Valuing digital health maturity: evaluation of the health economic impact of increasing regional digital health ecosystem maturity

Start Date

10 June 2021

End Date

30 September 2025

Project Participants

Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, Sydney Local Health District, University of Technology Sydney

Status: Completed

Tags: artificial intelligence (AI), benchmarking, cancer care, clinician engagement, consumer engagement, continuity of care, digital health maturity, digital transformation, electronic medical records (EMR), health services, health system, quality and safety, radiation therapy

Opportunity 

Digital transformation can improve how healthcare is delivered, connected and evaluated, but health services have lacked robust methods for measuring their digital maturity and demonstrating the value of further investment.  

This project set out to investigate how to value digital health maturity and evaluate the health economic impact of increasing regional digital health ecosystem maturity. 

Project Objectives 

The project set out to assess digital maturity within two local health districts, benchmarking capability across core digital health domains. It also looked to examine what clinicians, patients and the public value when AI and other digital health initiatives are introduced, and investigated methods for valuing improvements in digital health maturity.  

The project delivered comprehensive digital maturity assessments, at baseline and to follow-up progress, within two Local Health Districts, along with a substantial program of stakeholder preference research.  

This project also supported the successful completion of a PhD program.

The project provides health system leaders in NSW with evidence towards more evidence-based decisions about infrastructure, data, workforce capability and emerging technologies for digital strategy and investment prioritisation. It identifies where digital capability is advancing, where further effort is needed, and which outcomes matter most to clinicians, consumers and the public when implementing digital health and AI in local health systems. 

Integrity, Excellence,
Teamwork and Authenticity

Hand holding a smartphone against a colourful, defocused background