Medical advice missing from e-health records plan
AMA President, Dr Steve Hambleton, said today that the AMA was disappointed that the Government has failed to heed medical advice in finalising its Concept of Operations for the personally controlled electronic health record (PCEHR).
Dr Hambleton said the proposals could ‘de-medicalise’ electronic patient health information.
“Little has changed from the draft plan despite the sound advice provided by many medical groups, including the AMA, about what should be included on a patient’s health record.
“The Government has caved in to minority consumer groups.
“Under the proposed arrangements, people will be able to alter their health record without consultation with their doctor.
“Patients could entirely remove from their record clinical documents that they had previously considered worth sharing with healthcare providers.
“This is a very dangerous precedent that could undermine all the potential benefits of an electronic health record.”
Dr Hambleton said that the AMA would prefer the system to be opt-out, not opt-in.
“The opt-in system has resulted in incredibly complex rules for patients to give their doctors access to their PCEHR,” Dr Hambleton said.
“And there are still concerns around medico-legal liability associated with the electronic health record.
“The AMA is a huge supporter of e-health and the benefits it can bring to the health system, but we cannot support aspects of the system that do not improve on what we have now and which potentially create risks to patient health.
“We will have a system that doctors and other health practitioners are keen to embrace but won’t be able to because their patients haven't yet given them access to their records.
“Australia has the opportunity to be a world leader in electronic health but it won’t happen with the very complex health record announced today,” Dr Hambleton said.
12 September 2011
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