Former SA Health CEO, NEHTA board member and current deputy chair of the Independent Hospital Pricing Authority Jim Birch has been named the inaugural chairman of the new Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA), which is set to take over from NEHTA on July 1.

Mr Birch, currently chair of the Australian Red Cross Blood Service and a former CEO of the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide, will be joined by Macquarie University professor of health informatics Johanna Westbrook, Healthscope general manager for strategy Bennie Ng, former RACGP council chair Eleanor Chew, South Eastern Melbourne PHN CEO Elizabeth Deveny and Department of Health special adviser Paul Madden.