Navigating the Landscape of Digital Health: Australia

Executive Summary

Australia has a history of innovation, which is reflected in the breadth of health technologies that are increasingly available in the country’s digital health landscape. This breadth of digital health technologies can be categorised across four domains: Software as a Medical Device; Consumer Health Technology; Health Information Technology; and Health Communication Technology. Although there are examples of digital health in all these categories in Australia, adoption of individual solutions is patchy and there are regions of Australia with extremely limited uptake of and willingness to adopt digital health. Developing a digital health landscape that ensures the potential of digital health technologies is realised by all Australians and can be equitably and equally accessed is increasingly a focus of many organisations in Australia.

Regulation of digital health in Australia is shared across different jurisdictions consisting of federal, state and territory governments. Australia has a federal agency to govern digital health, the Australian Digital Health Agency, which is increasingly shaping the evolution of the Australian digital health landscape. The broad priorities of the Australian Digital Health Agency are ensuring health information is accessible, safely and securely, to all stakeholders; collection of high-quality health data; improved accessibility, quality, safety and efficiency of health care through digitally enabled care models; and a digitally capable workforce. All states and territories have their own digital health strategy, which generally reflects the priorities of the Australian Digital Health Agency.

The Australian digital health landscape is seeing a growth in technologies entering the market, with an increasing volume of digital health solutions seeking regulation over the last decade. A number of these technologies have undergone Health Technology Assessment, to be considered for reimbursement by the Australian government via the Medicare Benefits Scheme. Coupled with this, the federal government has invested in incentive schemes to encourage the adoption of new digital health technologies in routine practice, and to ensure these technologies are integrated with digital health infrastructure such as the national Electronic Health Record. These schemes reimburse health professionals who invest in software that complies with key specifications to support integration with key digital health infrastructure.

There are many stakeholders in the Australian digital health landscape. At the centre of this stakeholder group is the patient, who is the ultimate beneficiary of a digitally enabled healthcare system that is efficient, safe and of high quality. Other stakeholders include government agencies and peak bodies; researchers and academics; advocacy groups and not-for-profits; industry and more. To fully realise the potential of digital health in Australia, all stakeholders need to be more collaboratively engaged to identify gaps, overcome challenges, and realise opportunities that come from the integration of technology in healthcare.