Telstra Health Wins Contract to Modernize My Health Record with FHIR Standards

The Australian Digital Health Agency has awarded Telstra Health a A$33 million ($21 million) contract to upgrade the data architecture of the national My Health Record system, responding to unprecedented growth in digital health record usage across the country. The modernization initiative will implement FHIR standards to enhance the system's capacity to handle increasing demands for health information sharing.

The upgrade comes as more Australians actively access and share their digital health records through the national system, particularly following recent federal legislation mandating the default sharing of medical images. ADHA CEO Amanda Cattermole reported an over 60% increase in views of pathology and diagnostic imaging reports in 2024 alone, highlighting the system's expanding role in healthcare delivery.

The existing clinical document architecture has struggled to fully accommodate data integration requirements, creating challenges for healthcare providers attempting to extract specific, actionable data. According to the ADHA, this has led to inefficiencies at the point of care and hampered the seamless flow of information between systems. "The time is now for innovating and updating the data architecture that supports health information sharing and future-proofing the nation's healthcare infrastructure," the agency stated.

Telstra Health's modernization work focuses on enhancing connectivity and secure data exchange to support seamless integration across the healthcare ecosystem. Elizabeth Koff, managing director of Telstra Health, emphasized that FHIR standards are central to this upgrade, aligning with the Australian federal government's push for consistent adoption of these standards across the country's health system. The company will collaborate with FHIR-enabler Smile Digital Health and local integration partner Leidos Australia to deliver the project.

My Health Record, considered a national asset, currently holds over 1.8 billion clinical documents according to the ADHA. The system's continued modernization forms part of the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing's 10-year digital health blueprint, with the Australian government allocating an additional $144 million for this project in its current Health budget.

The contract for upgrading the system's data architecture follows ADHA's recent tender request for an application support and maintenance service provider for the nation's digital health infrastructure. The agency emphasized that this work will be critical to maintaining the reliability, performance, and scalability of the infrastructure underpinning My Health Record as it continues to serve Australia's evolving healthcare needs.

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