Electronic Health Records
Is this the biggest privacy threat this year? If so, nominate it for a Big Brother Award!
Current Status
Federal
A range of electronic health record proposals are undergoing trial implementation, mostly under the ‘HealthConnect’ programme. This national programme is now apparently being devolved to the states – query whether any funding is being provided for implementation?
The lack of concluded national e-health record privacy principles to guide these proposals is a matter of concern. There is apparently limited recognition of the highly sensitive nature of identifiable health data, and the ensuing range of potentials for harm to individuals and to confidence in the medical record system which may arise from flaws in the design and execution of such monolithic systems.
Federal ministers have also suggested that Australians’ electronic health records should be combined with those of other agencies, and all held in a single database.
The Australian Privacy Foundation has warned that public health programs to tackle the spread of disease could be undermined by the Government’s blatant disregard for privacy.
NSW
The NSW Healthelink trials start in March 2006. See our separate new campaign page.
Resources
National issues
- HealthConnect (part of the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing)
- ‘Abbott crash tackles e-Health program’ Julian Bajkowski , Computerworld, 27/06/2005 10:18:54
- National Medicare smartcard (Health Insurance Commission)
- National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA): their map of what an e-health record system looks like
- Consumers’ Health Forum – Electronic Health Records Project
- e-Health Issues from a Health Consumer’s Perspective (June 2004)
- ‘Connecting health – A review of electronic health record projects in Australia, Europe and Canada’, by Amanda Cornwall, PIAC, November 2002
NSW ‘Health elink’ project
The NSW Healthelink trials start in March 2006. See our separate new campaign page.
Media Releases
- Hunter patients’ privacy at risk (21 March 2006)
- Health minister’s one big database, one bad idea? (28 June 2005)