I've been pointed to: http://australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,21848256-15317,00.html
E-health standards advance Karen Dearne | June 05, 2007 THE National E-Health Transition Authority is pursuing software industry engagement through a growing relationship with the Australian Information Industry Association, NEHTA chief executive Ian Reinecke says. Dr Ian Reinecke says NEHTA remains engaged with the software industry on standards "Most of the big players in health globally are members of the AIIA," he said after a successful vendor forum in Brisbane last week. "Sheryle Moon, the new chief executive, has been really supportive of health as an agenda item for the AIIA, so we're making progress in that area." Dr Reinecke said high-level vendor forums were held twice a year and were followed up with bilateral engagement, particularly with key vendors. "We now have pretty detailed briefings with the major players," he said. "On several occasions, we've had vendors come in and present to us" about where they are, their future plans, "where they're headed". "In turn, we explain where NEHTA is headed and the timetable for the various elements that we're producing. "For the Cerners, the iSofts and others, when the infrastructure, standards and specifications are going to be available is a critical issue, because they are going to adopt them in their systems." NEHTA communications manager Lisa Smith said about 130 participants were updated on the progress of unique healthcare identifiers and the International Health Terminologies Standards Development Organisation (SDO), formed to promote the use of SNOMED (Systematised Nomenclature of Medicine) Clinical Terms worldwide. "We're leading the national rollout of SNOMED CT under a dual licensing model," she said. "Vendors that want to adopt SNOMED will need to get a licence from the SDO for access to the core elements and, if they are operating here, they'll need a licence with NEHTA for access to the Australian elements." Ms Smith said NEHTA was in continuing discussions with the Medical Software Industry Association and other industry groups about the national licence. "Essentially, most of the clauses are taken directly from the SDO licence because we're obliged to pass on the same requirements," she said. "The national licence will cover the specifically Australian extensions, such as the work we're doing in relation to local medicines terminology." Dr Reinecke said the National Centre for Classification in Health was working with NEHTA on aliging classification and terminologies in clinical coding. "Two NCCH representatives were in Chicago last week to attend SNOMED CT working groups," he said. Meanwhile, NEHTA clinical product design manager Kate Ebrill said the draft medications terminology for health messaging created by HL7 Australia and the MSIA for the federal Health Department in 2004 (to support basic clinical communications) was being further developed as an extension to SNOMED CT. "A lot of the work we're doing is focused on taking that model and looking at what is required to make that sustainable, quality assured and deliverable in Australia," she said. "We're also trying to co-ordinate various inputs around the Therapeutic Goods Administration and the PBS." Ms Ebrill said the model was initially intended to provide a terminology for health messaging, but "it could also be used in e-prescribing and dispensing applications, as well as shared electronic health records". "We're developing a whole lot of products that will actually support health messaging, and terminologies is just one component of that," she said. Dr Reinecke said the MSIA's working group on interoperability between clinical systems was "sensible". "Messaging vendors need to have those discussions, and it's in their commercial interests to do so," he said. "But as far as the work that's coming out of NEHTA, we cannot afford to have uniquely Australian solutions in this space. We've got to be consistent with what's occurring globally." Oliver Frank, general practitioner 255 North East Road, Hampstead Gardens South Australia 5086 Ph. 08 8261 1355 Fax 08 8266 5149 M 0407 181 683 _______________________________________________ Gpcg_talk mailing list [email protected] http://ozdocit.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gpcg_talk
