Two steps forward in helping to connect Australia’s healthcare system

Adding to and accessing essential health information to enhance clinical decision making for Australians at the point of care is closer than ever before. The Australian Digital Health Agency (the Agency) is taking the next steps to provide allied health professionals the ability to do just that via My Health Record and electronic prescribing services.    

Agency CEO Amanda Cattermole PSM said work is beginning now to co-design software and integration with vendors to support allied health professionals to access comprehensive consumer healthcare information.  

“This work has the potential to make a real difference to the health of all Australians because their health information will be accessible to a broader care team that will include primary, acute care and allied health, regardless of setting, including aged care,” Ms Cattermole said.  

“Better access to information improves clinical decision making at the point of care and will be particularly beneficial to consumers who have complex or chronic health conditions and a broad care team.”  

The Agency received significant interest in response to the Allied Health Industry Offer and has contracted the first two software vendors, Halaxy Pty Ltd and Beyond Essential Services (BES), with many more set to sign up in coming weeks.  

Halaxy Co-Founder and Co-CEO Alison Hardacre said she is excited to begin working on the project.

“We look forward to further integrating Halaxy with My Health Record for the benefit of clinicians and patients everywhere,” Ms Hardacre said.

BES CEO Michael Nunan said the project will leverage BES’s existing capabilities.

“We are committed to improving the management of allied health care consumers and will build on our capacity in collaboration with the Agency and other partners, Mr Nunan said.

This significant progress is a result of the Agency's approach to market through the Allied Health Industry Offer in September 2024.

The appetite for allied health professionals to connect to digital health infrastructure was revealed in a survey conducted in collaboration between the Agency and Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA). The Allied Health Digital Transformation Survey Report surveyed 2,419 allied health practitioners in April 2024 with AHPA recently publishing the findings and is being used to inform the broader program.

Agency Chief Program Officer Paul Creech PSM said allied health professionals' readiness to adopt digital health tools is matched by software vendors enthusiasm to design specific solutions for them.

“Recognising the sector's diversity, the Agency will co-design programs with vendors that are tailored to the unique needs of different allied health professions,” Mr Creech said.

“This will be followed by Healthcare Identifier (HI) Service integration, My Health Record connection, electronic prescribing connection, and concluding with conformance and testing before product delivery.”

Software solutions will manage medical documentation and include functionality for authorised clinicians to generate electronic prescriptions through the National Prescription Delivery Service (NPDS).

With over 300,000 allied health professionals representing almost a quarter of the health workforce in Australia, and providing 200 million services annually, this initiative promises to significantly enhance the capabilities and efficiency of the allied health sector.

The Agency expects to have allied health software products in the market by June 2026 following an extensive testing phase.

-ENDS-

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For more information on this project, contact:

Media contact

Mobile: 0428 772 421

Email: media@digitalhealth.gov.au

About the Australian Digital Health Agency

When it comes to improving the health of all Australians, the role of digital innovation and connection is a vital part of a modern, accessible healthcare system. Against the backdrop of COVID-19, digital health has seen exponential growth in relevance and importance, making it more pertinent than ever for all Australians and healthcare providers.  

Better patient healthcare and health outcomes are possible when you have a health infrastructure that can be safely accessed, easily used and responsibly shared.

To achieve this, the National Digital Health Strategy is establishing the foundations for a sustainable health system that constantly improves. It underpins and coordinates work that is already happening between governments, healthcare providers, consumers, innovators and the technology industry.

For further information: www.digitalhealth.gov.au.  

The Australian Digital Health Agency is jointly funded by the Australian Government and all state and territory governments.