Australian Health Minister Mark Butler will outline the federal government’s vision for a healthcare system where digital systems drive better care at this week’s Victorian Healthcare Week in Melbourne.

Mr Butler will provide an update on the national digital health strategy agenda at the conference on Thursday, October17, which will also hear from Victorian Department of Health chief digital health officer Sharon Hakkennes and chief eStrategy officer Emily Mailes.

Mr Butler will cover government investments in digital health and how collaborative engagement with clinicians and software providers are driving the upgrade to My Health Record that he says will improve patient care and shift provider behaviour.

He will also discuss how Australia can realise the opportunities that digital health technologies open up for more efficient and collaborative healthcare.

The conference will have a business focus – with forums on navigating mergers and acquisitions in the digital health era and digital transformation in healthcare: from boardroom vision to c-suite execution – but also a clinical focus, with panels on unleashing the power of care-in-place and virtual care and closing the healthcare gap: digital solutions for rural and metro communities.

It will also feature case studies on the Grampians Health District, the Calvary Amplar Health joint venture, and virtual and home care at St Vincent’s Health Australia.

VHW also features an aged care transformation stage being held today, with a keynote address from Aimee Chambers, assistant secretary and state manager for Victoria and Tasmania at the Department of Health and Aged Care, who will provide an update on aged care reforms.

A session on navigating the uncertainties of Aged Care Act revisions will be a highlight as the Senate begins its hearings on the new act.

Day two will be chaired by George Margelis, chair of the Aged Care Industry Information Technology Council, and will have a focus on digital and technology in aged care.

A thinktank on harnessing AI and robotics for enhanced wellbeing will discuss cutting edge technologies, ethical design, social robots and upskilling the workforce.

Cybersecurity and privacy in aged care, harnessing virtual reality to deliver real-world impact and technology to support ageing in place are all on the agenda.

The digital healthcare and transforming aged care stages will be held at VHW from October 16 to 17 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.