Lots of material appeared last week.
First we have:
Auditor-General reveals almost 4500 dead people received taxpayer-funded electricity concessions — some for 8 years
Daniel Wills, State Political Editor, The Advertiser
July 5, 2016 10:48pm
ALMOST 4500 dead people have received taxpayer-funded electricity concessions that may have continued for up to eight years after they passed away, the Auditor-General has found.
In two damning reports handed to State Parliament on Tuesday, Andrew Richardson revealed major flaws in the health and communities department, as Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis prepares to hand down his third Budget tomorrow.
In one report, Mr Richardson finds that the State Government has known since at least January that expected benefits of the Enterprise Patient Administration System have seriously deteriorated and that the almost $450 million program is now creating more financial harm than good.
The Opposition says the findings are evidence that the Government’s management of the State Budget and health system is in disarray, and has led to increases in taxes and levies.
Mr Richardson’s report on the Department of Communities and Social Inclusion found that its processes for checking concession payments were so flawed that dead people were being paid.
More here:
The ABC also picked things up.
SA's electronic health record system defended despite report finding further problems
By political reporter Angelique Donnellan, staff
7 July, 2016
The South Australian Government has defended the rollout of its electronic patient records system at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), despite an auditor-general's report identifying further problems with it.
The beleaguered $422 million system, known as EPAS, was intended to replace paper medical records but has been subject to glitches and delays.
Auditor-general Andrew Richardson said EPAS was now expected to face a $29 million funding shortfall, while $152 million in savings were unlikely to be realised.
His investigation revealed 103 defects with the system - five rated as critical, 40 as high, 49 as medium and nine as low.
EPAS has been operating at Port Augusta, the Noarlunga and Repatriation General hospitals and was last week rolled out at the QEH.
Health Minister Jack Snelling told Parliament the QEH was the biggest hospital to so far transition to EPAS.
Lots more here:
But it seems the confidence level is not all that high:
SA could install legacy software at new Adelaide hospital
Continues to invest in old patient system just in case.
By Paris Cowan
Jul 6 2016 6:35AM
Jul 6 2016 6:35AM
South Australian health bureaucrats will decide next month whether Adelaide’s newest hospital will run new patient administration software when it opens, or whether it will need to install a legacy solution as a back-up.
The state’s auditor general, Andrew Richardson, yesterday released his annual check-up on the rollout of SA’s enterprise patient administration system (EPAS) [pdf], revealing the government continues to sink money into stabilising its legacy acute patient management system (APMS) as a contingency for the new Royal Adelaide Hospital opening.
SA Health is due to decide next month whether the RAH hospital will be ready to take on the troubled EPAS before it opens its doors in November this year.
The recently completed implementation of EPAS at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital will act as a barometer for the system’s performance in a large and complex health environment and inform the nRAH determination.
Lots more here:
We have also had the Liberal Opposition Spokesman comment:
EPAS set to break Half Billion Barrier
Wednesday 06 July 2016
The State Liberals are demanding Health Minister Jack Snelling come clean on the total cost of his botched EPAS project as it is now inevitable that the project cost will exceed $500 million.
Yesterday, the Auditor-General confirmed that the cost of EPAS had blown out to $450 million by the end of last year.
Originally, it was going to cost $215million. [1]
Originally, it was going to cost $215million. [1]
“Clearly the ultimate price of EPAS will be a great deal more than the $450 million it has already cost,” said Shadow Minister for Health Stephen Wade.
“It will cost more than $40 million to roll out EPAS to country hospitals and that figure isn’t included in the $450 million spent to date.”
More here:
And then to top it off we had this:
SA govt finally starts move off unlicensed hospital software
By Paris Cowan on Jul 7, 2016 5:33PM
Funds transition plan as copyright trial looms.
South Australia has found space in its 2016 budget to pay for the first stage of the migration of its regional hospitals off long out-of-date CHIRON patient administration software.
The software is currently at the heart of a bitter court battle between the state and vendor Global Health, which refused to sell the SA hospitals any more licences for CHIRON beyond March 2015.
The 1980s green screen product was superseded in 2003.
However, with no transition plan in place, the 12 regional hospitals have continued using the system, triggering a copyright lawsuit that is due to be heard in early December 2016.
Global Health is going after the state for damages and breach of copyright, while South Australia is claiming crown privileges to maintain its use outside of normal licensing parameters.
The state government now appears, however, to be making space for a contingency plan should the federal court rule against it in six months’ time.
More here:
With all this in just a week – one has to think of there not being ‘smoke without fire’ and that there really needs to be clearer management and leadership to try and sort all this out and reboot the plans.
I guess we all just need to watch and wait.
David.
Bagikan
SA Health Seems To Be Being Noticed For All The Wrong Reasons Again. Do They Need A New CIO and Minister?
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Oleh
Unknown
