Aged care report points to massive IT spend

Beverley Head
Monday, 08 August 2011 21:19

IT Policy - Government Tech Policy

The release of the Productivity Commission report into aged care proposes significant reforms for the sector, and also foreshadows the need for a massive investment in information technology systems and infrastructure both by aged care providers and older Australians wishing to stay in their own home for as long as possible.

Key among its recommendations is the option for older Australians to be able to decide whether they receive care services in their own homes or in aged care facilities. This will inevitably require the introduction of more assistive technologies in home, and also the embrace of e-health technologies which will allow in-home management of chronic conditions associated with ageing such as diabetes and dementia.

The Productivity Commission has also called for the establishment of a centralised data repository to manage information about the ageing population, and the creation of a quality and outcomes data set. Intended to provide insights regarding the care profiles of different care providers or institutions the initiative sounds suspiciously like the foundations for the aged care equivalent of the MySchool website, and proposed MyHospital information portal.

For the aged care sector - which is today only partially computerised - the recommendations point to the need for a significant technology upgrade, both to meet the new reporting requirements and to be able to deliver the raft of in home care services that the Productivity Commission envisages.

The long awaited Caring for Older Australians report from the Commission reinforces the extent of the demographic shift now underway in Australia. The number of Australians aged 85 and over is expected to increase from 400,000 in 2010 to 1.8 million by 2050. The cost to the Government of providing aged care services for this cohort will rise from 0.8 per cent of GDP in 2010 to 1.8 per cent by 2050.

Technology has been identified as playing a pivotal role in delivering care while keeping costs in check.

The report proposes the creation of an electronic record detailing older Australians' care and assessment histories, along with details of any financial arrangements they may have with care providers. It does not appear to link this record with the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record which is proposed as part of the broader e-health reforms, but it would seem logical that the two would at some level have to co-exist to provide a comprehensive window into the health and care records of older Australians.