An Uncomfortable Truth: Digital Health In Australia Is Trapped By Politics And Its History.

I think it is time to point out how trapped the ADHA and Tim Kelsey are:

The situation is this:

1. The myHR is not anywhere near a good solution to support Digital Health as it is insecure, clunky, evidence free and not liked by clinicians. If it was useful for them they would have adopted it - as would have the public but they have shown their indifference by needing to be dragooned into having a health record compulsorily.

2. Politically over a billion dollars has been spent and neither side is prepared to recognise the truth and can (abandon) it - even if they could understand what the issues are. We are thus stuck with it.

3. The Digital Health industry is struggling with all the money and focus being on the myHR, which they realise is badly flawed.

All this means we have a second class and largely doomed Digital Health program which money will continue being spent on to very little effect. Worse still, the ADHA is forced to continue to say all is well and we are going forward at a great rate when they know - I suspect - that they are basically stuck with an inferior route forward. What a bind!

It is awful but these are 'the facts on the ground' and it is hard to know how we can break out of this impasse and move forward. An audit that shows how useless it is maybe?

Heavens it is depressing to be stuck in this awful nowhere land!

David.