Labor plan follows local success

Brisbane Water Private Hospital has supported the Australian Labor Party's proposal to introduce a Medicare Smart Card following the success of its own smart card project.

"With the ALP having announced its intention to introduce a Medicare Smart Card and the Federal Minister for Health already having been briefed and impressed by Brisbane Waters' successful smart card project, the hospital can rightfully claim to be the leader in this technology" said CEO Mr Graham McGuinness.

"Our project, developed in co-operation with Smart Health Solutions and our clinicians, has been going for over four years and embraces more than 5000 Central Coast card holders as well as a number of participating general practitioners, specialists and pathology and radiology providers," he said.

"It has also been the subject of close evaluation by the Health Insurance Commission and the Department of Veterans' Affairs and both are enthusiastically supportive of our project.

"The Brisbane Waters project is now seen as the forerunner for a national electronic medical record system and all associated with it's development can take great pride in their contribution to this exciting concept," Mr McGuinness said.

Press release, June 23