Healthy Skepticism Library item: 2115

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: news

CAMM dumps HCN script data
Pharma in Focus ( Australia) 2005 Aug 15
http://www.pharmainfocus.com.au/news.asp?newsid=836

Keywords:
HCN CAMM privacy de-identified data records

Notes:

Ralph Faggotter’s Comments: CAMM and HCN have been caught with their pants down. CAMM is a multinational data collecting company and HCN is a medical record software company. Most GPs in Australia use the HCN software program called ‘Medical Director’(MD) for their computerized medical record and prescribing. Implanted in MD is a piece of software which enables the GP to sell their ‘de-identified’ medical records via the internet to CAMM which then onsells the records to any interested parties. While this scam remained secret it was very profitable for all concerned (except the GPs who sold their patients down the drain for peanuts) but when the press started to expose this travesty to the Australian people, embarrassment overtook greed as the dominant motive and now apparently CAMM has pulled the plug.
When complaints about this massive scandal were made to Australia’s Federal Privacy Commissioner,Karen Curtis, she didn’t see a problem, and even commended CAMM and HCN on their behaviour!
see http://www.privacy.gov.au/news/media/05_02.html
It is now clear that the Orwellian purpose of the Federal Privacy Commission is to prevent privacy.

Full text:

CAMM dumps HCN script data
http://www.pharmainfocus.com.au/news.asp?newsid=836
[copied in the public interest]

CAMM Pacific has discontinued its agreement with HCN for provision of
electronic prescribing data from Medical Director GP software.

The ending of the agreement comes after months of controversy over the
use of the Medical Director-sourced de-identified patient data in market
research products produced by CAMM and others for the pharmaceutical
industry.

However, CAMM Pacific regional director Asia-Pacific, Steve Jones said
the adverse publicity created by the controversy was only a minor
consideration in the decision to walk away from HCN.

Mr Jones said the reason was complicated but refused to go further.

He added, however, that the controversy over patient data had not
affected CAMM Pacific’s image among its customers. “Absolutely not and
in fact a number of them have indicated they are equally confused about
why this has become such an issue and so misunderstood and misreported.”

Mr Jones said the CAMM product principally affected by the termination
was P2P – Promotion to Prescription. He said CAMM was considering its
options for acquiring GP prescribing data from other sources.

He said CAMM would continue to offer services to the pharma market in
Australia. “Ceasing to offer services to the pharma market in Australia
altogether is most definitely not an option – now or ever probably. We
have many products and those involving Rx data have only ever been a
small part of our offer to the market. We have no reason to cease our
general activities in this market as we have strong and increasing
support locally and globally from numerous companies who take the
Australian industry data from us through one or more of our products.”

Meanwhile, Primary Healthcare – the new owner of HCN – last week
announced a 55% increase in full-year net profit to $27.94 million.

Managing director Edmund Bateman attributed most of the good result to
the company’s 20-plus medical centres but added that the HCN purchase
was already making a positive contribution.

HCN has just released version 3 of Medical Director and the continuing
rollout of the program would be the focus of Primary’s health technology
business for the 2005-06 financial year, the company said in announcing
its results to the Australian Stock Exchange.
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