NEHTA appoints new CEO

By: Suzanne Tindal

The National E-Health Transition Authority has nicked a top technology executive from the National Australia Bank to be its new chief executive.

Peter Fleming will take the reins at the nation's peak e-health agency on 29 September, relieving acting chief executive Andrew Howard, who has been seconded from Victoria's Human Services Department for the past few months, where he was CIO. He will be returning to that role after he has conducted an extensive handover, according to a NEHTA spokesperson.

Fleming is currently general manager technology, business integration with NAB. He has also held a CIO position with both Mayne Group and Colonial Group.

NEHTA's previous long-standing CEO, Ian Reinecke, quit the group in early April this year.

The appointment of a new CEO followed that in July of a new chair, David Gonski, who said the board was looking forward to working with Fleming.

Also in July, NEHTA held the first meeting of its Stakeholder Reference Forum which aimed to improve the organisation's engagement with key stakeholders, including state health agencies, the Department of Health and Aging and several other clinician stakeholder groups and consumer representatives.

The Forum was set up in part as a response to a review by the Boston Consulting Group published last year.

Members of the forum signed a non-disclosure agreement which bound them from talking about specific topics, however some information was released.

The major priorities agreed upon at the first meeting were the development of an e-health business case for consideration by the Council of Australian Governments meeting in October this year, as well as devising a five-year plan.

The first major e-health implementations the group wanted NEHTA to focus on were developing systems for electronic discharge summaries, pathology reports, specialist referrals and medication management.

Liam Tung contributed to this article