The Coalition for eHealth formed in 2006 to improve the strength and coherence of the voice from those with expertise in eHealth.
 
It continues to grow in membership and now has more than 50 member organisations covering consumers, patients & carers; health colleges, societies & associations; informatics societies associations & research units and; standards development & testing organisations;
 
Australia, like the rest of the developed world, is experiencing unrelenting pressure on its health care system from simultaneous ageing-related rising demand and deepening skilled workforce shortages.
 
Out-of-the-ordinary improvements in productivity will soon be required just to maintain current service levels and quality. To address these issues most developed countries now see it as a national priority to use information management and technology to leverage the skills of healthcare professionals and to provide the tools that empower consumers with knowledge and allow patients and their carers to be more directly engaged in the healthcare process.
 
From being an early leader, Australia is now lagging behind comparative countries such as the UK, Canada and the US in terms of appropriate health IT deployment and use. The Coalition is in a good position to provide advice and to participate in the planning and governance of eHealth in Australia.
 
CeH welcomes the opportunity to be involved in the many planning and reform activities that are currently underway including those initiated by the Hospital and Healthcare Reform Commission, the Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, the National eHealth Transition Authority, and the Australian Health Ministers Conference.
 
A consensus statement in relation to a National eHealth Plan was developed following a meeting of the Coalition in February 2008. The consensus statement and a list of the CeH members that support it follow.
 
 
 
More information on the coalition can be obtained  by contacting Dr Michael Legg, President, Health Informatics Society of Australia (Click here to email, or phone +61 2 9531 0612).