“Digital health can make a real difference to people’s health by giving them greater control and better access to information. Our challenge is work with the community to make this a reality,” said to H&TI Tim Kelsey, chief executive of the Australian Digital Health Agency, launched in July 2016.
For H&TI, Mr Kelsey talks about the main projects of this new organization and about the challenges facing the Australian healthcare system. His position: to place patients at the center of the healthcare industry in order to make them actors and thus to make the sector evolve more quickly.
He also explains to H&TI how he thinks that Australia can become an essential leader in the global e-health arena.
Objective n°1: encourage patients to become actors of their health system
The Australian Digital Health Agency was created after the 2015-16 Federal Budget announcement “My Health Record…”. There has been a “transition of relevant activities and resources from the National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA), and also from the national My Health Record (MyHR) system operation activities managed by the Department of Health, to a new entity called the Australian Digital Health Agency”, you said on your website.
What are the differences between the NEHTA/the national MyHR system operation activities managed by the Department of Health and this new agency? Why has the Commonwealth decided to create this new agency? Is it just a merger of these two entities (NEHTA and MyHR)?
The Australian Digital Health Agency commenced operations on 1 July 2016 and is tasked with improving health outcomes for Australians through the delivery of digital health services and systems.
The Agency includes activities and resources transitioned from NEHTA, and also from the national My Health Record system operation activities, previously managed by the Commonwealth Department of Health.
One of the main reasons for doing this was to create a single, transparent and streamlined governance arrangement responsible for national digital health strategy and operations for Australia – bringing together Australia’s digital health services under the same umbrella.
What are your main objectives?
The Agency is responsible for all national digital health services and systems, with a focus on engagement, innovation and clinical quality and safety.
It has been established to support digital innovation across Australia to give people more access and control of their health and care – when they wish it, to support the care professionals who serve them, and to build on Australia’s distinguished leadership in the discovery of new medicines and treatments.
What are the current projects of the Australian Digital Health Agency for for the coming months/years?
We will only succeed in achieving the vision of digital transformation by working in partnership with the healthcare sector, industry and consumers. So we are currently engaging with all areas of the community – including consumers, clinicians, healthcare providers, peak and advisory bodies, research and science, industry, and technology – on a National Digital Health Strategy to ensure the work we do is shaped around their needs, wants and aspirations. We are holding events, forums as well as conducting an online survey.
We need a new National Digital Health Strategy which will set out the priorities for national coordination and investment in the digital health solutions that will shape the future of our health system.
- Our current clinical priorities are to drive seamless secure electronic messaging between healthcare providers; and in the areas of medications, pathology and diagnostic imaging to ensure better access to these reports.
- Another priority is to improve the usability of My Health Record system. The My Health Record system can help individuals and their healthcare providers manage their health better. Doctors and hospitals can connect to My Health Record to see their patients’ important health information when they need it – like in an emergency – from anywhere, at any time. More than 4.4 million Australians are currently registered with a My Health Record.
Digital technology will be at the heart of innovations in the healthcare industry
How do you think the Agency (and so digital health) can help to overcome the challenges that the Australian health system is (or will be) facing?
Technology has changed almost every part of our lives – from the way we eat, to the way we get around. It is already transforming our ability to predict, diagnose and treat disease.
However, there is much more we can do to realize its full potential to improve the health outcomes of every Australian. We believe that putting data and technology safely to work for all of us – patients, carers, clinicians – will help us live healthier, happier lives.
The My Health Record system is an example of this. It gives both patients and healthcare professionals immediate access to their important health information on-line. It will improve co-ordinated care outcomes, reduce duplication and provide vital information in emergency situations. It enables consumers to become more active in managing their health, and provided links between the multiple services that so many patients need.
The MyHR is now mobile enabled, allowing app developers to innovate and, with consumers’ consent, leverage this data in services and health advice back to consumers through apps. This type of innovation will help deliver consumer and healthcare provider expectations in the digital health space.
What are the main issues your are facing right now?
This is an important time for Australia’s health system. We are facing significant health challenges, and need to find innovative ways to deliver high quality health services and continue to improve health outcomes for all Australians.
Digital services are now used in almost every part of our lives, whether it is online banking, shopping or booking a holiday.
Digital health can make a real difference to people’s health by giving them greater control and better access to information. Our challenge is work with the community to make this a reality and ensure it meets the needs of all stakeholders.
We know that the My Health Record system can’t transform Australia’s healthcare system overnight, but it is an important first step in seeing how digital technology can benefit health and care outcomes. GP’s tell us that anything that can provide timely access to patient information and allows them to deliver better clinical care to their patients is extremely valuable.
Privacy: « The Agency takes the privacy of its stakeholders seriously »
MyHR has recently been criticized. I’m thinking of criticism of Dr Bernard Robertson-Dunn, who chairs the health committee of the Australian Privacy Foundation (APF). He said, in particular, that MyHR was “useless” and “putting patient data at risk”, in his opinion.
What is the data privacy policy of the Agency?
The Agency takes the privacy of its stakeholders seriously.
- The Agency has a Privacy Policy that covers the collection, use and disclosure of personal information of its stakeholders.>>>> The document is available on the Agency website: https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/privacy.
The Agency may collect personal information to perform its functions, including to respond to an enquiry by a stakeholder, to engage with individuals as part of consultations, and to respond to potential job applicants.
- The Agency also has a Privacy Policy on how the Agency deals with personal information as the My Health Record System Operator, this is available on the My Health Record website: https://myhealthrecord.gov.au/internet/mhr/publishing.nsf/Content/privacy-statement.
This statement covers how and why information may be collected, how it is used and to whom it may be disclosed. It also provides information about how to make a complaint if an individual thinks that someone has accessed their My Health Record inappropriately. When an individual registers for the My Health Record system they are presented with this information.
- The My Health Record system is also supported by a detailed legislative framework, including the My Health Records Act, Healthcare Identifiers Act and the Privacy Act.
These Acts place obligations on participants in the My Health Record system, including healthcare providers and the Agency as System Operator.
>>>> For more information on privacy and security for My Health Record, feel free to consult the My Health Record website: https://myhealthrecord.gov.au/internet/mhr/publishing.nsf/Content/privacy?OpenDocument&cat=Privacy%20and%20Security.
Could Australia become a world leader in the eHealth?
What is your vision of eHealth in Australia and more generally in Asia?
The Australian Digital Health Agency has unprecedented potential to help transform the quality and experience of health and care in Australia – and to demonstrate the extraordinary benefits that digital technology can deliver for patients, citizens and the dedicated professionals who serve them. That is our vision.
Do you believe Australia can become the main leader in the Asian digital health market, or even internationally, in the coming years? If so, why do you think so?
First, I would like to precise that the work of our agency is limited to Australia. We do not perceive Asia as a market.
Analyzing international experiences enables us learn from others’ achievements and mistakes. International comparisons are also useful in helping us take stock of how Australia is progressing. However, comparing Australia’s progress to digital health adoption and implementation to other countries is difficult. There are as many different models of digital health around the world as there are healthcare systems, and there have been a wide variety of approaches.
Having said that, I strongly believe that we can lead the way. A solid foundation in Australia has been created from which innovation in digital health can now flourish. We have an opportunity to place the nation clearly at the centre of global digital healthcare excellence and innovation.
Our approach places the health consumer at the forefront as co-producers; developing a strategy that enables improved health and care decision-making and outcomes. It has a broad reach across the community – including patients and the public, carers, healthcare providers, scientists and researchers, entrepreneurs and technology innovators.
The foundation of the Agency offers a fresh start – an opportunity for the whole community to decide how it wants to engage with new technologies to support better health and care. It is not just about us – but also about our children. We are thinking about how we can build on Australia’s outstanding legacy of scientific discovery for this generation and the next.
