Health Connect Australia
The future of secure, connected digital healthcare.
Health Connect Australia information and Roadshow updates
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About Health Connect Australia
Health Connect Australia is a national health information exchange program designed to enable the sharing of health information between healthcare participants quickly and securely.
By integrating advanced digital infrastructure, standards, privacy protections and enabling real-time data sharing, Health Connect Australia will support multidisciplinary collaboration across care settings. As a key enabler of the National Digital Health Strategy 2023–2028 and the National Healthcare Interoperability Plan 2023-2028, it ensures secure, connected digital solutions that improve access, efficiency and care quality—paving the way for a smarter, more integrated future in digital health.
Why it matters
By streamlining data-sharing, reducing duplication and enhancing coordination, providers can deliver safer, smarter healthcare while empowering Australians with greater control over their health data.
- Safer care – providers can discover and access comprehensive health records instantly, improving decision-making and reducing errors.
- Improved coordination – a single national directory of healthcare providers and services with real-time updates to enhance communication across different healthcare settings.
- Empowered consumers – Australians have greater visibility and control over their health data, enabling informed decisions about their care.
- Reduced duplication – providers can access past test results and procedures, minimising unnecessary repeat tests.
- Enhanced efficiency – streamlined data-sharing reduces administrative burdens and supports productivity.
- Stronger population health management – real-time insights help track health trends, enabling better system-wide planning.
How Health Connect Australia delivers connected healthcare
Health Connect Australia will help achieve a mature connected healthcare system by:
- agreeing and implementing national digital health standards (including terminology, access, security, privacy and authorisation)
- increasing the use of information exchange standards, including HL7 FHIR®
- improving the use and adoption of national healthcare identifiers
- providing a method for discovering that health information exists, who it is about, where it is located, how to access it and whether there is authorisation to access and share it
- ensuring the information exchanged is secure and meets consent and privacy requirements
- recognising the consumer’s right to decide who has access to their information and a healthcare provider’s right to withhold information if it is in the best interests of the individual and in accordance with professional standards
- leveraging existing national infrastructure including the My Health Record system, National Clinical Terminology Service and Healthcare Identifiers Service
- collaborating with stakeholders on the development of an information-sharing model agreement
- undertaking collaborative intergovernmental work on aligning relevant jurisdiction legislation to support health information sharing.
Delivery phases
Health Connect Australia will be delivered in phases, with core components delivered sequentially or concurrently to ensure smooth integration and ongoing improvements across the healthcare system.
Foundation
This phase will establish key foundational capabilities that will be leveraged in future phases as building blocks for national health information sharing. It includes:
- Architecture and Roadmap – Establishing the vision and approach for consistent health information sharing, developed in consultation with government, industry, and peak bodies.
- National directory – Providing accurate, real-time access to healthcare provider and service information from a variety of sources, allowing users to easily find and connect with healthcare services.
- Authorisation service – Implementing a national trust framework to verify system and individual access rights to allow secure information exchange between healthcare providers, consumers and organisations, reinforcing security and privacy protections.
- National diagnostic image access – Investigating the barriers to nationwide access and viewing of diagnostic images, with the view to addressing these barriers in subsequent phases, enhance collaboration and continuity of care.
Sharing
This phase will support transitions of care and shared care journeys by establishing secure, standardised communication between healthcare providers, ensuring timely access to critical patient information while giving consumers greater visibility and control over their health-related documents.
- Providers will be able to exchange patient information securely, improving care coordination and reducing administrative burdens.
- Consumers will be able to digitally direct referrals and requests without needing physical copies, streamlining access to care.
- National legislative settings will be in place to support information sharing across systems, organisations and jurisdictions.
Discovery
This phase will improve access to critical health information held across many different organisations by establishing a record discovery service, enabling healthcare providers to identify, locate and access essential patient information regardless of where it is stored.
Consumers and carers will also gain the ability to find and retrieve their health records and those of their dependents across the digital health ecosystem.
Enhanced interoperability will reduce duplication of tests and procedures, ensuring providers can access previous diagnostic results, pathology reports and medical imaging.
By streamlining access to critical health data, this phase drives nationwide interoperability, enhances care continuity and supports more informed, efficient healthcare delivery.
Enhancement
As digital healthcare evolves, new capabilities will continue to be introduced to enhance data accessibility, personalisation and proactive care. Building on the foundation of secure information sharing and interoperability, this phase will focus on expanding value-added services that support innovative, consumer-driven healthcare solutions.