ALISON VERHOEVEN Chief Executive AHHA
Data and digital health—changing the way we work
Welcome to this August 2019 issue of The Health Advocate. Our ‘data and digital’ theme for this issue follows a ‘digital healthcare’ theme that we pioneered last
This year, things have moved on and are accelerating in all things data and digital in healthcare. We have brought some of the key elements to you in this issue.
June at a time when the Australian Digital Health
As the ADHA celebrates its third birthday, ADHA
Agency (ADHA) was ramping up implementation of
Chief Medical Adviser Professor Meredith Makeham
an ‘opt-out’ registration model for the Australian
outlines progress being made with Australia’s
Government’s ‘My Health Record’. This followed
National Digital Health Strategy—the number 1
some years of low take-up of the former ‘opt-in’
component of which is My Health Record. Over
Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record.
90% of Australians now have access to and control
At the time we thought—and still do—that My
of their key summary health information in My
Health Record’s opt-out model helped balance the
Health Record. The other aspect of digital strategy
clinician’s need for information with a patient’s
discussed by Prof. Makeham is medicines safety.
right to privacy. A lot of electrons have passed through the
Backing up the summary information available in My Health Record are innovations such as the ACT
wires and optical cables since then. Controversies
Health Directorate’s planned Digital Health Record,
erupted about privacy—principally that the law
which will contain much more detailed clinical
governing My Health Record then did not require
information (subject to privacy and confidentiality
a warrant or court order for the operator of the
provisions).
system (the ADHA) to provide medical records to
Peter O’Halloran, Chief Information Officer at
police or other enforcement agencies, including the
the ACT Health Directorate outlines a $106 million
Australian Taxation Office.
clinician-driven (rather than technology-driven)
At the time we said that legislation requiring a
system where anyone accessing ACT publicly-
court order was the only sensible way to ensure
funded health services will have their treatment
and future-proof a robust eHealth system in which
journey mapped and tracked through the Digital
Australians could have trust and confidence. To
Health Record.
its credit the Australian Government listened to
On the subjects of mapping and tracking, Daniël
the concerns and the necessary legislation was
Erasmus from Insight Actuaries ponders interacting
subsequently passed.
with the healthcare system in the same way as we
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The Health Advocate • AUGUST 2019
