Registrations have opened for the 2012 Australian Health Informatics Summer School (AHISS), being held in Sydney from February 6 to 10. Organised by the School of Computing Engineering and Mathematics at the University of Western Sydney, the day-long short courses will be run as an intensive mode classroom or workshop-style session, delivered by a team […]

AMA preparing PCEHR guide for doctors

16 January 2012

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) is conducting a survey of members to help in the preparation of a forthcoming guide to using shared electronic health records. The Essential Guide to using a shared electronic health record for medical practitioners is being partially funded by the National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) as part of its change […]

Stat Health adds data reporting tool

13 January 2012

Practice and clinical management software vendor Stat Health will release a new data reporting tool next month that allows users to create their own data sets for clinical and administrative use. The data reporting feature is undergoing beta testing this month before being rolled out to current users of Stat software next month. Stat Health […]

Mater systems accredited for Healthcare Identifiers Service

11 January 2012

Queensland’s Mater Health Services has received accreditation from the National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) for its interface to the national Healthcare Identifiers Service. It can also now communicate with other healthcare providers using the Secure Messaging Delivery (SMD) technical specification developed by NEHTA. Mater Health Services, which operates seven Mater hospitals in south-east Queensland, is […]

Health stats go online in NSW

11 January 2012

NSW Health has launched a new website allowing easy access to population health data for the state. Aimed at allowing local health districts and Divisions of General Practice to access population health data, the site, Health Statistics NSW, is thought to be the first of its kind in Australia. NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry […]

Best Practice gearing up for summit (Article Update)

11 January 2012

Medical device integration, SMS appointment setting and the launch of a new touchscreen patient assistant tool to help manage chronic diseases are some of the highlights of the upcoming Best Practice Summit, being held in Bundaberg from March 8 to 10. The summit website is now open for registrations, which close on February 3. The […]

Healthy growth in eScripts but large gap remains

10 January 2012

The companies behind Australia’s two electronic prescription platforms say transactions are up by several magnitudes from the same time last year, although many GPs and pharmacists are not yet using the technology. eRx Script Exchange has seen overall dispense transactions grow by 40 per cent in 2011, while MediSecure Script Vault has seen an increase […]

PCEHR high on HIC agenda

10 January 2012

The Health Informatics Society of Australia (HISA) has issued a call for submissions for its Health Informatics Conference (HIC) 2012, being held in Sydney from July 30 to August 2. High on the conference agenda will be the federal government’s personally controlled electronic health record (PCEHR), due to be launched just 30 days prior to […]

E-Discharge summary trial launches in Katoomba

22 December 2011

The Blue Mountains District Anzac Memorial Hospital in Katoomba is trialling an electronic discharge summary in preparation for a wider introduction across the Greater Western Sydney region in 2012. Approximately 12 local general practitioners are involved in the trial, which will see patient discharge information sent electronically to the GP’s clinical software. According to the […]

Microsoft brings context to GE joint venture

22 December 2011

A context management system recently installed at Macquarie University Hospital in Sydney is part of the technology Microsoft is contributing to the joint venture it is developing with GE Healthcare. In addition to its Amalga unified intelligence system, Microsoft is contributing its single sign-in (SSO) and context management technology to the new company. Called Vergence, […]

Best Practice gearing up for summit

16 December 2011

Medical device integration, SMS appointment setting and the launch of a new touchscreen patient assistant tool to help manage chronic diseases are some of the highlights of the upcoming Best Practice Summit, being held in Bundaberg from 8 to 10 March 2012. The focus of the summit, which was first held in March this year, […]

Ferrier joins Orion Health board

15 December 2011

Former Fonterra CEO Andrew Ferrier has joined the board of directors of NZ-based health IT company Orion Health. Canadian-born Ferrier, who ran NZ’s largest dairy cooperative for eight years before stepping down in September, has also invested in the company through his family investment company, Canz Capital. “[Orion CEO Ian McCrae] truly feels that Orion […]

Users have their say on drug interaction alerts

14 December 2011

A survey of users of common prescribing and dispensing software has found they want information on drug interactions and its presentation to be improved. Software users indicated they want drug interaction alerts to be more relevant to practice and the format and presentation of alerts to be more easy to read. They also want the […]

Clintel integrates Medical-Objects secure messaging

13 December 2011

Practice management software provider Clintel Systems has integrated the Medical-Objects secure messaging system into its Specialist patient administration system. Adelaide-based Clintel has already integrated the Argus clinical information exchange into The Specialist, which is used in several hundred specialist practices around the country. Clintel’s business service manager Julie Mullighan said Medical-Objects was more commonly used […]

Microsoft and GE initiate joint venture

12 December 2011

Microsoft and GE Healthcare have announced a 50:50 joint venture to develop and market a new technology platform for the healthcare sector. The venture will include data capture and analysis technologies to target major healthcare problems such as hospital-acquired infections and chronic disease management. In a statement, the two companies said the venture “will develop […]

Motion extends tablet functionality with barcode reader

12 December 2011

Tablet PC specialist Motion Computing has released the CL900 SlateMate, a patent-pending and industry-first productivity tool that extends the functionality of the CL900 tablet PC. The CL900 SlateMate includes a magnetic stripe reader (MSR) and barcode scanner (BCS) for mobile data acquisition and processing. The first in what Motion Computing says will be a family […]

NPS updates Medicines List app, receives awards

6 December 2011

NPS has added a reminder function to its award-winning Medicines List iPhone app to allow people to schedule prompts to remind them to take their medicine. As part of the upgrade, users can also record whether they took their medicine on time, and if not, why not. The app, available for free from iTunes, also […]

Award opens eyes to Remote-I

6 December 2011

The CSIRO’s Remote-I tele-ophthalmology project has picked up another gong, this time a merit award at the 2011 Asia-Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Awards, held in Thailand recently. The APICTA award follows Remote-I’s win in the eHealth category at the iAwards earlier this year. It also won the Victorian Government Inspiration iAward, the highest company honour […]

Software speeds up searches on NPC

5 December 2011

Private hospital group Healthscope is using Australian-developed software to streamline rebate claims for prostheses. Items on the Commonwealth Prostheses List (CPL) such as cardiac pacemakers and stents, hip and knee replacement devices and intraocular lenses are subsidised by the government and attract a rebate. However, there are around 9500 rebate codes on the CPL and […]

Queensland goes with the Q-Flow

2 December 2011

The Prince Charles Hospital in Queensland has gone live with the Q-Flow patient scheduling system, distributed in Australia by the NEXA Group. Already used extensively in Medicare offices throughout the country along with major universities, the Prince Charles Hospital installation is the first for a major hospital in Queensland. Q-Flow is also being used in […]

Orion Health heads into China

1 December 2011

Auckland-based Orion Health is on an aggressive staff recruitment program to further expand its market share in Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific. Announcing an increase of 28 per cent on its operating revenue in the first six months of the financial year to September 2011, Orion’s CEO Ian McCrae said most of that increase […]

Patients get meningococcal reminders via SMS

30 November 2011

General practices in the Northland region of New Zealand are using text messaging to remind young people to be vaccinated against meningococcal disease. The region has experienced an outbreak of meningococcal C since July, which is being targeted by NZ health authorities with a free vaccination program for people under 20. It has covered 25,000 […]

I-MED releases iOS apps

29 November 2011

The I-MED Network has released a pair of iOS diagnostic image apps for doctors that referring patients to the group’s practices in Queensland and Tasmania. I-MED are touting the ‘I-MED Online Queensland’ and ‘I-MED Online Regional Imaging’ apps as the first of their kind in their respective states, having previously deployed a similar solution in […]

Why bother with eScripts?

28 November 2011

While the immediate benefits of eScripts can already be seen in some quarters, the true value of ETP (Electronic Transfer of Prescriptions) is not well understood by many. ETP is a key enabler for Australia’s eHealth plans, and one from which we can expect to reap far-reaching benefits relatively soon. The business case for our […]

Sysmex presents health informatics award at HINZ conference

25 November 2011

Sysmex New Zealand has congratulated Shazneen Zaim for winning the Sysmex Prize for Health Informatics, for her essay on linking ambulances with emergency departments. Sysmex New Zealand sponsored the competition for health informatics students at the University of Auckland for the first time this year. Approximately 40 students entered the competition, writing an assignment in […]

Effective S8 Management with Prescription Exchange Services

25 November 2011

“Doctors and pharmacists have backed calls from a Victorian coroner for the introduction of a real-time prescription monitoring system in an effort to stamp out doctor-shopping. Coroner John Olle called for the introduction of live prescription monitoring within the year and asked for written submissions from relevant experts before he makes final recommendations in relation […]

Radiologists take a look at 4G LTE

25 November 2011

Brisbane radiology practice Qscan is using Telstra’s new 4G data network to provide super-fast diagnosis and reporting to healthcare clients. Qscan was among the first Queensland businesses to trial the new 4G LTE modem, now networked in capital city CBDs and 30 regional and metropolitan centres. Based on the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard for […]

PCEHR and the ‘opt-in’ model – are we swimming against the tide?

24 November 2011

The national Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) project requires health consumers to register and ‘opt-in’ to the PCEHR system. This appears to be contrary to current practices and may be going against the prevailing trends in both Australia and overseas. *** The youth lay on the floor, blood all over him, half‑twisted onto his […]

Roxon introduces PCEHR bill

23 November 2011

The long-awaited legislation to enable the national eHealth records system was introduced to federal Parliament by Health Minister Nicola Roxon today. The Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records Bill 2011 is likely to be passed by both houses in the new year, with Parliament due to rise for the summer recess tomorrow. The roll out will […]

NEHTA and vendors plan for wider use of AMT

23 November 2011

The National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) has released a plan to accelerate uptake of the Australian Medicines Terminology (AMT). Developed with the software industry, the plan helps vendors to make a decision about if and when they want to include AMT in their software. Ultimately, NEHTA’s long term goal is semantic interoperability. The plan works […]

Lessons learned in Electronic Medication Management

22 November 2011

Electronic medication management systems offer the promise of significant benefits, including reduced medical errors, better compliance, time savings, cost savings, and better drug safety. However, early adopters have described a number of limitations and clinical risks associated with first generation systems. These range from making wrong drug selections from electronic pick lists, irrelevant alerts which […]

MSIA: Things I should have said…

21 November 2011

I wish I had kept a diary for the past two years during my time as the Medical Software Industry Association President (MSIA). The things I have seen, heard and read have generated all sorts of emotional responses: surprise; laughter; disappointment; frustration; sadness; anger; and humility. Health at the best of times is a hot […]

Better Health Channel releases iOS app

18 November 2011

Launched by Victoria Minister for Health, David Davis, Better Health Victoria has released a free app for Apple iOS devices. According to the Minister, the ‘Better Health’ app “extends the reach and access of the award-winning Better Health Channel, which is Australia’s number one health and medical website featuring the most trusted, up-to-date and easy […]

UWS to host Health Informatics Summer School in February

17 November 2011

The University of Western Sydney (UWS) will host the 2nd Australian Health Informatics Summer School (AHISS) program in February 2012, following the success of its inaugural summer courses, which were held earlier this year. Running over five days, the program steps through the basic concepts and principles of health informatics; health data coding and terminologies; […]

APNA launches new online learning material for practice nurses

16 November 2011

APNA, the peak professional association for nurses working in primary health care, has announced the release of three interactive learning modules designed for nurses working in general practice and other primary health care settings. Launched in October, the additional courses bring to 10 the number of online learning modules currently offered by APNA. The organisation […]

Video consulting telehealth – from hospitals to the home and everywhere in between

15 November 2011

Video consulting is a big subject, within a big subject (Telehealth), within a big subject (eHealth). Articulating what is involved can be like articulating the health system itself — not an easy task. This is because video consulting is just normal consulting with another travel option. The trouble is that most people’s horizons only extend […]

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