The following appeared a few days ago. Roxon flags online identity checks by: Karen Dearne From: Australian IT April 20, 2012 2:40PM THE Gillard government is looking at introducing a real-time identity verification system, Attorney-General Nicola Roxon told the Commonwealth Lawyers Association regional conference in Sydney. "Document verification may not sound particularly sexy, but it is now a critical tool to control the validity of online transactions," she said this morning. "Just think of how your personal and financial security is reliant on secure transfer and validation of information from our banking and finance sectors, Australia's large superannuation sector and maritime and aviation security. "And, in contrast, how verification could support the fight against money laundering, terrorist financing and other organised criminal activity." The federal police have recently warned that fraudsters are targeting superannuation funds held by older Australians,...

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Here are a few I have come across the last week or so. Note: Each link is followed by a title and a few paragraphs. For the full article click on the link above title of the article. Note also that full access to some links may require site registration or subscription payment. General Comment The MJA Articles on the safety of the NEHRS (PCEHR) and mobile health tools and apps were the big news of the week. Both articles were covered on Monday here: http://aushealthit.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/nehta-is-really-being-called-on-its.html and here: http://aushealthit.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/alert-on-potential-emerging-problems.html Other than that the news flow has focussed on the continuing countdown to the launch of a patient registration scheme for some future NEHRS. The next couple of weeks will be dominated by Budget Speculation. The Budget is released on May 8 and it will be very interesting to see just what is announced in terms of base NEHRS funding and in practitioner...

This is the initial part of the post - read more by clicking on the title of the article. David.

The following press release appeared a few day ago from the UK Department of Health Shifting power to the local NHS – a new way for NHS IT March 8, 2012 A profound shift of decision-making to the local NHS means that clinicians lead change in information technology, ensuring its freedom to innovate, the Health Secretary said today at the launch of the Chief Clinical Information Officers network. Confirming that the government has secured agreement to over a billion pounds reduction in its contract with Computer Sciences Corporation, the largest supplier to the now-dismantled National Programme for IT, the Health Secretary made clear that this money will be released back into the NHS. Following years of waste and delay in introducing electronic care records to hospitals, he emphasised that this agreement signals an enormous breakthrough that will free up clinicians in the NHS to exercise control and flexibility. He also made clear that it was intolerable that clinicians who...

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The following appeared today. Liberal MPs to vote for e-health records by: Karen Dearne From: The Australian February 21, 2012 12:00AM LIBERAL MPs will vote to pass the Gillard government's legislation on personally controlled e-health records in the lower house, but warn they may move changes when the findings of a Senate inquiry are released. Opposition e-health spokesman Andrew Southcott said the Coalition supported the concept of shared e-health records, but had concerns about the way the system was being implemented. "Labor's implementation of the PCEHR since taking government in 2007 has received enormous criticism from industry for the poor management of the program's development and progress," he told the house last week. "This legislation was introduced in the final sitting week of 2011; the opposition referred the bills to a Senate inquiry, which is due to report on February 29. "Submissions to that inquiry have just closed. In its public hearing (on...

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The following very interesting report appeared very late last year. Patients, doctors at odds about sharing medical notes December 20, 2011 | Bernie Monegain, Editor BOSTON – Patients are overwhelmingly interested in exploring the notes doctors write about them after an office visit, but doctors worry about the impact of such transparency on their patients and on their own workflow, a Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) study suggests. In a study published in the Dec. 20 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, patient and doctor attitudes were surveyed extensively prior to the launch of the OpenNotes trial in which patients at BIDMC, Geisinger Health System of Danville, Pa., and Harborview Medical Center in Seattle were offered online access to their doctors’ notes written after office visits. Such notes have long been primarily within the doctors’ domain, even though patients have the legal right to obtain them.   “Doctors were divided in many of their...

This is the initial part of the post - read more by clicking on the title of the article. David.