GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS MORE e-BUSINESS PROJECTS

30 June 2004
93/04

Eight new e-business projects in the health, childcare, building and steel industries will get a significant leg-up from the Australian Government with $1.2 million in funding under the Information Technology Online (ITOL) program.

Australian businesses are increasingly integrating business processes into Internet-based applications.

The ITOL program is designed to foster continuing growth in e-business and to ensure that Australia maintains its reputation as a smart and innovative user of new technology.

It targets small to medium enterprises across a broad range of industry sectors and geographic regions by providing funding of up to $200,000 for each project.

I was pleased to announce the funding at a general practice in Sydney that has been instrumental in the development of a system, ozdocsonline.com.au, to improve information sharing between community nurses and general practitioners on patient care plans.

The ozdocsonline consortium will use its $81,740 ITOL grant to develop their system with interactive plans for the management of patients with congestive heart failure.

Since 1996, more than $12 million has been allocated under ITOL to 110 projects across sectors as diverse as agriculture, building and construction, health, environment, arts, manufacturing and community.

A common feature of a number of the business-to-business projects funded in the latest round is that they will deliver flow on benefits to individuals.

These benefits range from a system to help people to find a skilled tradesperson to e-business applications that will improve health outcomes for patients living in the community.

A list of the successful projects funded under this round is attached.

Further information about ITOL is on the Information Economy home page www.dcita.gov.au

Media Contact: Carina Tan-Van Baren (02) 6277 7480 or 0439 425 373

Information Technology Online Program - Round 11 Projects

Ucanbuildit

Ucanbuildit will be a one-stop-shop low cost solution for owner builders, renovators, trade persons and building suppliers in Western Australia. It will allow the user to select suppliers by Internet or other channels on the merit of a star rating which will be based on customer feedback to the site.

The project is focussed on the needs of small businesses who want to identify and engage tradespersons with a good track record. It aims to have 2,500 small business members quoting, buying and selling online within two years of operation.

ITOL Funding $60,000

Consortium Members	Contact
Australasian Value Management Black Stump Consulting Group 2000 Computers and Networks Pty Ltd	Mr Harry Gough Ucanbuildit Tel: 041 2084 032 Email harry@ucanbuildit.com.au

Connecting Child Care

This project will design and implement an online electronic attendance system for Family Day Care Centres in South Australia. Currently, every fortnight timesheet data is manually collected on at least 16,000 forms by 1,500 child care providers. By replacing the paper-based system with a web-based system linked to Commonwealth Child Care Benefit funding, this solution will reduce the administrative burden on day care providers and provide for speedier payments.

Fifteen sites selected across metropolitan, rural and remote areas in South Australia will trial innovative technology which will allow home-based child care operators to report on attendance of children under their care at the click of a button. At the end of the trial, the solution will be implemented across South Australia over a two year period.

ITOL Funding $150,000

Consortium Members	Contact
DKTOB Pty LtdDepartment of Education and Children's Services (South Australia) Economic Outlook Pty Ltd	Mr Ian Bruce DKTOB Pty Ltd Tel: 08 8377 2460 Email: ianb@daelibs.com.au

Steel Online

This project aims to improve interoperability and supply chain efficiencies in the steel industry. It takes a standards based approach to lowering the cost of participation for all organisations, particularly for small and medium sized enterprises. Steel Online has the potential to deliver reduced inventory holdings and planning at an industry level, resulting in improved supply-chain visibility and shortened delivery lead-times.

The project will involve all tiers of the industry including: primary producer companies which manufacture the steel: distributors, who transform the steel by cutting and slicing, then distribute it nationally; and end-processors, small and medium sized enterprises that transform steel products into building materials and wire into wire products such as fencing.

ITOL Funding $200,000

Consortium Members	Contact
Australian Steel Institute BlueScope Steel Ltd OneSteel Ltd Smorgon Steel Distribution Pty Ltd Coil Steels Group Pty Ltd Stramit Building Products Metroll Pty Ltd Southern Steel Group Pty Ltd	Dr Peter Kneen Australian Steel Institute Tel: (02) 9929 6174 Email: peterk@steel.org.au

Central Line Hospital Replenishment

This project will demonstrate how hospitals can capture data for all medical consumable items and automatically generate replenishment orders. At the same time, the orders will be transmitted to suppliers and a centralised logistics provider. The Goulburn Valley Health Hospital will also trial an online Hospital Supply Chain Reform Analysis Model which will provide data for other hospitals seeking to improve the way they manage the use, stocking and re-ordering of medical supplies. The project will potentially serve as a model for other industry sectors.

ITOL Funding $192,333

Consortium Members	Contact
Ithaca Supply Chain Management Pty Ltd Goulburn Valley Health (Shepparton) Healthspace Pty Ltd Exel (Australia) Logistics Pty Ltd Georg Larsson A/S Warp Systems Pty Ltd hTrak Pty Ltd Medical Industry Association of Australia	Ms Gen Ford Ithaca Supply Chain Management Pty Ltd Tel: 0412 159063 Email: gen@ithacascm.com

Collaborative Health Unified Messaging System

The Collaborative Health Unified Messaging System will provide an open and secure means of e-message delivery between general practitioners, specialists and other health providers in the Bendigo Division of General Practitioners. This solution will be implemented through a centralised directory service of health providers that will reduce communication costs, reduce time taken for transmission and storage of documents and reduce errors in the interpretation of paper based medication records.

The solution will utilise a secure open source electronic mail system known as Argus and will be integrated with existing systems and software already in use by general practitioners.

ITOL Funding $145,500.00

Consortium Members	Contact
Bendigo and District Division of General Practice Bendigo Loddon Primary Care Partnership Central Victorian Health Alliance Primary Care Partnership	Ms Namanita Patterson Bendigo and District Division of General Practice Tel: 03 5441 7806 Email: bfarnell@bgodivgp.org.au

Brisbane Inner South E-Referral Collaborative

This consortium will trial and evaluate an online referral and booking system. This system will enable GPs to electronically refer and book patients into a specialist oncology clinic at Mater Cancer Services for review and ongoing management. The project will improve efficiencies in the delivery of care to patients. It will minimise the duplication of tests and bookings, reduce the time required to make appointments, improve information sharing and reduce patient waiting time. The system will also reduce the likelihood of missed appointments at the hospital clinic. The project has the potential to be implemented across the health sector and to other sectors where confirmation of time-critical appointments is required.

ITOL Funding $198,000

Consortium Members	Contact
Mater Health Services Brisbane Ltd Brisbane Inner Southside Division of General Practice IBA Health Irwin Solutions Pty Ltd	Dr Vinh Tran IBA Health Tel: 0411 089 143 Email: vinh.tran@ibahealth.com

Primary Care Electronic Health Document Exchange

This project is designed to improve the long term care of patients with chronic disease by improving the flow of timely information between key health care providers to support patient care. The Brisbane North Division of General Practice's membership, along with after-hours care service providers, four community nursing services, the Prince Charles Hospital and the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in Queensland will test and use the system.

The project will enable individual health providers to create and use electronic self-populating patient care plans in place of paper versions which are currently carried by patients between providers.

ITOL Funding $200,000

Consortium Members	Contact
Brisbane North Division of General Practice Association Inc. Health Communication Network Ltd (HCN) Health Connect (Department of Health & Ageing) CSIRO	Ms Clare Besly Brisbane North Division of General Practice Association Inc Tel: 07 3630 7315 Email: clare.besly@bndgp.com.au

Web-based Community Care Plan Management Tool

This project will improve information sharing between community nurses and general practitioners on patient care plans. Using an existing platform, Ozdocsonline, the project will develop interactive plans for the management of patients with congestive heart failure. Patients and carers will also have secure access to the site so then can remain up to date with care events. Short Messaging Service (SMS) email functions will be built to notify relevant parties of changes to the care plan.

As a result of these real time care plans, there will be greater immediacy follow up action and treatment, business efficiencies by moving from fax to web based communications and less time wasted by nurses, doctors and other health care providers on making and returning phone calls. The trial will involve over 30 patients and 20 general practitioners in the region.

ITOL Funding $81,740

Consortium Members	Contact
Ozdocsonline Pty Ltd Central Sydney Division of General Practice Central Sydney Area Health Service Stephen Wilson, Lockstep Consulting	Dr Veronique Lajoie Ozdocsonline Pty Ltd Tel: 0419 490 302 Email: admin@ozdocsonline.com.au