MediSecure hack exposed data of 13 million Australians

Approximately 12.9 million Australians had their health information stolen in the recent MediSecure hack. 

This, according to the embattled e-prescription provider, who recently went into administration following a "large-scale" ransomware attack on its system on 16 May. 

In an update, MediSecure said affected individuals included those who used its service between March 2019 and November 2023. However, it cannot identify specific individuals given the "complexity of the data set" that was compromised. 

Individual healthcare identifiers, Medicare card numbers, and prescription medications and instructions are some types of information that were exposed in the hack, it added. 

Diabetes service added to VVED

The Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) has introduced a new service catering to people living with diabetes.

VVED Diabetes, launched in partnership with the Australian Centre for Accelerating Diabetes Innovations, will provide free video consultations to patients dealing with non-life-threatening complications. 

Following this launch, Ambulance Victoria paramedics will work with the new clinic to test the ketone levels of individuals with diabetes.

Early this year, the VVED announced that it intends to double its capacity to accommodate over 1,000 persons a day, backed by over $150 million fund from the state government. 

Magentus introduces e-prescribing on Charm  

Magentus has recently added an e-prescribing functionality to its oncology information management system.  

Prescribers, according to a media release, can now create e-scripts through the Charm oncology IMS after Magentus met the e-prescribing conformance set by the Australian Digital Health Agency.

"We are proud to be Australia’s first and only oncology information management system with approved e-prescribing functionality and conformance," claimed Magentus Charm's product lead Margot Mason in a statement. 

Qld pharmacy pilot begins MedAdvisor software training

The Australasian College of Pharmacy and MedAdvisor has started training pharmacists involved in the pilot programme expanding their scope of practice in Queensland. 

Based on a media release, participants are being trained to use the MedAdvisor platform to manage user accounts, complete patient medication details, message clinicians, use the Queensland Scope of Practice forms when prescribing and set booking availability. 

Last year, MedAdvisor won the tender to deliver an enhanced version of its PlusOne pharmacy platform for the Queensland Community Pharmacy Scope of Practice Pilot. The platform comprises a patient portal, a clinical information system, a prescribing functionality, secure communication and data analytics. 

Roper Gulf seniors get access to virtual allied health service

The Roper Gulf Regional Council, a local government in the Northern Territory, has started offering round-the-clock access to virtual allied health services in its aged care settings. 

The service will be provided through a multidisciplinary allied health team from iAgeHealth by McLean Care. 

According to a media release, the service will initially focus on providing at-home occupational therapy services, including modification assessments, physiotherapy assessments, and treatment plans. Dietetic meal planning, assessment, and monitoring will also be provided.

Following this, Roper Gulf said it will expand access to more iAgeHealth allied health professionals, such as speech pathologists and exercise physiologists.

GoodSAM comes to Tasmania

The Tasmanian government has collaborated with the developers of GoodSAM, a free mobile emergency alert and dispatch app from the United Kingdom, to provide support to first responders. 

The GoodSAM app alerts responders with registered defibrillators of persons experiencing a cardiac event within a thousand metres. 

Tasmania takes after New South Wales in adopting GoodSAM to promote community emergency response. In 2022, NSW Ambulance signed a four-year partnership to integrate the app with its ambulance dispatch and a public registry to map out nearby defibrillators.