The Agency establishes National Clinical Governance Committee for Digital Health

To strengthen clinical oversight and enable the highest standards of safety and quality in digital health, the Australian Digital Health Agency (the Agency) has established the National Clinical Governance Committee for Digital Health (NCGC-DH). The new committee will guide Australia’s approach to emerging technologies such as virtual care and AI in health care.

“By bringing together leading voices from across the health sector, we are prioritising that the future of digital health is clinically safe, effective and centred on the needs of all Australians,” Agency CEO Amanda Cattermole PSM said. “This committee will play a pivotal role in providing advice to government, shaping policy and practices as digital health technology evolves.”

Amanda Cattermole PSM. Image: The Agency

Diversity of membership is a key component of the committee. “Our focus is providing advice to government that is drawn from a collaborative ecosystem to ensure the benefits of digital innovation are delivered with clinical safety and quality as the guiding principle,” said Dr Amandeep Hansra, Agency Chief Clinical Adviser (Medicine) and NCGC-DH Chair.

“Expert Advisory Groups reporting to the NCGC-DH are central to its work. These groups will include clinicians, consumers, industry, health technology experts and other relevant government agencies including the Therapeutic Goods Administration and Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care,” Hansra added.

Dr Amandeep Hansra. Image: The Agency

Three key areas will be the focus of the NCGC-DH Expert Advisory Groups. These are:

• Better and Faster Access — advising on safe health information sharing to My Health Record;
• Virtual Care and Telehealth — advising on patient safety and quality issues in virtual care and telehealth;
• Artificial Intelligence Enabled Care — advising on the safe implementation of AI in healthcare settings.
   

“With Agency Specialist Adviser Dr Steve Hambleton carrying forward the work of the Clinical Reference Group as the Chair of Better and Faster Access, leading Australian health informatician Dr Louise Schaper chairing Virtual Care and Telehealth, and Chief Clinical Information Officer for eHealth Queensland Dr Rae Donovan taking the helm as Artificial Intelligence Enabled Care Chair, the Expert Advisory Groups are in very safe hands,” Agency Chief Program Officer Paul Creech PSM said, highlighting the calibre of the Chairs and members of the NCGC-DH and advisory groups.

“A key outcome of this collaborative work is that it will guide how the Agency applies digital health levers, such as share by default, conformance and standards, to better support the health workforce, reduce administrative burden and underpin a safer, more future-focused, sustainable health system,” Creech added.

Paul Creech PSM. Image: The Agency

The focus of the NCGC-DH on the broader digital health ecosystem expands on the Agency’s internal Clinical and Technical Advisory Committee which continues to provide expert clinical governance on Agency products and services, the Agency advised.

Top image credit: iStock.com/Fabio Principe