16 June 2005
Sydney, 16 June 2005: Clayton Utz has played a critical role in the launch of the first stage of the Federal government's national electronic health records network, HealthConnect.
Recently launched by Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott, HealthConnect is a shared electronic record system aimed at improving the quality and safety of health care delivery by facilitating a better flow of information on the health of Australian residents. Under HealthConnect all participating Australian residents will have healthcare information held on series of databases and accessible by health care providers.
The Department of Health and Ageing (DOHA) engaged Clayton Utz in April 2004 to undertake a systematic review of the raft of legal issues associated with the HealthConnect project.
This review has resulted in the HealthConnect Legal Issues Report [1], a 117-page document that addresses legal issues such as governance, IT, IP, consent, information privacy, security, access control, data quality and ownership, stakeholder liability and indemnity and stakeholder rights and responsibilities.
Clayton Utz partners Mark Sneddon and John Carroll led a team from the firm, including Richard Morrison, Gretchen Bennett, Greg Williams and Jamie Doran, in working closely with the HealthConnect Program Office, HealthConnect trial personnel and a range of interested stakeholders to develop the Report., which Mr Sneddon described as "cutting edge".
"To produce the Report required not only a detailed scoping of the legal issues and risks that were roadblocks to participation for many stakeholders - including health professionals and consumers of health services - but also required the legal team to suggest workable strategies for managing these legal issues and risks," Mr Sneddon said.
"Now scoped, the issues look more manageable and will enable stakeholder re-engagement and participation on implementation of HealthConnect."
The Government described the Report on its release as a "major step forward in providing stakeholders with a better picture of the potential legal issues and options available to manage these risks, not only in the context of wider implementation of HealthConnect, but also in the broader e-health agenda".
Mr Sneddon added: "We are pleased to have assisted the Federal government and health industry stakeholders on a project of such national importance."
[1] To view a copy of the report, visit http://www.health.gov.au
