Australian government to put patients medical records online..

The Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced that patients will be able to see their medical records online.
Reverse psychology has been used by saying the "Patient has the power to see their own medical records."
www.news.com.au...

EVERY Australian would be able to see their medical records online and keep a personalised "health diary" under massive reforms promising better care and big taxpayer savings.

GPs would be forced to link patient records to a national database or miss out on lucrative Medicare payments, The Daily Telegraph can reveal.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's hand-picked health reform body has called for patients to have the ultimate say over who sees their records.

The National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission - whose final report was sent to the printers last week - has avoided urging a federal takeover of public hospitals.

It has outlined the biggest health shake-up for decades, including plans for a Denticare scheme, to provide affordable dental care. Denticare would be funded by a 0.75 per cent rise in the Medicare levy.

Medicos would be offered tax incentives and "top-up payments" to work in rural communities.

Trainee doctors would also have their HECS fees slashed if they committed to work in rural practices.

Central to the reform is rolling out a national electronic health system.
Related Coverage

* Health records go onlineAdelaide Now, 20 Jul 2009
* Essential e-health is watertightAdelaide Now, 20 Jul 2009
* Online eye at med recordsHerald Sun, 20 Jul 2009
* Developers need health ID specsAustralian IT, 30 Jun 2009
* Reader's Comments: Medicare the base for e-health IDsNEWS.com.au,

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Medical professionals would have to get patient permission to access the data. New privacy legislation would protect the information.

Emergency provisions could allow access to the data in time of medical crisis, such as after a car accident or during a serious allergic reaction.

Giving people access to their own records is seen as vital to ensure consumer acceptance of the proposed e-health revolution.

This would allow individuals to go online and update their records and add relevant information.

Medical professionals have called for a national e-health system, which could save $8 billion over 10 years.

The system could track chronic disease sufferers, store scans and X-rays and send SMS reminders telling patients to fill prescriptions.

GPs, specialists, pharmacists and other health professionals would all have to become "e-enabled".

The plan to deny Medicare payments to GPs who don't sign up will anger the doctors' lobby, which wants incentives for members to co-operate.

At the heart of the reforms is a push to keep Australians out of hospital by preventing disease, improving access to GPs and fixing the aged-care sector.

A separate report calls for comprehensive health centres across the country. The centres would bring together doctors, nurses, pathology, imaging and other services.

Mr Rudd is under pressure to deliver health reforms, having promised a plebiscite on a federal takeover if the system hadn't improved mid-way through his first term.

reply to post by Applesandoranges


As long as the information was kept private and secure then it could be conciderable. But with the lack of security lately and the constant failure to protect important yet secret information, this idea may turn into a loop hole.

And your thoughts on this?

I think as long as the security is up to scratch that it's quite a good idea.

It should also expose the dodgy doctors too, another plus IMO.

My thoughts on this:

It reminds me of a 'Brave new world' by Aldeus Huxley.

We let our inferiors take control of our lives and the state then owns our bodies.

"To help Big Brother keep a better eye on us and our children, $20 billion would go towards health information technology, which would create a national system of electronic medical records without adequate privacy protection. These records would instead be subject to the misnamed federal “medical privacy” rule, which allows government and state-favored special interests to see medical records at will. An additional $250 million is allocated for states to nationalize individual student data, expanding Federal control of education and eroding privacy". Ron Paul

Drug companies make money by sending you mail to buy their prescription. I definately do not like the idea of a corporatised, big brother medical system.

Actually there is more they are threatening doctors to put records in database or they lose money. But i dont think its just for the benefit of the patient. They are also threatening federal takeover of public hospitals. Why all the hurried threats?



[edit on 20-7-2009 by Applesandoranges]