Australian Unity further notes Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s acknowledgement in his Innovation Agenda Public Data policy statement on 7 December, 2015 that public data is a strategic national resource and the government must manage this for the benefit of all Australians. The policy statement commits to non-sensitive data being ‘open by default’ and to collaboration with private and research sectors to extend the value of public data. The Productivity Commission itself has previously noted the potential for efficiencies in the health system, with productivity gains in hospitals alone being in the order of 4-5 per cent. Unlocking access to relevant information is critical to driving productivity improvements. Australian Unity notes the recent estimate by Lateral Economics that health-specific data could contribute up to $5.9 billion per annum across the economy, an indication of the importance and potential benefits in getting data linkages right. In sum, Australian Unity’s view there is substantial scope for greater sharing of private data and information to drive innovation, with appropriate privacy systems put in place. Doing so can improve individual wellbeing as well as drive cost efficiencies to the benefit of both public and private budgets. Australian Unity agrees that much of the data currently being generated is under-utilised. Sometimes this data can be de-identified, and used for research. In other case, identification of individual practitioners or hospitals may create pressure for improvement. Specific submissions access to personal data Private Health Insurers’ timely Australian Unity agrees with the Commission’s view that the potential benefits of better data access include innovation, efficiency, competition and empowerment of consumers. It is also Australian Unity’s view that there is a need to gain greater community recognition of the power and benefits of high quality data analytics achieved through greater access and proper use of public data. To achieve wider support for data analytics and sharing of data, Australian Unity submits there needs to be a rebalancing of privacy and control of personal information. A starting point would be to implement recommendations 4 and 5 of the Senate Select Committee on Health set out in their sixth interim report, Big health data: Australia’s big potential. Australian Unity proposes the Private Health Insurers be supported to access all of a patient’s health activity and clinical data (including Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and Medical Benefits Scheme in primary care), if a patient offers the appropriate permission. Doing so would enable Private Health Insurers to identify health risk triggers that would in turn allow for more timely interventions in an attempt to better manage a patient’s health. This
Australian Unity further notes Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s acknowledgement in his Innovation Agenda Public Data policy statement on 7 December, 2015 that public data is a strategic national resource and the government must manage this for the benefit of all Australians. The policy statement commits to non-sensitive data being ‘open by default’ and to collaboration with private and research sectors to extend the value of public data. The Productivity Commission itself has previously noted the potential for efficiencies in the health system, with productivity gains in hospitals alone being in the order of 4-5 per cent. Unlocking access to relevant information is critical to driving productivity improvements. Australian Unity notes the recent estimate by Lateral Economics that health-specific data could contribute up to $5.9 billion per annum across the economy, an indication of the importance and potential benefits in getting data linkages right. In sum, Australian Unity’s view there is substantial scope for greater sharing of private data and information to drive innovation, with appropriate privacy systems put in place. Doing so can improve individual wellbeing as well as drive cost efficiencies to the benefit of both public and private budgets. Australian Unity agrees that much of the data currently being generated is under-utilised. Sometimes this data can be de-identified, and used for research. In other case, identification of individual practitioners or hospitals may create pressure for improvement. Specific submissions Private Health Insurers’ timely access to personal data Australian Unity agrees with the Commission’s view that the potential benefits of better data access include innovation, efficiency, competition and empowerment of consumers. It is also Australian Unity’s view that there is a need to gain greater community recognition of the power and benefits of high quality data analytics achieved through greater access and proper use of public data. To achieve wider support for data analytics and sharing of data, Australian Unity submits there needs to be a rebalancing of privacy and control of personal information. A starting point would be to implement recommendations 4 and 5 of the Senate Select Committee on Health set out in their sixth interim report, Big health data: Australia’s big potential. Australian Unity proposes the Private Health Insurers be supported to access all of a patient’s health activity and clinical data (including Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and Medical Benefits Scheme in primary care), if a patient offers the appropriate permission. Doing so would enable Private Health Insurers to identify health risk triggers that would in turn allow for more timely interventions in an attempt to better manage a patient’s health. This
sub095-data-access.docx