Australia Launches $6M National Initiative to Standardise Hospital EMRs for Research and Policy

Australia has unveiled a A$9.5 million (US$6 million) national initiative to align hospital electronic medical records (EMRs) with international data standards, enabling the secure use of clinical data for research, health policy, and rapid public health responses. The three-year initiative, known as the Australian Health Data Evidence Network (AHDEN), is being led by a consortium of Australian universities, state health departments, and the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC).

AHDEN will adopt the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) Common Data Model, a globally recognised framework that enables consistent and secure comparison of healthcare data. This harmonisation will allow Australian researchers to collaborate internationally, benchmark outcomes against other countries, and generate real-world evidence to inform clinical practice and national health policy.

The initiative also includes a training component in data governance and analytics to build capacity among hospitals, clinicians, and researchers in managing and analysing large datasets. According to University of South Australia professor and AHDEN lead Nicole Pratt, standardising hospital data will enhance the ability to identify disease trends, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and improve patient care through evidence-based guidelines. “Hospital records contain information on diagnoses, treatments, outcomes and patient demographics. By harmonising this information [with international standards], we can uncover patterns in disease, measure the effectiveness of treatments and procedures, and produce the evidence that is needed to improve clinical guidelines leading to better patient care,” Pratt said.

ARDC People Research Data Commons director Dr Adrian Burton emphasised that correlating hospital data nationwide and aligning it with international standards will enable participation in global collaborations to address major health challenges.

This initiative builds on Australia’s broader national strategy to strengthen digital health interoperability. The Australian Digital Health Agency recently launched a health information exchange framework and a five-year roadmap focused on implementing the FHIR standard, with Telstra Health selected to upgrade the My Health Record system architecture accordingly.

Parallel projects, such as Flinders University’s SMART-PH platform, are also advancing data integration for public health surveillance and emergency response. Together, these efforts reflect a coordinated national approach to improving data-driven healthcare and ensuring readiness for future public health emergencies.