Aged Care Sector Prepares For eHealth Records
Software vendors have been invited to help prepare the aged care sector for the introduction of the Australian Government’s personally controlled electronic health records system.
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17 December 2011
Software vendors are today invited to help prepare the aged care sector for the introduction of the Gillard Labor Government’s personally controlled electronic health records (eHealth records) system.
The Gillard Government is bringing together software vendors and aged care providers to ensure facilities across the nation are given the right information, software and tools to adopt and operate the e-Health record system when it launches nationally on 1 July 2012.
“The eHealth record, over time, has the potential to significantly improve and transform the way we deliver health care to older Australians,” Mr Butler said.
“As we age, health issues tend to be more prevalent and we are increasingly likely to need to see more healthcare professionals and require a wider variety of treatment. The eHealth record will help to better co-ordinate care and identify potential health problems and eliminate the tyranny of distance.”
An eHealth record will contain a secure online summary of an individual’s healthcare information.
The Aged Care Association Australia will support vendors and providers and play an ongoing central role in the sector’s involvement in eHealth.
“Participating vendors and providers will share their learnings and experiences from the project with the broader aged care sector. This will enable others to benefit from the insights of these early adopters,” Mr Butler said.
“Sharing knowledge is crucial to help the rollout of eHealth records into the aged care system.”
The eHealth record is expected to significantly improve medication management for older Australians.
Under the Fifth Community Pharmacy Agreement, by the time of the national eHealth records launch, the introduction to aged care facilities of prescribing direct from standardised medication charts will have begun.
It is estimated that the eHealth records system’s medications management capability could help to save up to 5,000 lives annually, avoid more than 2 million primary care and outpatient visits, 500,000 emergency department visits and 310,000 hospital admissions every year.
Twelve eHealth sites are already operating across Australia, deploying eHealth specifications and standards in real-life settings — including five residential aged care facilities in Tasmania’s Cradle Coast project.
Details of the expression of interest are available at the National E-Health Transition Authority website.
For further information, please call the Minister’s Office on 02 6277 7280
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