Aligning Health Information Standards Development with the National eHealth Agenda

HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED

26 September 2008

Dr Chris MountDirector

Clinical CommunicationseHealth

Primary and Ambulatory Care Division

Agenda

• An overview of eHealth

• Challenges and Issues

• Key Priorities

• Current eHealth Activity

• Standards

Why eHealth?

eHealth is an enabler not an end in itself• Improved safety and quality outcomes• Improved clinical and administrative

decision-making• Optimal health care delivery• Health system efficiency

Knowledge Management(Creation through research and dissemination through education and electronic decision support)

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Infrastructure Services (UHI, Terminology, User Authentication, Conformance and Accreditation)

Individual EHR(PHRs and SEHRs

National, Regional, Local,Population specific)

Clinical Information Systems(GP Desktops, Hospital systems, Laboratory services, Pharmacy systems)

Monitoring andSurveillance

(eg eClinical Registries)

Secure Information Exchange(Referral, Prescriptions, Discharge, Orders, Results, Reports, Notifications, Bookings)

eBusiness Systems(Booking, scheduling, claiming, billing, finance, HR, asset management)

Governance

StandardsData, structured documents, terminology, classifications

Identity, security, information exchange

RegulationWor

kfor

ce

Challenges and Issues

• Enabling the whole system including allied health and primary care

• Supporting a consumer focused approach

• Primary care systems that can reliably handle electronic transfer of information

• Change management and business processes

• Technology is sometimes ahead of the required change process (i.e. digital diagnostic imaging)

• Clinical services within RACFs and connectivity to primary and acute care

Key Priorities for a national approach to eHealth

• Governance• Regulation• Workforce• Unique identifiers • Data & terminology standards• Exchange of clinical information• Individual Electronic Health Records

Current eHealth Activity• The National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) has the task

of developing standards and key infrastructure

– i.e. UHI, supply chain, standards and terminology, IEHR

• Regulation – Privacy, UHI, oversight

• Incentives for technology uptake

– eg PIP

• Research, development and prototyping implementation of the IEHR, point to point messaging enabling clinical communications

– i.e. ePrescribing, web based care planning, IEHR trial

• AHMAC has approved the development of an eHealth Strategy and implementation plan to be managed by the National E-Health Information Principle Committee (NEHIPC)

Standards

• Two problems with current standards for information exchange– Lack of detailed implementation guides

○ Standards often allow more than one way to do something

– Lack of business need for their adoption○ Which would force implementation issues to be addressed

• Standards exist but have not been effectively used

Standards

• Work of NEHTA and Standards Australia is now coming together– Standards Australia IT-014 Health Informatics Committee

focussed on current use– NEHTA has been focussed on the future

• NEHTA implementation activities are bridging the gap– National eHealth Strategy will clarify priorities for

standards development

In Conclusion

eHealth is an enabler of improved health service delivery, not an end in itself

National eHealth Strategy will determine the next steps

Questions ?