This document represents a collaborative effort across the sector, led by The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists, in partnership with the Australian Diagnostic Imaging Association and the Australian Digital Health Agency. The initiative was launched in response to the persistent challenges encountered by healthcare professionals, patients, and providers regarding the timely and secure access to diagnostic images in Australia.

Medical imaging is a vital component of modern medicine and quality patient care. However, fragmentation among different platforms and inconsistent workflows have resulted in inefficiencies, delayed diagnoses and unnecessary duplicate scans. These longstanding challenges have serious implications for patient safety and system sustainability. This project seeks to address these issues by proposing a national vision for imaging interoperability and outlining opportunities for comprehensive sector reform.

This report is based on evidence gathered through stakeholder consultations, surveys, and workshops. It emphasises the collective perspectives and aspirations of clinical professionals, digital health leaders, technology experts, and industry representatives. You will find an overview of the current challenges and priority areas for improvement.

A series of opportunities has been developed to steer national efforts towards the goal of a secure and interoperable image access ecosystem. These are:

Foundational enablers - identity and identifiers:
1A. Make the IHI the universal patient identifier to consistently link imaging records
1B. Establish a national identity and authentication framework for prior image access:

Image-access specific requirements:
2A. Single access point: Unified search and discovery of prior imaging
2B. Meeting the clinical need: Flexible access that supports secure download and image viewing
2C. Establish and sustain support for reciprocal participation: foster comprehensive nationwide exchange

These recommendations are detailed in the report. We invite you to review the findings and share your feedback. The consultation will be open until 6 January 2026, please send all feedback to Jessica Brown at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Ongoing support and insights from the larger health sector will be critical to advance this work.