A consortium headed by McKinsey and Company has been selected to lead the national change and adoption process as Australia moves to introduce Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records (PCEHR) next year.

Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, said the National Change and Adoption Partner will help educate and support the training and information needs of the health workforce who will use the system.

“The consortium will plan, design and develop training, guidance and tools in collaboration with clinicians and software providers. It will also provide change management support for clinicians including at the 12 lead implementation sites.

 

The Change and Adoption Partner consortium led by McKinsey and Company also includes PricewaterhouseCoopers, Hill & Knowlton, Workstar, Event Planet, Ocean Informatics, Alfred Health, Salmat and the Australian General Practice Network (AGPN).

From 1 July 2012, Australians will be able to choose to have a personal eHealth record.

Ms Roxon said that for doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health professionals, PCEHRs will improve the security of patient information and allow for better clinical assessments and more efficient, effective treatment.

“The Commonwealth is investing up to $29.9 million in the implementation of the e health system.

 

The government has also released for consultation the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record System: Legislation issues paper. This follows the Concept of Operations document previously released for consultation.

The paper canvasses a range of measures, including new original legislation and proposed changes to legislation, to safeguard personal health information.

Ms Roxon said that people need to have confidence in the safety and security of their medical information.

“This current consultation is focused on achieving clear, complementary and workable legal arrangements to support implementation of the PCEHR system. It is proposed that health information within the PCEHR system will be protected through a combination of legislation, governance and security and technology measures,” she said.

The Change and Adoption Partner consortium led by McKinsey and Company also includes PricewaterhouseCoopers, Hill & Knowlton, Workstar, Event Planet, Ocean Informatics, Alfred Health, Salmat and the Australian General Practice Network (AGPN).

Submissions made on the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record System: Legislation issues paper will inform the drafting of legislation around the PCEHR system. Draft legislation will later be released for a further round of public consultation before introduction in Parliament later this year.

The legislation issues paper may be viewed, and submissions made, at www.yourhealth.gov.au, until 5pm Wednesday 3 August 2011.