Digital innovation

WA Primary Health Alliance is leading initiatives at the forefront of digital innovation in health care, enabling data-driven decisions and improvements in population health outcomes.

Primary Health Insights Primary Sense PHOCUS DataLeap

Primary Health Insights is a significant enabler of digital health initiatives, providing a secure, collaborative platform for storing and analysing primary health care data. As the largest, most complex project undertaken by Primary Health Networks (PHNs) as a collective, Primary Health Insights enhances the quality and consistency of data analytics, which helps PHNs in effectively planning and targeting primary health care services.

Participants are leveraging the scale and capabilities of the Platform (including security, access control and governance structures) to develop, host and share their own cloud-based solutions, avoiding significant costs.

Cost savings

Provides data storage, management and security capabilities to PHNs at a much-reduced cost than if each were to do so separately, a notional saving of $15 million across the PHN network in FY 25.

Data governance

Embeds a consistently strong data governance regime across the PHN network in line with privacy legislation.

Efficient collaboration

Facilitates PHNs working together to share and develop data analysis and reporting tools, techniques and methods, reducing duplication of effort and increasing consistency and standardisation across PHNs.

Improved data analytics

Provides modern tools for faster and more reliable data analysis, helping in better decision-making and generating efficiencies for PHNs.

Enhanced service delivery

Allows PHNs to plan and target health care services more effectively, improving population health outcomes.

Data sharing

Facilitates safe and secure data sharing and analysis on state and national levels.

Find out more about Primary Health Insights’ value and benefits for the Australian health care system.

Primary Health Insights is funded by participating PHNs and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Primary Sense, a PHN-built clinical decision support tool, is currently the most widely utilised non-commercial software of its kind in Australia.

Fourteen PHNs provide Primary Sense to over 1,900 general practices (more than 8,000 clinicians and practice nurses) to support their treatment of almost 14 million patients, or 53 per cent of the Australian population, annually.

It is providing previously unavailable health data and insights to PHNs to support their understanding of population health, and to general practices at the point of care. This helps clinicians identify and manage the care of their most at-risk patients, allowing them to stay healthier in the community and avoid unnecessary hospital admissions.

Streamlined and efficient national reporting offers a better understanding of current and trending population health needs to inform the commissioning of services across the country at PHN, state or national levels.

Primary Sense was originally developed by Gold Coast PHN in 2018, with WA Primary Health Alliance leading its expansion to a national capability in 2021. PHNs continue to collaborate with general practices, universities, and primary care industry bodies to develop and maintain a tool suitable for PHNs and general practices across Australia.

Cost savings

Is potentially saving at least $53 million annually across the Australian health care system, by providing real time prompts and alerts to GPs during patient consultations that support faster and more informed decisions.

Time efficiency

Saves GPs time during consultations by proactively providing relevant health information via Primary Sense prompts, allowing more time to be spent interacting with patients.

Improved patient outcomes

Uses the Johns Hopkins ACG® System tool, unique within general practice support software in Australia, to analyse population health data and predict patients’ risk of hospitalisation.

Find out more about Primary Sense’s value and benefits for the Australian health care system.

Primary Sense is funded by participating PHNs.

General practices interested in using Primary Sense should contact their local PHN. In WA, please contact practiceassist@wapha.org.au or 1800 2 ASSIST (1800 2 277 478).

PHOCUS

PHOCUS is a secure cloud-based application which simplifies and enhances performance data reporting for PHNs in line with the Department of Health and Aged Care’s (DoHAC) requirements.

Hosted on Primary Health Insights, PHOCUS was developed to meet DoHAC’s need for consistent, quantifiable data from PHNs for the purpose of monitoring and evaluating the PHN Grant Program.

Benefits to the Australian health care system include:

  • Improved insight and transparency: Provides a standardised method for PHNs to deliver quantifiable data to DoHAC, allowing for better insight, management, and transparency of the PHN program.
  • Program-specific reporting: Expanded to meet various program requirements, ensuring comprehensive data management

WA Primary Health Alliance developed and administers PHOCUS for all PHNs on behalf of DoHAC, which, as the funder and system owner, oversees its overall management.

DataLeap

The DataLeap Program works with PHNs to share, improve and standardise data practices, national reporting solutions and data literacy across the PHN network. It seeks to identify current and emerging best practice among PHNs, as well as common gaps and needs, then collaboratively develops, leverages and enhances national tools, services and programs to improve consistent national PHN data and analytics capabilities.

Its priorities are to establish common data standards and analytical products, implement scalable national reporting solutions and enhance data literacy and analytical capabilities.

Benefits to the Australian health care system include:

  • Increased PHN collaboration
  • Reduced duplication of effort through standardisation
  • Improved skills in using the Primary Health Insights platform

WA Primary Health Alliance manages the DataLeap Program on behalf of PHNs, which is funded by DoHAC.

Disclaimer

While the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care has contributed to the funding of this website, the information on this website does not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Government and is not advice that is provided, or information that is endorsed, by the Australian Government. The Australian Government is not responsible in negligence or otherwise for any injury, loss or damage however arising from the use of or reliance on the information provided on this website.

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