In the midst of discussions on privacy concerns, it has been announced that New South Wales hospital patients will be the "guinea pigs" for the national rollout of the government's plan to introduce e-health records, The Australian reports. During a recent Senate inquiry into the plan, National E-Health Transition Authority chief executive Peter Fleming said that "the program in NSW would potentially encompass 4.5 million within 18 months." Meanwhile, the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission suggested that rather than create a national health IT infrastructure, the government should "regulate privacy and technical standards" while technology firms develop products that suit consumers and healthcare providers alike, the report states.
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