The eHealth Readiness of Australia's Allied Health Sector - Final

204 Pages·2011·4.03 MB·English

The eHealth Readiness
of Australia’s Allied
Health Sector
Department of Health and Ageing
30 May 2011
The eHealth Readiness of Australia’s Allied Health Sector
ISBN: 978-1-74241-537-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-74241-538-3
Publications Approval Number: D0512

Paper-based publications
© Commonwealth of Australia 2011
This work is copyright. You may reproduce the whole or part of this work in unaltered form
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Apart from rights to use as permitted by the Copyright Act 1968 or allowed by this copyright
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of this work in any way (electronic or otherwise) without first being given the specific written
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and rights are to be sent to the Communications Branch, Department of Health and Ageing, GPO
Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, or via e-mail to [email protected].
Internet sites
© Commonwealth of Australia 2011
This work is copyright. You may download, display, print and reproduce the whole or part of this
work in unaltered form for your own personal use or, if you are part of an organisation, for internal
use within your organisation, but only if you or your organisation do not use the reproduction
for any commercial purpose and retain this copyright notice and all disclaimer notices as part of
that reproduction. Apart from rights to use as permitted by the Copyright Act 1968 or allowed
by this copyright notice, all other rights are reserved and you are not allowed to reproduce the
whole or any part of this work in any way (electronic or otherwise) without first being given the
specific written permission from the Commonwealth to do so. Requests and inquiries concerning
reproduction and rights are to be sent to the Communications Branch, Department of Health and
Ageing, GPO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, or via e-mail to [email protected].
Contents
1. Introduction 2
2. Acknowledgements 4
3. Executive summary 8
4. Definitions 26
5. Understanding the allied health landscape 32
6. Current and expected future uses of eHealth 44
7. eHealth readiness of Australia’s allied health sector 54
8. Intervention strategies for advancing the eHealth agenda 74
9. Conclusion 102
10. Appendicies 106
Appendix 1: Acronyms 107
Appendix 2: Research Method 108
Appendix 3: Allied health sector profiles 123
Appendix 4: eHealth readiness survey questionnaire 188
1. Introduction
eHealth is one of the most critical elements of health reform in Australia. eHealth will not only improve
information sharing and transparency, but also help ensure better patient care, improve collegiate ties,
enhance patient satisfaction and – ultimately – save lives.
It is also an area of significant investment. The Australian Department of Health and Ageing (the
Department) is currently progressing key actions to underpin the Government’s eHealth agenda,
including the Healthcare Identifiers Service (HI Service), which commenced operations on 1 July 2010,
as well as investing $466.7 million over two years from July 2010 to establish a personally controlled
electronic health record (PCEHR) system.
Proposals to develop a PCEHR system are predicated on the eHealth readiness of key populations of
health professionals, including medical specialists and allied health practitioners, to provide quality
healthcare along the continuum of care in the primary and ambulatory care sectors. An area that is
consistently overlooked in eHealth experiences overseas is the importance of clinical engagement
and clarity on the potential for eHealth in medical uses. Obtaining a better understanding of eHealth
readiness is the first step towards strong clinical engagement.
To further this goal, the Department has commissioned McKinsey & Company to undertake an
objective assessment of the allied health sector’s eHealth readiness.
This report aims to inform clinical engagement in eHealth-enabled, patient-centred care. In
addition, it aims to benchmark the penetration of equipment and technology use in this sector (e.g.
connectivity, hardware, software, platforms), the mindsets and behaviours of allied health practitioners
towards eHealth adoption and usage, and the barriers and drivers for allied health practitioners to
participate in future national eHealth initiatives. Each of these is a critical component in ensuring the
long-term success of Australia’s eHealth agenda.
We hope this report is useful in achieving these objectives, and are proud to present it to the
Department.
Charlie Taylor David Champeaux Damien Bruce
Director Partner Associate Principal
McKinsey & Company McKinsey & Company McKinsey & Company
3
2. Acknowledgements
This report has been compiled with the assistance of the following experts, practicing health
professionals and organisations. We thank them for their time and input.
Name Title Organisation
Monica Persson Chief Executive Officer Audiology Australia
Andrew Schox President Australasian Podiatry Council (APC)
Dr Sue Whicker Chief Executive Officer Australasian Podiatry Council (APC)
Kandie Allen-Kelly Chief Executive Officer Australian Association of Social Workers
(AASW)
Garry Pearson Chief Executive Officer Australian Dental Association (ADA)
Victorian Branch
Dr Neil Hewson Federal Councillor, Past Federal Australian Dental Association (ADA)
President
David Collier Chief Executive Officer Australian Institute of Radiographers (AIR)
Antony Nicholas Executive Director Australian Osteopathy Association (AOA)
Trish Martin Senior Project Officer Australian Osteopathy Association (AOA)
Jonathon Kruger Manager Policy and Australian Physiotherapy Association
Professional Standards (APA)
Bo Li Senior Policy Advisor Australian Psychological Society (APS)
David Stokes Manager, Professional and Australian Psychological Society (APS)
regulatory issues
Elaine Trevaskis Chief Executive Officer Australian Sonographers Association
(ASA)
Dr Stanley Goldstein Head of Clinical Advisory BUPA Australia
Krystina Brown Chief Executive Officer Chiropractors’ Association of Australia
(CAA)
Claire Hewat Chief Executive Officer Dietitians Association Australia (DAA)
Anita Hobson-Powell Executive Officer Exercise and Sports Science Australia
(ESSA)
Dr Louise Schaper Chief Executive Officer Health Informatics Society of Australia
(HISA)
Craig Dukes Chief Executive Officer Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA)
Catherine McGovern Group Manager, Government Medibank Private
and Public Affairs
Bridget Kirkham Chief Executive Officer Medical Software Industry Association
(MSIA)
Clarke Scott Acting Chief Executive Officer National Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Health Worker Association
(NATSIHWA)
James ‘Brad’ Freeburn Drug and Alcohol Counsellor National Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Health Worker Association
(NATSIHWA)
Dr Linda Banach Policy Officer National Aboriginal Community
Controlled Health Organisation
(NACCHO)
Dr Louise Schaper Clinical Lead National eHealth Transition Authority
(NeHTA)
Jonathon Kruger Clinical Lead National eHealth Transition Authority
(NeHTA)
5
Name Title Organisation
Dr Neil Hewson Clinical Lead National eHealth Transition Authority
(NeHTA)
David Stokes Clinical Lead National eHealth Transition Authority
(NeHTA)
Gordon Gregory Executive Director National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA)
Helen Hopkins Policy Adviser National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA)
Ron Hunt Chief Executive Officer Occupational Therapy Australia (OTA)
Genevieve Quilty National Policy Manager Optometrists Association Australia (OAA)
James ‘Brad’ Freeburn Coordinator, Drug and Alcohol Redfern Aboriginal Medical Service
Unit
Rod Wellington Chief Executive Officer Services for Australian Rural and Remote
Allied Health (SARRAH)
Gail Mulcair Chief Executive Officer Speech Pathology Australia (SPA)
In addition, in researching this report we conducted three series of in-depth 45-60 minute
interviews with a broad spectrum of frontline allied health practitioners, as follows:
• An initial round of 20 interviews to inform the development and focus of the quantitative survey
• A second round of 15 interviews to further explore a number of the key themes and insights
emerging from the quantitative survey
• A third round of 6 interviews to drive a detailed understanding of the attitudinal clusters found
throughout allied health
We wish to acknowledge the contribution of all these professionals, and express our gratitude for
their assistance and insights.
6 The eHealth Readiness of Australia’s Allied Health Sector
7
3. Executive summary