Integrated e-health a long way off

Australia’s national level e-health strategy is making slow progress. An Ovum report titled 'National eHealth strategy progress in Australia' provides a summary of the ‘state of the nation’ with regard to national e-health strategies and initiatives.

“After many reviews, reports and an estimated AU$5 billion expended on various e-health initiatives, the country is no closer to realisation of a national approach to e-health,” stated Ovum’s public sector Research Director, Dr Steve Hodgkinson.

Healthcare reform discussion at the national level is centred around creating a more integrated healthcare system - supported by processes and applications that link together the many healthcare providers to better serve and protect patients and improve the efficiency of provider interactions. There are many leading-edge clinical care and administration innovations practised by individual healthcare organisations and within regional, state and territory jurisdictions. The key challenge is how to take the next step forward at a national level to create a healthcare system that makes the whole more than the sum of its parts.

“The health sector shouldn’t hold its breath waiting for something that is well lodged in the ‘too hard’ basket. Instead it should focus on stimulating and coordinating local innovation in e-health,” said Hodgkinson.

“The problem is that as a nation we don’t seem to have the wit necessary to agree on a national approach - despite many years of discussions. Of course it is complex, and progress is being made, but the national e-health strategy remains very much on a slow-burning fuse.

“It appears unlikely that the governments will be able to significantly accelerate the pace of reform to the point where a national e-health strategy would overwhelm e-health strategies at the local and regional level,” said Hodgkinson.

Hodgkinson suggests, “Health innovators should focus on meeting the needs of their local stakeholders within each state and territory, while ensuring that solutions support emerging standards for the healthcare identifier and the interoperability protocols being developed by NEHTA.