An evaluation of digital health and continuity of care maturity in Queensland using HIMSS methodology

Start Date

1 July 2020

End Date

1 July 2024

Project Participants

Healthcare Information & Management Systems Society (HIMSS) , Queensland Health, Queensland University of Technology, The University of Queensland

Status: Completed

Tags: accelerating adoption, benchmarking, continuity of care, digital health maturity, digital transformation, electronic medical records (EMR), health services, health system, hospital, quality and safety, regional rural remote health

Opportunity 

Health systems invest substantially in digital technology, yet decision makers have often lacked consistent evidence connecting digital maturity with care quality, safety, workforce experience and system performance.  

This project took an opportunity to assess digital capability across an entire Australian jurisdiction by using Healthcare Information & Management Systems Society (HIMSS) evaluation models to perform a comprehensive assessment of Queensland Health’s digital health maturity, and build an evidence base for guiding future investment. 

Project Objectives 

The project set out to establish Queensland’s digital health maturity baseline, validate HIMSS assessment methods in an Australian context, identify strengths and gaps of the system, and develop measures that could track maturity and outcomes over time.  

From the findings of this analysis, the project also sought to translate the evidence into practical priorities and a roadmap for statewide digital transformation.

The project successfully established Queensland’s first statewide baseline assessment of digital health maturity through a comprehensive evaluation across Queensland Health. Using the HIMSS Digital Health Indicator (DHI) and Continuity of Care Maturity Model (CCMM), the project assessed all 16 Hospital and Health Services, identifying strengths, gaps and investment priorities, and developed a robust, repeatable methodology for measuring digital health maturity across different regions, services and care settings. Key outputs included rapid-response priorities, leadership and governance recommendations, and an evidence-based digital vision and roadmap. 

The research also generated evidence linking digital maturity with health system outcomes, finding associations between digital transformation and reductions in hospital-acquired infections, reductions in medication complications, increased hospital activity and lower staff turnover in more digitally mature organisations. These findings contribute to a stronger evidence base for assessing the value of digital health investments at scale. 

This project demonstrates the successful translation of research into health policy, planning and digital transformation.  

Findings from the digital maturity assessment directly informed Queensland Health’s future digital transformation roadmap and contributed to the development of the state’s Digital Health 2031 strategy, with rapid-response priorities and roadmap outputs incorporated into operational planning. The work has provided health service leaders with evidence to support digital infrastructure business cases, strategic planning and investment decisions across Queensland’s health system.  

The project established a scalable model for measuring digital maturity across Australian health and care sectors. Nationally, the project’s assessment framework was adopted by the Australian aged and community care sector, supporting the digital maturity assessment of 165 Australian health services representing more than 56,000 consumers through work led by the Aged Care Industry Information Technology Council and the Australian Digital Health Agency. This model has strengthened Australia’s capability to benchmark progress towards a connected, data-driven, digitally enabled health system. 

Integrity, Excellence,
Teamwork and Authenticity

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