The Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) welcomes the release of comprehensive recommendations from the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission (NHHRC) that emphasise the need for the widespread adoption of electronic healthcare initiatives across Australia.
The recommendations are timed to coincide with the rollout of the National Broadband Network and will be an important way that Australia can realise genuine social and economic returns on that investment.
“The Government must act quickly to secure the benefits on offer,” AIIA CEO Ian Birks said. “All of the technology to implement these changes exists today; decisive action is required to ensure that the Australian community can benefit from these recommendations.”
“AIIA and the ICT industry now identify the need for a national e-health summit involving each of the key stakeholders to inform the next steps based on these recommendations. The ICT industry is ready and willing to work with Government and the healthcare sector towards the successful implementation of these reforms,” said Mr Birks.
The NHHRC has specifically identified three core changes required to implement viable electronic healthcare in Australia: introducing electronic records that are controlled by the patient, developing a legislative framework to govern privacy and agreeing on a national technical standards framework.
“Implemented appropriately, these recommendations provide the foundation for electronic reform initiatives that will deliver better and faster medical and hospital care to patients and strong economic returns across the country,” Mr Birks said.
Outside of recommendations that directly address the implementation of electronic healthcare initiatives, the Report refers extensively to the need for better data tracking in Australia.
“Smart data tracking technology is already available and can be deployed now. These technologies need to be applied to Australia’s healthcare system as an immediate priority,” said Mr Birks.
The April 2009 report by Access Economics into The economic benefits of intelligent technologies estimates that up to $20.8 billion can be returned to the economy based on the implementation of electronic healthcare records alone.
These benefits flow from both increased productivity and a reduction of adverse patient outcomes; at the high end they depend on consistent implementation across all states..
“The potential return on the investment being made in the National Broadband Network is huge. We need to act now and at a national level to ensure that we secure those returns,” continued Mr Birks.
“eHealth is an essential starting point for three reasons: the required technology is ready now; the industry has a clear and identified need for that technology; and the Australian community stands to reap enormous benefits through improved healthcare and strong economic returns.”
The NHHRC Report, A healthier future for all Australians, is available through http://www.nhhrc.org.au/
[ends]