e-Health on the way

The first step in creating an e-Health system will be taken mid-year when unique healthcare identifiers are assigned to all health consumers as well as to health professionals and the organisations that provide health care in Australia. The system will handle electronic health records, medications-management systems and electronic clinical messaging (discharge, referrals, pathology, and prescriptions) which may be useful when patients are being cared for by multiple providers.
The unique healthcare identifiers will be available on a secure system, operated by Medicare Australia. These identifiers will be provided in addition to Medicare numbers, as a further step to ensure the security of the system.
Health Minister Nicola Roxon made this announcement today after visiting Medicare Australia to see how the system was being developed and meeting with e-Health organisations and professionals.
Some $218 million is funding the National E-Health Transition Authority to 2012.
People can contribute to the debate on the health system via the yourHealth.gov.au website and can comment on the Healthcare Identifiers Bill 2010 using www.health.gov.au/ehealth/consultation. This legislation will be introduced in the first half of this year.

Survey released on dental health of teenagers

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has released Dental health of Australia's teenagers and pre-teen children: The Child Dental Health Survey, Australia 2003-04. Teenage children have been identified as being at increased risk of dental disease, and among pre-teen children nearly half of all six-year-olds had a history of decay in their baby teeth. The Child Dental Health Survey provides national information on the dental health of children attending school dental services in Australia, and shows decay experience is relatively common in both teenage and pre-teen Australian children.

Dental Board of Australia seeks approval on standards and registration

The Dental Board of Australia has submitted proposals on mandatory registration standards, endorsements and specialist registration for approval by the Australian Health Workforce Ministerial Council.

The proposals relate to:

• Criminal history registration standard
• English language requirements registration standard
• Professional indemnity insurance arrangements registration standard
• Continuing professional development registration standard
• Recency of practice registration standard
• Board specific registration – scopes of practice
• Specialist registration
• Endorsement of area of practice of conscious sedation.

Common minimum registration standards across all boards are proposed for criminal history matters and English language requirements registration standards.