Govt risks failure by failing to measure IT benefits

Beverley Head
Monday, 05 September 2011 16:05

IT Policy - Government Tech Policy

The Federal Government could be making a big mistake by failing to formally measure the benefits of its $620 million worth of telehealth initiatives which will allow Australians to consult with a GP or specialist using videoconferencing.

Since the beginning of July people living in remote and regional parts of Australia, as well as some outer metropolitan areas have been able to have video-consultations with medical specialists thanks to the introduction of Medicare rebates for those services.

According to Ron Emerson global director for healthcare of videoconferencing specialist Polycom, it is important that the Government properly measure the benefit of the programme. 'Having the metrics and proving the benefits is important for the sustainability of the programme after the $620 million runs out,' he warned.

He said that as far as he knew there was no plan to actually track the benefit of the initiative. The office of the Health Minister Nicola Roxon has not yet responded to several calls over the last fortnight from iTWire seeking clarification regarding how the value of the programme will be measured.

During a recent visit to Australia Mr Emerson warned; 'The one thing I think is crucial is to take some of the budget to measure the success of the programme. For example how does it impact the number of emergency admissions, or how has it reduced travel costs?

'If you don't measure that, how will you know it is working? If you do (measure benefits) then you have a strong and compelling case to continue,' he said.

He said Polycom had performed its own studies which demonstrated that a high quality videoconference could allow a remote diagnosis to be as accurate as one that was conducted in person. 'The question is - what's the cost of doing nothing? - that's really hard to measure,' Mr Emerson acknowledged.