Classifications and Terminologies Working Group (CTWG)

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NOTE: As of September 2004 the CTWG has been suspended for 12 months. Please contact us for further details.

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Classifications and Terminologies Working Group 

The National Health Information Group endorsed the formation of the Classifications and Terminologies Working Group in May 2003. The group was formed to develop and expand on the work of the Expert Group on Health Classifications and in particular, to develop a structure for the introduction of national standards for clinical terminologies in Australia and oversee it's implementation. The Working Group reports to the National Health Information Group through the Health Data Standards Committee. 

The Expert Group on Health Classifications began work to develop and endorse a Family of Health Classifications for general use in Australia. A web based tool to describe the Family of Classifications was developed and includes information on classifications agreed by the National Health Information Group for use in a range of health and related applications in Australia. This tool is currently being redeveloped.

Supporting this tool, the group have developed a paper detailing the principles for inclusion in the Australian Family of Health and Related Classifications. This paper provides guidance to those wishing to propose a classification for inclusion in the Australian Family of Health and Related Classifications. The Classifications and Terminologies Working Group will be undertaking work on the development of a simple matrix for an Australian Family of Health and Related Classifications and Terminologies.

In August 2003 a workshop was held to highlight key issues for the new working group and discuss a proposed work plan. Following this the working group held their first meeting in September 2003.

A discussion list has been made available to facilitate exchange of ideas in the field. You are welcome to register your interest to receive updates and contribute to discussions around the work of the group. 

The resources page contains links to papers, articles, websites, etc. that are relevant to the development of health related classifications and terminologies for use in Australia.

Terms of Reference

  1. Oversee and make recommendations on the development and application of health related classifications in Australia.
  2. Develop and recommend an integrated strategy for Australia for the development, adoption and representation of specific health terminologies.
  3. Ensure that the strategy gives due consideration to the requirements and expertise of:
    • clinical users of information systems;
    • the health informatics industry;
    • end users of the data derived from terminologies (e.g. for clinical care, research and policy purposes);
    • agreed national standards endorsement processes; and
    • consumers of Australia's health services.
  4. Oversee the implementation and ongoing maintenance of this strategy.
  5. Liaise with other stakeholders, including Standards Australia and other NHIG standing committees, on matters associated with health terminologies and classifications and its relationship with other IM/IT standardisation.
  6. Monitor and contribute, as appropriate, to international developments and trends in health and related terminologies and classifications, and their implications for Australia.

Members

Name Organisation/Group Relevant experience/expertise

Dr David Evans

Chair
(Qld Health)

 Was Chair of the former Expert Group on Health Classifications.
Medical Superintendent - Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital

Dr Ching Choi

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW)

 Since joining the AIHW in 1992 as the head of the Welfare division, Dr Choi has managed the development of nationally consistent information on health and welfare and contributed to the compilation of biennial reports to government on health and welfare services. In 2002 he became head of the AIHW Health Division. The work program in the Health Division includes population health, disease monitoring and health registers.
Dr Choi is the Chair of the Health Data Standards Committee (HDSC) and a member of the Statistical Information Management Committee (SIMC).

Dr David de Bhal

Medical Software Industry Association

  

Heather Grain

Standards Australia IT14/2 sub-committee (Health concept representation)

 Heather is a Lecturer in Health Informatics at La Trobe University and is actively researching the purpose of morbidity reporting, data modelling, business rules and design.  A qualified HIM and Computer Science graduate she has worked on the design and implementation of health information systems in Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific and China.  She has been involved in the development of terminological approaches to automated coding systems and supported evaluation processes for the General Practice Coding Jury.  Heather is also active in the extraction and use of morbidity information to meet a wide range of research requirements.  She is Consumer Health Forum representative to Standards Australia IT14, Health Concept Representation and Electronic Health Record committees and HL7 with specific interest in Electronic Health Records for Decision Support.  She also sits on the Health Connect Clinical Information Project Steering Committee and MediConnect technical working group.

Graeme Hart

Expert, health terminology / classifications / health informatics

  

David Hunter

Australian Bureau of Statistics

  

Professor Michael Legg

Information Communication & Technology Standards Committee

 Professor Michael Legg, PhD MCom(BIS) BSc(Hons) AFAIM FAICD, Principal of Michael Legg and Associates, a consultancy in Information and Organisational Systems and Professorial Fellow with the Initiative for eHealth at the University of Wollongong. 
Professor Legg has 20 years experience in the health industry; 15 years at CEO level. Most recently he was Director Developments - Pathology, Mayne Health and before that General Manager of Southern Pathology, winners of the Australian Quality Award for Business Excellence. He has been a leader in health informatics standards setting with Government and Standards Australia and has been influential in health policy development.
He has served on a number of Government Committees including the Quality Use of Pathology Committee, the Pathology Services Table Committee and the National Health Information Standards Advisory Committee.  He is currently a member of the new NHIG Information Communications Technology Standards Committee (ICTSC) and the AHIC Electronic Decision Support Steering Committee.
He is a Board Member of HL7 Australia and the Standards Australia Health and Food Standards Sector Board.  He is an adviser to the Australian Association of Pathology Practices and a member of the Panel of Expert Advisers to the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing Pathology Section. more...

Dr Peter MacIsaac

Australian Department of Health and Ageing

 Senior Medical and Health Informatics Advisor, DoHA
HL7 Inc.- CoChair Medication Special Interest Group, Vocabulary Facilitator - International Affiliates.
Acting Chair, Community Health Terminology and Classification Project (CATCH)
Foundation Chair Medicines Coding Council of Australia.
Member General Practice Computing Group - Interoperability and Standards Working Group
Currently an internal advisor to the Department of Health and Ageing on terminology, health messaging and clinical health informatics.

Dr Richard Madden

Australian Collaborating Centre on WHO Family of Health Classifications

 Dr Richard Madden has been Director of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australia's health and welfare statistics agency, since 1996. The Institute's mission is 'Better health and wellbeing for Australians through better health and welfare statistics and information'.
Prior to his current appointment, Richard was Deputy Australian Statistician at the Australian Bureau of Statistics. He has held a number of senior positions including Under Treasurer with both the ACT and Northern Territory Governments, Deputy Secretary of the New South Wales Health Department and Head of the Disability Services Division in the Commonwealth Government.
Richard is a statistician and actuary. In 2002 he was Actuary of the year. Richard has a Bachelor of Science from Sydney University and a PhD in statistics from Princeton University.
In the Australia Day honours list of 2003, Richard was awarded the Public Service Medal in recognition of the commitment he has made to improve national health and welfare data collection and standards.

Dr Ric Marshall

Statistical Information Management Committee

 Member National Health Information Group (NHIG) (for Vic)
Manager Information and Performance Evaluation DHS, Vic
Chair Statistical Information Management Committee of AHMACs NHIG
Chair IT14-6 - (Health Informatics Messaging Standards Committee)
Member National Health Performance Committee
PhD - Mental Health Epidemiology
Background in mental health service delivery
Former Director DRG Development Australia

Sari McKinnon

Assistant to David Rowlands - Australian Department of Health and Ageing,

 Sari McKinnon is Assistant Director, National InfoStructure Development.
Sari has worked in health informatics for many years with experience in data management, health information management and clinical information systems.
She has worked in both public and private sectors. Public sector experience has been with hospitals and state health departments. Commercial and private experience has been with software development companies and as a health IT strategic consultant both in the UK and in Australia.

Maryanne Rosenberg

Health Insurance Commission

  

David Rowlands

Australian Department of Health and Ageing

 David Rowlands is Director, National InfoStructure Development in the Department of Health and Ageing.
He has a broad background in health, information and public sector management. 
He is currently chair of Standards Australia's Health Informatics Technical Committee (IT14) and a member of the Information Communications and Technology Standards Committee, the Health Data Standards Committee and the Information Technology Committee. 

Mary-Ellen Wetherspoon

New Zealand Ministry of Health

  

Dr John Youngman

Australian Safety and Quality Council

  

TBA

Additional expert in health terminology /classification / health informatics

  

TBA

Member with expertise in electronic decision support

  
Secretariat  National Data Development and Standards Unit (NDD&SU), AIHW

The NDDU is responsible for the production and maintenance of the National Health and National Community Services Data Dictionaries and METeOR; AIHW's Metadata Online Registry (the AIHW's electronic repository of national data standards). Unit staff have expertise in the international standard for metadata registries, ISO 11179, the latest version of which will be implemented in the new METeOR.
The Unit provides liaison and advice to clinical data development groups and others seeking to have their data specifications endorsed as national data standards for health and community services. The Unit also undertakes contracted work on the development of new data collections, a current example of which is the development of a new National Minimum Data Set for community based palliative care.

Trish Ryan

Secretariat Manager
(Head, National Data Development and Standards Unit, AIHW)

 Trish has over ten years experience working with Commonwealth and State government departments in a range of health and community services policy and program areas. For the past seven years at AIHW, Trish has specialised in data development (including developing the HACC MDS and other aged care collections, alcohol and drug treatment services NMDS and a range of community services data collections). During this time Trish has gained expertise in metadata and the management of national data standards processes and structures in Australia.

Meera Rajendran

Secretariat 
(National Data Development and Standards Unit, AIHW)

 Prior to arriving at the AIHW in late 2003, Meera was the Knowledge / Metadata Manager of the Health Insurance Commission's data warehouse. Other work experience has included the Director of Library Services, St George Hospital and Deputy-Librarian, Liverpool Health Service. In all these positions Meera worked with metadata, classifications and terminologies

Karen Malam

Secretariat 
(National Data Development and Standards Unit, AIHW)

 Karen has worked at the AIHW since 1995 and in this time has been involved in data collection, training, collation and analysis. She had worked with service providers and government representatives and has gained knowledge of ICD, ICF, national data dictionaries and national minimum data sets. Recent work has included mapping the Community Health Terminology and Classification (CATCH) to NMDS in 2003 and running the census of Community Aged Care Packages in 2002.

Members of the Working Group can access the password controlled area for meeting agenda papers and related material.

For further information please contact the

Last reviewed on 12 May 2005 [ top ]