Australia enters next era of digital health transformation

The Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) has unveiled its new initiative, Health Connect Australia, alongside the release of its Strategy, Architecture and Roadmap, marking a significant milestone in the nation’s commitment to digital health reform.

Designed to accelerate the secure and efficient exchange of health information, Health Connect Australia aims to improve digital health interoperability over the next five years. It aligns with the Intergovernmental Agreement on National Digital Health 2023–2027, which confirms that “all Parties commit to the change and adoption required to drive reform and deliver an interoperable health system.”

“Our goal is to establish national capabilities and standards to facilitate health information sharing across existing and future systems,” ADHA CEO Amanda Cattermole PSM said. “This initiative is not a singular product but rather a collection of capabilities designed to transform and better connect the healthcare ecosystem.”

At its core, Health Connect Australia is a complex ecosystem. It will require widespread transformation across government agencies, healthcare providers, technology vendors and consumers.

The ADHA acknowledges that this large-scale change will involve risks, disruption, and the potential for resistance and fatigue. Initial impact assessments signal that the transition will be highly complex and far-reaching, with trust emerging as a foundational issue – from both a psychosocial safety lens and in terms of technology adoption.

Cattermole said the program is built to meet the evolving expectations of patients and healthcare professionals.

The scope and scale of this transformation demands strong governance, clear communication and structured risk mitigation. The implementation will be influenced by regulatory requirements, interoperability challenges with legacy systems, workforce readiness and diverse stakeholder expectations.

Dr Amandeep Hansra, ADHA Chief Clinical Adviser (Medicine) and GP, said the program is designed to deliver a more patient-centric health system.

“The frustration for consumers having to constantly retell their story and clinicians trying to find information such as pathology and diagnostic imaging results, is real, and Health Connect Australia will ensure that a person’s health information moves with them though the system, enabling seamless care,” Dr Hansra said.

“It will enable all parts of the health system to invest in solutions that work together, improving care, reducing duplication and giving Australians more control over their health information.”

ADHA Chief Digital Officer Peter O’Halloran said that core to the effective implementation of Health Connect Australia is increasing the adoption of open national and international digital health standards.

“With evolving technology and an ever-changing healthcare system, new and updated digital health standards are essential to enable health information to be accurately generated, shared and interpreted across systems using consistent data and terminology frameworks,” O’Halloran said.

“Efforts are also underway to develop robust legislative and policy settings to support the seamless exchange of health information across jurisdictions.”

The rollout of Health Connect Australia will unfold over four key phases. The Foundations Phase will establish a national directory to enable seamless access to provider and service information. The Sharing Phase will focus on facilitating secure communication between providers and expanding consumer access to health documents. The Discovery Phase will introduce services to locate and retrieve health information. Finally, the Enhancement Phase will deliver value-added features, including digital baby books and the integration of data from medical wearables.

The roadmap will evolve and be refined as the ADHA refines plans for each phase and continues to consult stakeholders.

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