eHealth Support Officer Program

Overview

Objectives and Outcomes

Program Activities

Governance

Partners

Resources and Links

Contact Officers

Overview

Previously the Divisions Network E-Health Program, the E-Health Support Officer Program is funded by the Department of Health and Ageing and commenced in 2009-10 in order to assist the Division Network to deliver programs to General Practices that are supported by best practice information management practices.

Program Objectives and Outcomes

In 2010-11, the Program aims to support the E-Health agenda nationally by undertaking activities to promote the ‘Change and Adoption’ workstream described in the National E-Health Strategy (2008). 

This Program will provide support and education to General Practice Networks to allow them to support the Primary Healthcare sector to adopt and continue to use E-Health systems and services as they become available.

Nationally, the Program will promote change and adoption by providing appropriate resources and increasing knowledge and understanding of the E-Health environment among general practice and primary care.

The expected outcomes for the Program are:

• Improved capacity in the primary care sector to use and adopt available E-Health systems and services in accordance with the National E-Health Strategy

• Improved communication between healthcare providers and service delivery facilities

• Increased E-Health literacy and information management capacity across the Network through the provision of education to general practice network staff

• Increased the integration of information management, E-Health and data governance principles into the delivery of core general practice network services and programs

• Promotion of the benefits of E-Health through the continual identification and dissemination of information, resources, and lessons learned

• Provision of reliable and nationally consistent data on the capacity and use of E-Health systems and services via engagement with general practice networks

• State-level advocacy and facilitation of communication between key stakeholders

• Improved consistency of E-Health messages delivered through the Network nationally

• Improved  quality and management of data nation-wide by developing and maintaining a national methodology and framework.  

Program Activities

In 2010-11 the Program will focus on the promotion of solutions that are appropriate within the Tasmanian environment.  The Program will seek to leverage existing state programs, initiatives and implementations in order to encourage ongoing participation in E-Health activities.

The program in Tasmania will be via our following program areas:

TasE-Health including supporting:

• Secure messaging as an E-Health foundation service

• Implementation of Healthcare Identifiers in accordance with the provisions of the legislation governing their use and disclosure

• Continuity of Care packages –electronic discharge summaries, electronic referrals, electronic pathology, electronic medication management, electronic decision support

• Development of a Tasmanian Continuity of Care framework

• Electronic care planning / team care arrangements

Information Services including supporting:

• Clinical Data Quality Improvement

• GP Census

• Primary Health Indicators – Tasmania (PHIT) Reporting

• Divisional Information Management Maturity Framework (IMMF)

Program Governance

Governance of the Information Management and eHealth Program is under the auspices of the TASeHealth Collaborative Framework which provides a whole of network approach to eHealth within Tasmania and supports the principals articulated in the General Practice Tasmania Information Management and eHealth Position Statement.

Partners

General Practice Tasmania has partnerships with the following organisations in the Information Management and eHealth Program:

• The Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA)

• The Australian General Practice Network (AGPN)

• The State Based Division Organisations (SBOs)

• Divisions of General Practice (DGPs) across Australia

• Tasmanian State Department of Health and Human Services

Resources and Links

The following links provide access to the resources that support the Information Management and eHealth program:

Network Policy

• AGPN Information Management Policy Framework ( 203KB)
• General Practice Tasmania Information Management and eHealth Position Statement  ( 138KB)