This appeared last week More privacy reforms urgently needed but not expected before election Noah Yim and Alexi Demetriadi 12 August, 2024 The nation’s Privacy Commissioner says further reform in privacy legislation is “urgent” and “much needed” but those changes are unlikely to happen before the next election, due by May next year. This comes after the Albanese government on Thursday introduced its first tranche of amendments to the Privacy Act. The introduction of criminal penalties for doxxing – the malicious publication of personal information – has largely been welcomed by memb ..read more

This appeared last week: Insurers deny caving in to Healthscope demands Michael Smith Health editor Sep 13, 2024 – 5.37pm Private health insurers deny that they caved in to public pressure from hospital operator Healthscope to give it more money, accusing the private equity-owned group of launching an “unethical” advertising campaign that had been a “dismal failure”. Medibank Private, NIB and HCF have agreed to out-of-cycle funding payments in the “tens of millions of dollars” in the past three weeks following intense lobbying from debt-laden Healthscope, which owns 38 private hospitals. On Fr ..read more

I am afraid cold custard and a 2 hour wait to be taken to the toilet will not cut it anymore. Aged care concessions cost $5b in revenue Phillip Coorey Political editor Sep 13, 2024 – 5.42pm The Albanese government sacrificed about $5 billion in budget savings in return for securing the Coalition’s support for the aged care reforms announced this week, according to sources in both camps. The reforms, which will require retirees to pay more for both home and residential care from July 1 next year, increase the use of means-testing and therefore have the greatest impact on part-pensioners and sel ..read more

This appeared last week: AI is just what the overworked, burnt-out doctor ordered By Angus Delaney and Kayla Olaya September 14, 2024 — 1.51pm Shorter wait lists for surgery, more time with patients and reduced burnout for workers are some of the benefits that doctors believe are possible through the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare. AI tools have been developed to record and document doctors’ consultations with patients, produce formal reports and slash clinicians’ paperwork, and advocates claim the technology could transform a healthcare system in crisis. But some experts and ind ..read more

This appeared last week -  and is simply a ‘beat-up’. No one is actually furious I am sure! ‘Furious’: Adelaide University becomes first major Aussie uni to ditch face-to-face lectures Staff have been left outraged by the decision, which will see students having no face-to-face teaching at all. Brielle Burns September 14, 2024 - 10:21AM Labor committed to growing number of Australian university students Education Minister Jason Clare says the Albanese Labor government will provide extra funding to encourage more Australian students to go to university. A major Australian university has di ..read more

Here are the results of the poll. Have You Seen Ward Based Use Of Computer Terminals For Clinical Information Recording At Your Local Hospital? Yes                                                                                ..read more

This appeared last week: Stonehenge Stonehenge tale gets ‘weirder’ as Orkney is ruled out as altar stone origin Weeks after revelation that megalith came from Scotland, researchers make surprise discovery Esther Addley Fri 6 Sep 2024 03.00 AESTLast modified on Fri 6 Sep 2024 11.31 AEST The plot has thickened on the mystery of the altar stone of Stonehenge, weeks after geologists sensationally revealed that the huge neolithic rock had been transported hundreds of miles to Wiltshire from the very north of Scotland. That discovery, described as “jaw-dropping” by one of the scientists involved, es ..read more

This appeared last week: Australia releases aged care CIS standards It will underpin the interoperable connection between My Health Record and aged care digital care management systems. By Adam Ang September 05, 2024 09:21 PM The Department of Health and Aged Care and the Australian Digital Health Agency have released a set of minimum software requirement standards for clinical information systems and electronic medication management systems used in residential aged care. The Aged Care Clinical Information System (ACCIS) Standards set the foundation for information sharing and interoperab ..read more

 \This appeared last week: These illnesses once needed a trip to the GP. Now a pharmacist can treat you By Alexandra Smith September 6, 2024 — 5.00am The worsening GP shortage in NSW will see the state government broaden the conditions that pharmacists can treat in local chemist shops, including ear infections, stomach bugs and joint pain. NSW Health is working on expanding the scope of practice for pharmacists to allow them to treat more conditions including middle ear infections, acute minor wound management, acute nausea and vomiting and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. Pharmacists w ..read more

This appeared last week: Victorian hospital blunders led to 167 patient deaths By Henrietta Cook September 6, 2024 — 5.30am A record 245 patients have died or suffered serious harm due to errors that unfolded at Victorian hospitals within a year. Three patients died or suffered serious harm after surgery on the wrong part of their body, while four patients had foreign objects such as surgical sponges and dressings left inside them following surgery and other invasive procedures. In one case, a woman who was admitted to hospital with a sore leg after falling off a step, developed blood clots in ..read more