The COAG Health Council has given the green light to the National Digital Health Strategy, which aims to ensure health information is available to patients and providers whenever and wherever it is needed by 2022.

Written by the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) and supported by all of the state and territory health departments, the strategy outlines seven priority areas with defined outcomes, along with a series of six 'test beds' to trial digital solutions to pressing health issues.

Top of the list of priorities is access to information when it is needed through systems such as the My Health Record; secure information exchange for all healthcare providers and consumers through secure messaging; systems interoperability through agreed standards; new models of care enabled by eHealth such as healthcare homes; a digitally confident and capable healthcare workforce; and a thriving digital health applications and software industry.