Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA)
The Australian Digital Health Agency is the cornerstone of Australia's digital health transformation, responsible for managing My Health Record and driving national interoperability initiatives.
ADHA Core Responsibilities
- Operate and secure the My Health Record system
- Implement the Sharing by Default initiative
- Lead the National Healthcare Interoperability Plan
- Partner with Sparked FHIR Accelerator program
- Develop digital health standards and frameworks
- Support healthcare provider digital adoption
Strategic Alignment
ADHA's work aligns with the National Healthcare Interoperability Plan, which aims to connect systems across Australia for patient-centred care underpinned by digital innovation.
National Healthcare Interoperability Plan
Official ADHA strategy for seamless data exchange
View Interoperability PlanNational Healthcare Interoperability Plan
The National Healthcare Interoperability Plan establishes Australia's strategic framework for achieving seamless health data exchange across the nation's fragmented healthcare system.
Plan Objectives
Key interoperability objectives
| Objective | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Standardised data exchange | Consistent FHIR-based APIs across systems |
| Real-time information sharing | Improved care coordination and patient safety |
| Reduced administrative burden | Less duplication and manual data entry |
| Patient-centred access | Consumers control and access their health information |
Connected Healthcare Vision
The Plan envisions a healthcare system where information flows securely between providers, enabling coordinated care regardless of location or organisation.
National Healthcare Interoperability Plan
ADHA strategic framework for seamless data exchange
View Plan2027 Interoperability Mandate
The Australian Government has set 2027 as a target year for widespread adoption of national FHIR standards and interoperable health information exchange.
Timeline to 2027
Path to 2027 interoperability
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Compliance Expectations
Healthcare software vendors and provider organisations should plan FHIR capability adoption aligned with this timeline to meet emerging compliance expectations.
- FHIR R4 as the mandated standard for new integrations
- AU Core Implementation Guide conformance
- AUCDI data element alignment
- SMART on FHIR authorization support
- My Health Record API integration capability
Sparked FHIR Accelerator Program
Sparked is Australia's first FHIR Accelerator, launched in August 2023 to deliver nationally agreed FHIR standards developed by and for the Australian healthcare community.
Program Structure
Sparked governance and delivery
| Component | Function |
|---|---|
| Clinical Design Group | Develops AUCDI and AU eRequesting Data for Interoperability |
| Technical Design Groups | Maintains AU Core IG and AU eRequesting IG specifications |
| Community Co-Design Workshops | In-person collaboration for standards development |
| Connectathons | Testing and validation events |
Community-Driven Development
Sparked adopts the Australian FHIR Community Process (AFCP), enabling government, vendors, providers, practitioners, and domain experts to co-design standards through consensus.
Key Partners
- CSIRO's Australian eHealth Research Centre (lead)
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DHDA)
- Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA)
- HL7 Australia
Sparked Program
Governance and community process used by Sparked to develop Australian FHIR standards.
View AFCPAustralian Core Data for Interoperability (AUCDI)
AUCDI is changing Australia's approach to health data by creating an independent foundation of reusable, standardised information models that are vendor-agnostic and use-case-flexible.
AUCDI Design Principles
- Agnostic of any single clinical use case while supporting many
- Agnostic of any single clinical system vendor
- Agnostic of any single technical implementation approach
- Built as a living artefact that evolves with community needs
- Incorporates existing national and international standards
Release History
AUCDI release timeline
| Release | Date | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Release 1 | June 2024 | "Core of the core" minimum data elements |
| Release 2 | 2024 | Expanded data groups for Patient Summary and Chronic Condition Management |
| Release 3 | 2025-2026 | Community comment and refinement |
AUCDI + AU Core Relationship
AUCDI defines the clinical data requirements, while AU Core provides the FHIR Implementation Guide that maps those requirements to FHIR resources and RESTful API interactions.
AUCDI to implementation pathway
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My Health Record (MHR) System
My Health Record is Australia's national digital health record system, providing a secure online summary of an individual's health information accessible by patients and their healthcare providers.
System Capabilities
My Health Record document types
| Document Type | Content |
|---|---|
| Shared Health Summary | GP-authored patient health overview |
| Event Summary | Episode of care documentation |
| Pathology Report | Laboratory test results |
| Diagnostic Imaging Report | Radiology and imaging findings |
| ePrescription | Electronic prescription records |
| Immunisation Record | Vaccination history from AIR |
| Medicare Benefits Schedule | Claimed services history |
| Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme | Dispensed medication records |
MHR API Integration
- RESTful FHIR-based APIs for document upload and retrieval
- NASH PKI certificate authentication required
- Healthcare Identifier (HPI) verification mandatory
- Audit logging for all access and modifications
- Patient access controls and restrictions supported
Modernisation Program
ADHA is modernising My Health Record with improved access, faster upload times, and enhanced integration capabilities aligned with FHIR standards.
MHR Developer Portal
My Health Record B2B gateway overview, conformance materials, and API onboarding guidance.
B2B Gateway OverviewRegulatory Compliance Roadmap
Healthcare software vendors and provider organisations should align their FHIR implementation roadmaps with Australian regulatory requirements and interoperability targets.
Compliance Checklist
- Implement FHIR R4 server capabilities
- Align data models with AUCDI Release 2+ requirements
- Conform to AU Core Implementation Guide profiles
- Integrate My Health Record APIs for document sharing
- Support SMART on FHIR authorization flows
- Implement NASH PKI certificate authentication
- Enable Healthcare Identifiers (HPI-I, HPI-O, IHI) validation
- Support Sharing by Default upload requirements
- Participate in Sparked Connectathons for testing
- Plan for 2027 interoperability mandate compliance
Community Engagement
Organisations are encouraged to join the Sparked community, participate in design groups, and attend Connectathons to validate implementations and contribute to standards development.
Further Reading
National Digital Health Strategy
ADHA strategy page describing the national digital health direction and modernization priorities.
View StrategySparked FHIR Accelerator
Detailed Australian FHIR Community Process used to govern Sparked deliverables and consensus.
Sparked ProcessMy Health Record Developer Portal
FHIR Gateway technical resources for current My Health Record API integration work.
FHIR Gateway ResourcesKnowledge Check
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