The CCC is a ‘catalyst for change and a champion for interoperability’, with all but one action on track, if not ahead of schedule, according to its inaugural report.
The coming year will see Australia’s independent interoperability advisory group shift from “high level” to the specifics, as it looks to continue its pace into 2024-25.
Earlier this month, Australia’s Council for Connected Care – established in June 2023 to provide advice on interoperable digital health solutions – released its inaugural annual report.
The council aims to reduce fragmentation and increase efficacy of information sharing across the healthcare system, as part of the Connecting Australian Healthcare – National Healthcare Interoperability Plan 2023-2028.
According to the council chair Conjoint Professor Anne Duggan, there has been “unprecedented support” from the 33 council members over the year, yielding their denomination as the “coalition of the willing”.
“Implementation of the 44 actions to connect Australia’s healthcare system has been swift, with 10 out of the 17 actions originally scheduled to commence in the forward years being fast tracked,” wrote Professor Duggan in the report.
“The council has also seen progress in each of the five priority areas of the national Interoperability Plan and the delivery of nine actions in the first year of implementation.”
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These nine completed actions have included delivery of the National Healthcare Identifiers Roadmap 2023-2028, guiding principle dor development and implemetnation of digital health standards, Digital Health Procurement Guidelines and assessments of general practice and aged care facility interoperability.
Professor Duggan recognised that while many actions had been “marked ‘complete’”, the work was not yet done.
A total of 35 actions are still in progress, however 28 are “on track” – ten of which are ahead of schedule – six medium term actions will commence in 2024-25 or 2025-26.
Only one action is currently behind schedule but is expected to be on track by next quarter.
The council’s 2024-25 agenda will focus on:
- Implementing the national roadmaps for healthcare identifiers and a national health information exchange;
- Enhancing national provider directory capability;
- Strengthening governance and stakeholder engagement for adoption and implementation of national digital health standards;
- Improving connections and conformance to national digital health products and services for developers and healthcare providers;
- Harmonising legislation to support information sharing;
- Establishing an online collaborative community forum;
- Building interoperability capability;
- Continuing to monitor progress and assess maturity through the second national interoperability survey and the development of a global maturity model.
The Australian Digital Health Agency championed the report and the work of the council.
The agency’s CEO Amanda Cattermole said the council was pivotal in forwarding the interoperability agenda and collaborative digital healthcare.
“The Council for Connected Care has been a catalyst for change and a champion for healthcare interoperability,” she said.
“It has brought together an outstanding group of leaders who share a common vision of a more connected and integrated healthcare system.
“All Australians expect a healthcare system where information is shared safely, securely and seamlessly with the right people at the right time to deliver the best clinical outcomes.”
Professor Duggan added that a connected health systems favours patients, putting them as the centrepoint of their care.
“Nationally consistent standards and practices, underpinned by interoperable technical solutions will strengthen multidisciplinary collaboration for a person’s continuity of care and reduce the risk of harm,” she said.
“The council has enabled us to leverage the wide-ranging experiences of key partners to co-design practical and achievable solutions that address the needs and expectations of Australians and healthcare providers.
“It has been a privilege to work with senior leaders across the healthcare system, united by the common purpose of realising fully optimised and interoperable digital health records, which remain foundational to safe and high-quality care.”
The 2024-25 year will see the council’s meetings shift focus from “high level overview” to the nitty-gritty, “with discussions focusing on how members and the organisations and stakeholders they represent can work together to bring about real, meaningful change”, concluded the report.
