AHIC e-health future directions briefing paper released

The Australian Health Information Council (AHIC) has released an eHealth Future Directions Briefing Paper. This paper was released following a submission from ACHI in 2007.

Background

The Briefing Paper was produced following the AHIC eHealth Future Directions Summit on 18/19 June 2007 and subsequent meetings of the Council. The summit was attended by members of AHIC and the National Health Information Management Principal Committee (NHIMPC). The Briefing Paper provides the following key recommendations:

1. That a comprehensive eHealth strategy be developed;
2. That there is recognition that eHealth is the cost of doing business in the 21st century healthcare that will require continuity of investment and development of products and hardware;
3. That there is recognition that Jurisdictions have many of the necessary eHealth components already that can be enhanced by a system of knowledge exchange;
4. That a time limited function/body be responsible for building upon existing work and integrating eHealth nationally;
5. That a core set of functioning components of an Australian SEHR should be operating across Australia by 2012; and
6. That an implementation plan and resources schedule be developed to deliver the AHMAC national eHealth Strategy.

AHIC is an independent multidisciplinary expert group that provides advice to the Australian Health Ministers on information management and communications technology development in the health sector from the end user perspective. Advice is provided via the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council (AHMAC).

AHIC provides a mechanism to:

• Draw together the views of external stakeholders on long term directions and national strategic reform issues;
• Monitor health and information technology environments nationally and internationally; and
• Identify emerging trends and opportunities to utilise IM&ICT to advance patient care, improve health service delivery and to use new technology.

AHIC is chaired by Professor James Angus, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne.