Australasian health week in review: July 25
Pulse+IT's weekly round-up of Australian and New Zealand health, IT and eHealth news:
Hospital crisis: delays across the state, patients not admitted, as hospitals struggle with winter surge
Sydney Morning Herald ~ Amy Corderoy ~ 24/07/2015
The state's hospitals have been thrown into crisis by huge emergency department delays leaving ambulances stranded for hours and delaying patient care.
Doctors spend 15 mins opening Fiona Stanley Hospital software
iTNews ~ Paris Cowan ~ 24/07/2015
Staff at Perth’s new Fiona Stanley Hospital have told a team of reviewers it can take up to 15 minutes to admit a patient using the facility’s new digital medical record.
'Incredible potential' for telemedicine project
Radio NZ ~ Lois Williams ~ 23/07/2015
A company headed by the Kaitaia GP Lance O'Sullivan has scooped up a $30,000 grant for a pioneering telemedicine service for children.
Calls for DHS to compensate providers for online claims debacle
Australian Ageing Agenda ~ Natasha Egan ~ 23/07/2015
Aged care peak bodies are stepping up their advocacy over more than 18 months of online claiming issues with the Department of Human Services, which one peak says has resulted in millions of dollars in outstanding payments for some providers.
Reluctance to participate in study to identify any patient harm in practices
NZ Doctor ~ Liane Topham-Kindley ~ 23/07/2015
General practices have been reluctant to participate in an Otago University study reviewing anonymised electronic records to establish whether any patient harm has occurred in general practices.
Practices could face big bill for Foundation Standard IT
NZ Doctor ~ Liane Topham-Kindley ~ 23/07/2015
General practices could be hit with a bill of more than $800 per year for three years to pay for a new IT system enabling them to work through the RNZCGP’s Foundation Standard process.
Rebate freeze backlash begins
Medical Observer ~ Julie Lambert ~ 22/07/2015
Doctors are stepping up campaigns against the Medicare rebate freeze, warning it will result in more patients burdening the hospital system as political leaders struggle to resolve a crisis over public health funding.
Claims CPAP companies misdiagnosing sleep apnoea
Australian Doctor ~ Tessa Hoffman ~ 22/07/2015
Leading sleep doctors are warning that patients are being incorrectly diagnosed with sleep apnoea by companies selling CPAP machines to treat the condition.
AMA boss slams 'offensive' Medibank policy
SBS ~ AAP ~ 220/07/2015
The head of the doctors' union has slammed health insurer Medibank Private for its "offensive" refusal to cover costs for women who die during childbirth.
Smart slippers: new tracking devices for elderly?
New Zealand Herald ~ Jamie Morton ~ 21/07/2015
We've got smartphones, smartglasses and smartwatches - but how about smart slippers?
Link between electronic records and accreditation in focus
Australian Ageing Agenda ~ Natasha Egan ~ 20/07/2015
An electronic health records system is a strong indicator of whether an aged care facility will pass or fail accreditation, according to research to be presented at an upcoming national e-health conference.
Telstra invites AMA to tour its telehealth site
Australian Doctor ~ Serkan Ozturk ~ 20/07/2015
Telstra has invited the AMA to tour its controversial GP hotline facility following claims the company is setting up in competition with GPs.
Posted in Australian eHealth