An industry paper calls for a reimagined health system in Australia and an improvement in its sustainability through purpose-driven digital transformation. 

The white paper, titled Australia’s Health Reimagined, is a Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre (DHCRC) project delivered by professional services provider Deloitte, Perth-based Curtin University, and the Consumers Health Forum of Australia. 

FINDINGS

The recently published paper is based on a review of recent literature and the Reimagining Healthcare consumer survey which collected responses from nearly 2,000 Australian consumers last year. 

Findings from the comprehensive consumer survey showed that about seven in 10 Australians are willing and ready to use virtual health services, such as accessing online health coaches and using digital navigators and home-based diagnostic technologies. More than 80% are up for sharing and owning their health data in a digitally-enabled health system. 

While this might indicate a strong push for a digital future, there is still a risk of digital exclusion for the remaining portion of participants who said they have trouble accessing telehealth. Overlooking such a risk, the paper said, will "perpetuate a digital divide" if not properly managed.

WHY IT MATTERS

The white paper makes a case for changing the country's health system by pointing out its present challenges. It found that consumers were having a "poor" experience with the health system, given issues with accessing and navigating health services and receiving coordinated care. 

According to the report, the decline in the participation rate and shifts in the age profile of the health workforce will affect how the system will meet the growing needs of the ageing population. The growing senior population was also found driving healthcare demand to "unsustainable" levels.

Moreover, it was highlighted that the system is not serving all Australians equally as demonstrated by the significant differences in patient outcomes and illness severity across demographics, geography and socio-economic status. 

It is crucial for the Australian health system to digitally transform if it were to meet its people's changing health needs over the coming decade. The white paper demonstrated the shifts that will happen over three horizons: 

• Horizon 1: Connected Consumer - This is where people experience fragmented, one-size-fits-all care. The health system is focused on treating illness and there is little data sharing and analogue record-keeping.
• Horizon 2: Empowered Consumer - This is where people are empowered to access care and services are easier to navigate and access. There is moderate data sharing and workflows ease the administrative workload of health staff. 
• Horizon 3: Confident Consumer - This is where people take an active role in managing their health and wellbeing and have strong relationships with their healthcare providers. The system has robust data interoperability, digital tools, and a connected ecosystem. 

The paper's authors cautioned that the health system's digital transformation is not without risk. "It requires attention to and investment in change management, infrastructure and new ways of delivering care," they stressed.

THE LARGER TREND

Aside from investing in digital connectivity, the white paper also suggested rethinking investments in digital health projects and making more strategic decisions to allow data sharing and reduce administrative burden. One such recent government-funded project is a research project that will evaluate the clinical decision support tools used in regional and city hospitals across the country. The three-year project will use Alcidion's Miya Precision system to identify priority areas where decision support tools will add value in clinical settings and enhance their uptake.

ON THE RECORD

"Right now is the time to seize what is a real opportunity, and challenge a health system that has traditionally resisted change. We have developed a roadmap to achieving this future state of health. Collective action and accountability will be imperative to achieving these ambitions," Suzanne Robinson, a professor at Curtin University, said about their white paper.

"Our vision proposes a reset. Carried out effectively, this vision will lead to improved and more equitable access to healthcare, provide choice and support for consumers to access services on their terms, better prevention of ill health and the delivery of safe, and high-quality services that focus on holistic care and the social determinants of physical and mental health," Luke Baxby, national health leader of Deloitte Australia, also said.

"One challenge certainly lies in ensuring that we use technology to improve equity of access to health, and not creating a digital barrier. Just digitising everything won’t be a solution on its own. In fact, it will leave the most vulnerable behind, as people with the poorest health outcomes and access to services are the least connected, least willing to use virtual health, and most distrusting when it comes to sharing health data. We must ensure none are left behind," CHF CEO Leanne Wells also commented.