AMA Submission on General Practice Data and Electronic Clinical Decision Support

The AMA has provided a submission in response to the Department of Health's Issues Paper on General Practice Data and Electronic Clinical Decision Support.

The AMA submission supports the policy objectives outlined in the issues paper. These being to:

• ensure general practice data is available into the future to support GPs, PHNs and other health system actors to carry out their respective roles and participate in continuous quality improvement at individual practice and regional, jurisdictional and national health system levels

• ensure any access to or sharing of general practice data is conducted safely and securely and that privacy continues to be protected, including through effective de-identification of personal information

• ensure that the safe, secure sharing of de-identified general practice data is not inhibited by systems and costs

• support continuous development in the quality and comparability of general practice date. 

To this end the AMA submission also highlights

• the crucial need for investment in systems interoperability, automated coding and data exchanges and a two-way flow of data to enhance efficient and effective delivery of health care

• use of data should be for the public good and not vested commercial interests  

• the importance of contexualised data analysis

• the need for greater clarity around privacy protections and consent requirements

• data linkages should be limited to initiatives that improve the health and health care of patients

• the importance of clinical autonomy and capacity to trace electronic decision support.