5. Standards for systems and technologies
As procurements are undertaken for particular systems or technologies that are required, this section has been created to support the procurement processes for many common systems or technologies used to enable digital health.
Each digital health system or technology has a defined set of national standards and requirements. These standards are categorised as either "must-have" or "should-have" to assist in the procurement process. "Must-have" requirements are non-negotiable, while "should-have" requirements are strongly advised to adhere to global best practices.
The initial release of the Guidelines focuses on the requirements to enable interoperability (a priority area for the Agency) and includes an initial set of systems. The Agency aims to broaden the scope of requirements to include other aspects of digital health overtime. These will be informed by representatives from various user groups. Additional systems and technologies will also be introduced in the coming months.
Select your system or technology
Click on a system or technology below to review relevant standards and requirements for your procurement project. Several draft systems have been populated to provide examples of the planned detail and approach. Feedback to these is welcome.
Electronic Medical Record (eMR)
Definition:
A system utilised day to day by clinicians and staff to gather, manage and consult patient information and data to inform and record patient care delivery in real time.
These systems may also be referred to as Electronic Patient Record (EPR) or Digital Health Record (DHR).
Laboratory Information System (LIS)
Definition:
Computer software that processes, stores and manages data from all stages of medical processes and tests.
Electronic Medication Management system (EMM)
Definition:
The utilisation of electronic systems to facilitate and enhance the communication of a prescription or medicine order, aiding the choice, administration, and supply of a medicine through knowledge and decision support, and providing a robust audit trail for the entire medicines use process.
Definition:
A system used by healthcare organisations as a registry for patient data such as name, DOB, demographic, next of kin, private health insurance details and allergies. It acts as a single source of truth feeding information into other systems to support tasks like booking appointments, making referrals or managing waiting lists. It also keeps a record of patient interactions and provides easy access to their medical history.
Medical Imaging / Radiology System
Definition:
Medical imaging or radiology information systems can be purchased as stand-alone systems for example a Radiology Information System or a Picture Archiving and Communication System, or as an integrated package.
Integration / EMPI Solutions / Services
Content is being developed.
Referral Systems
Definition:
Referral systems enable the communication between clinicians to request a health service for a diagnosis or treatment of a health issue. Referrals can be made by any healthcare provider to another healthcare provider.
Directories
Definition:
A database system to store and manage information about resources and users such as identities, usernames, passwords, access authority and preferences.
Further content is being developed.
Billing Systems
Definition:
A software application that generates invoices and collects payments from customers. It also keeps track of customer accounts, balances, purchases and other financial transactions. Billing systems simplify and streamline the billing process, making it easier to manage customer accounts.
Further content is being developed.
Vendor Neutral Archives (VNAs) / BLOB Stores
Definition:
Medical imaging technology that provides a centralised storage solution for medical images and associated data. Its standard format and interface allows it to be accessed in a vendor-neutral manner by other systems.
Further content is being developed.
Human Resources Systems
Content is being developed.
Supply Chain Systems
Content is being developed.
Emergency Department Systems
Content is being developed.
Specialty Specific Systems (Theatre, Cardiology, Renal, etc)
Definition:
Systems that provide specific functionality and data collection to support the requirements of a particular clinical diagnostic or treatment service. For example, there are unique systems for emergency medicine, neurology, paediatrics, cardiology, surgical theatres, cancer services or aged care services.
Further content is being developed.
Cloud Solutions
Definition:
Cloud solutions deliver on-demand computing services such as storage, databases, servers, networking, software and analytics over the internet. Cloud computing in healthcare makes medical record-sharing easier and safer, automates backend operations and facilitates the creation and maintenance of telehealth apps, allowing records to be accessible from remote locations.
Further content is being developed.
Practice Management Software
Definition:
Practice Management Software (PMS) is a system that helps healthcare practices streamline their operations. Depending on need, it can manage patient records, reporting and tracking performance, booking and scheduling, prescribing, referring, billing and claims processing.
Clinical Coding
Definition:
A clinical coding system is software that facilitates the translation of health records into systematic classifications of medical diagnoses, procedures, resources consumed and other relevant clinical content into standardised codes, enabling accurate documentation, billing, and statistical analysis in healthcare settings.
Scanned Medical Record
Definition:
A system that scans, indexes and digitises paper medical records. It’s often used during the switch to an eMR system to ensure historical records are available as digitised files. It can also be used to digitise new paper documents such as clinical assessments and patient consent forms.
Telehealth Services
Definition:
Telehealth, or telemedicine, allows healthcare providers to conduct consultations remotely when in-person visits are not needed or cannot be attended due to distance. Services include diagnosis, treatment, follow-up care and prevention. Consultations can be between a clinician and a patient or between clinicians and may involve carers, interpreters and other healthcare professionals that form a multidisciplinary team.
Outsourced Telemedicine Service
Definition:
A service provided by an external partner that enhances local telehealth capabilities. It supports rapid access to healthcare when distance is a barrier and may involve phone or video consultations with a specialist.
Further content is being developed.
Medical Triage Service
Definition:
A service provided by an external partner to support the medical triage process and the organisation of patients according to the severity of their injuries or illness.
Further content is being developed.
Health Information Exchange (HIE)
Definition:
A technology solution that enables the electronic sharing of patient healthcare information with clinicians and organisations in a region, community or hospital systems, connecting systems that would not be linked otherwise.
Further content is being developed.
Enterprise Scheduling
Definition:
A tool to manage, allocate and balance resources with demands and workloads across multiple facilities, departments, and disciplines across the health service.
Further content is being developed.
Digital Front Door Service
Definition:
A secure, single-access, user-friendly platform that combines healthcare data, services and information into one place. It is designed to improve the clinician and patient experience, making it easier for clinicians to access health data and consumers to access digital health services.
Further content is being developed.
Contact us
This content is draft for consultation. To learn more about the Guidelines, the phased publication approach, or if you are interested in being part of future reference groups, please contact us via the form below.