The Agency's Secure Messaging Program aims to work collaboratively with industry and suppliers of secure messaging solutions and clinical software to reduce existing barriers to adoption and provide implementable solutions. Early proof of concept projects completed in late 2018, comprising secure messaging suppliers and clinical information system developers, focused on developing standardised payloads and a FHIR©-based API supporting the federated look up of healthcare provider details when addressing electronic communications.
These proof of concept projects demonstrated technical capability in participating Clinical Information System (CIS) and Secure Message (SM) suppliers to simplifying the message structure and standardising content formats and Improving access to reliable provider address information through the FHIR©-based API.
The participants of the proof of concept included the following clinical information system (CIS) suppliers:
- Medical Director
- Best Practice
- MasterCare+ (Global Health)
And the following Secure Messaging (SM) suppliers
- Telstra Health (Argus)
- HealthLink
- ReferralNet (Global Health)
Other CIS and SM vendors were involved in the proof of concept though their participation in the Secure Messaging Technical Working Group (SM TWG).
On the success of the proof of concept projects, the Agency announced the Secure Messaging Industry offer to accelerate clinical software adoption of developed specifications. The successful developers will deliver enhanced secure messaging capability, including the FHIR© Provider Directory and standardised payloads into their systems in 2020.