Information Technology
Contact
Pat Maugeri (Private Consultant, effective January 2008)
Information Technology and Information Management (IM)
Email Pat Maugeri
0408 630 605
Announcing the release of the recommended requirements for broadband in general practice
The Australian Government’s Broadband for Health (BFH) program, including the availability of the financial incentive, expired on 31 December 2007. The program enabled general practices to select qualified broadband internet services which met stipulated minimum technical and operational requirements from different Internet Service Providers (ISP).
Broadband internet connectivity for general practice - Recommended minimum requirements is the resource that has been developed by the National eHealth Support Officers Network in consultation with the Division of General Practice Network to assist general practitioners and practice managers choose a suitable broadband internet service for their practice. In considering the contents of the information provided, it should be remembered that what is being recommended are minimum requirements and not a comprehensive guide to selecting a broadband internet service.
A lot of practices have BFH contracts that will expire this year and some ISPs will be tempted to offer plans similar to the old BFH ones at rates that are not competitive with the current marketplace. The Recommended minimum requirements resource provides advice on exploring your practice's options and a ready-reckoner for collecting the information you need to determine your requirements from an ISP, choice of plan, etc.
It will also be useful to non-BFH practices that are thinking of changing their plan.
The document includes:
- A decision matrix
- A glossary of key functions and concepts
- Useful web links, including sites that offer plan comparisons
- Recommendations on service requirements
- Checklist form
Click here to download the document.
NB - It is recommended that if printing the document, to print it in colour (the steps are colour-coded and easier to follow when viewed in colour).
Back to Top
Network Security: IT Privacy on accessing the Internet
If you are planning to use broadband Internet access in your surgery or work place, there are a couple of issues to adhere to:
- All organisations must have a staff Internet usage policy which is distributed to all new and old staff.
- If no firewall facility is available, then all Internet access should be done on a stand-alone computer, not on the network.
- Alternatively, if a firewall is in place then it must be used between the internal network and the Internet.
- If you use a modem, don't leave it on all day: dial out on demand only.
- Confidential data is first encrypted before being emailed or sent over the Internet in an email format.
Resources for General Practices
Back to Top | 
