PCEHR Bills Introduced
The Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records Bill 2011 (PCEHR Bill) and Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2011 (Consequential Bill) were introduced into the Parliament on Wednesday 23 November 2011.
The PCEHR Bill will establish the legislative framework to support the establishment and implementation of a national personally controlled electronic health record (PCEHR) system. It supports personal control by consumers, enabling individuals to access their own health information and to choose how access by healthcare provider organisations to their PCEHR is managed by the system.
The PCEHR Bill includes provisions relating to participation in the PCEHR system, the circumstances in which PCEHR information can be accessed, obligations on users, penalties for inappropriate use, and functions and responsibilities of the System Operator and regulators.
The Consequential Bill will make changes to related legislation to ensure that the PCEHR Bill, once enacted, operates appropriately and effectively.
The PCEHR Bill and Consequential Bill were developed following feedback and submissions received by the Department of Health and Ageing during the public consultation processes for the Exposure Draft PCEHR Bills 2011, released on 30 September 2011, the PCEHR System: Legislation Issues Paper, released on 7 July 2011, and the Concept of Operations: Relating to the introduction of a PCEHR system, released on 12 September 2011.
What's happening
Privacy Impact Assessment on the PCEHR system
A detailed Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) into the PCEHR system has been undertaken by Minter Ellison Lawyers and Salinger Privacy. The PIA report made 112 recommendations.
Launch of the “Software Developers Resource Centre”
A new vendor portal has been launched by the Department of Health and Ageing (the Department) and National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA).
Plain packaging legislation receives the Royal Assent
The Australian Government's world first legislation to require all tobacco to be sold in plain packaging received the Royal Assent on 1 December 2011.