eHRSS - A Breakthrough in e-Government Initiatives |
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"The
successful launch of the Electronic Health Record Sharing System
(eHRSS) will be a breakthrough in Hong Kong. Using a centralised
database built by the Government, eHRSS will join up the public
and the private sectors in delivering healthcare services."
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Developing
a territory-wide Electronic Health Record Sharing System (eHRSS) is one
of the key initiatives of the Government's "2008 Digital 21 Strategy".
The purpose of the System is to provide continuity of care for patients
in different healthcare sectors. Mr Victor Lam, Acting Government Chief
Information Officer, said it is challenging to put in place such a system
for eHealth Record sharing.
eHRSS
One-stop Joined-up Service
"We
have had joined-up services within the Government, but the eHRSS is different,
as a large percentage of healthcare services in Hong Kong is provided
by separate entities such as private hospitals and private clinics," said
Mr Lam.
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"The
eHRSS is a large-scale one-stop joined-up service, covering the
Department of Health (DH), the Hospital Authority (HA), private
hospitals and private clinics. Given the magnitude of the eHR Programme,
I would say Hong Kong is a pioneer in this aspect," he added.
OGCIO
Plays an Important Role in the eHRSS
The
eHRSS will be rolled out upon the passage of the eHRSS Bill. The
Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO), which
provides information technology (IT) services and technical support
within the Government, has been heavily involved in the system development.
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eHRSS is a large-scale one-stop joined-up service. |
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"Apart
from giving technical support, advice and resources, the OGCIO provides
Government commonly-shared IT services for implementing those joined-up
services," said Mr Lam.
Government
Commonly-Shared IT Services Used in the eHRSS
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Smart
Identity Card Electronic Authentication System for Patient registration
and e-authentication. |
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Address
Data Infrastructure (AD) for address data standardisation and validation. |
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The
e-Government Infrastructure Service (EGIS) offers a shared
infrastructure platform for online patient pre-registration. |
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Shared
Services of the EGIS supports the eHRSS to send notifcations
to patients and users via Internet email and Short Message
Service (SMS). |
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Web
hosting through the Government Cloud Services provides a reliable
and secure platform for the eHR Office website and other related websites. |
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"Having
said that, the HA's expertise and know-how in its Electronic Patient Record
(ePR) infrastructure provides the backbone for the eHRSS," he said.
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Paramount
Concern on Security and Privacy
Addressing the challenge on system security and data privacy surrounding
the eHRSS, Mr Lam pointed out that it is a paramount concern of
the Government as it involves different levels of usage and a huge
amount of patient-centric data.
Mr
Lam said protective measures have been devised at both front and
back ends to safeguard system security and data privacy. "One important
element is to bring in third-party assessments and audits," he said,
adding that eHRSS is also included in the regular cyber security
drill within the Government.
On
top of these measures, Mr Lam stressed that it is important to educate
eHRSS users on information security. |
Measures have been devised to safeguard security and privacy. |
Key
Measures on System Security and Data Privacy
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| Independent
assessment and audits |
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Privacy
Impact Assessments in three phases before the launch of
the System and Privacy Compliance Audits after system
launch |
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Security
Risk Assessments and Audits on the eHRSS to ensure compliance
with the Government security requirements and follow industrial
security practices |
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Built-in
Security Measures: role-based access control, data validation and
encryption, restricted downloading, patient and user authentication,
and access notification to patients |
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Code
of Practice and legislation |
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Opportunities
Opened up by the eHRSS
Looking
forward, Mr Lam expects the eHRSS to unleash great potentials for
the local IT industry.
"A
lot of business and job opportunities have been created in the building
of the eHRSS and related systems. IT practitioners can leverage
their technical expertise in the eHRSS and collaborate with the
private sector to develop clinical management systems and other
value-added services. It will also help enhance Hong Kong's eHR
technology," he concluded. |
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Development
of eHRSS provides local IT industry with ample opportunities. |
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