Key takeaways
- Michael Strachan has been elected to the HL7 Australia Board and Dr Andy Bond has been re-elected.
- Both bring experience implementing FHIR-based services in live healthcare environments.
- The development of AU eRequesting shows how having a product in use with real customers, delivering clinical outcomes, thousands of times a day, can inform and test a national interoperability standard.
Michael Strachan, Magentus Head of Strategic Partnerships, has been elected to the HL7 Australia Board, while Dr Andy Bond, Magentus Interoperability Architect, has been re-elected following the organisation’s 2026 Annual General Meeting.
Michael was voted into the role based on membership as a Magentus nominated representative, with Andy elected on the back of an individual membership.
Their election reflects the growing importance of implementation experience in developing healthcare interoperability standards. Standards are the foundation for connected care, but they have to work in busy healthcare environments where clinicians, providers and patients rely on them.
HL7 Australia Board Chair Kate Ebrill said: “The growth of FHIR in Australia has been driven by an open and collaborative community. Michael and Andy both understand the realities of implementation and the importance of bringing industry, government and healthcare providers together. Their contribution will be a valuable addition to the Board.”
Why do standards matter for collaborative care?
When healthcare systems can safely and consistently exchange information supporting collaborative care pathways, the benefits to patient care is immediate. Clinicians spend less time tracking down information. Administrative effort is reduced. Patients experience more connected and collaborative care across multiple providers.
A pathology request, for example, can move from a specialist to a laboratory and back again with status updates along the way, without phone calls, duplicate data entry or paper-based workarounds.
Standards make that possible by giving different healthcare systems a common language and a common playbook.
Open standards have also made digital patient choice possible. Because participating systems use the same framework, a patient’s digital diagnostic request can follow them to their chosen provider, supporting greater flexibility while keeping the request structured, secure and trackable.
The most effective standards are not developed in isolation. They are shaped by collaboration between clinicians, healthcare providers, software vendors, government agencies and standards specialists, alongside the organisations that implement them in production settings.
Michael and Andy’s election strengthens the connection between those building and deploying digital health services and the community developing the standards that support them.
What is HL7 Australia, and what does its Board do?
HL7 Australia is the Australian affiliate of HL7 International and the membership-based, not-for-profit organisation that supports the development, localisation, and adoption of health informatics standards in Australia.
Its Board is made up of volunteers elected by HL7 Australia’s membership. It helps guide an open community focused on improving how healthcare information is exchanged and coordinated across the health system. This includes supporting adoption of FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources), the modern international standard increasingly used to underpin healthcare interoperability.
Michael Strachan joins the Board
As Head of Strategic Partnerships at Magentus, Michael works with healthcare providers, technology vendors and government stakeholders to help connect healthcare systems and support better information sharing.
His work focuses on building partnerships that turn interoperability opportunities into services used across the healthcare ecosystem.
“The best standards are shaped by the people who use them. Adoption doesn’t happen because a specification exists, it happens when providers, vendors and clinicians can see it solving a real problem. I’m looking forward to helping bring that perspective to the HL7 Australia Board.”
Dr Andy Bond re-elected
Andy joined the HL7 Australia Board in 2024 for his second board stint and has contributed to standards development through HL7 Australia, Standards Australia IT-014 and HL7 International. He is also a co-chair of the HL7 AU eRequesting Work Group that is stewarding the new HL7 AU eRequesting IG standard.
At Magentus, he focuses on FHIR-based interoperability and industry collaboration, helping healthcare organisations implement standards-based solutions that can operate across different systems and settings.
He also contributed to the Sparked FHIR Accelerator’s AU eRequesting work through technical design, implementation testing and standards development activities.
“A specification is only proven when it runs in production. Watching real requests move from creation through to fulfilment and status updates shows you quickly which details matter. I’m pleased to continue bringing that experience, and a commitment to an open FHIR community, to the Board.”
How did live services and national collaboration reinforce each other?
The development of HL7 AU eRequesting shows how implementation experience can inform and test a national standard.
HL7 AU eRequesting defines how healthcare systems create, exchange, track and fulfil electronic requests for services such as pathology and medical imaging. It provides a shared framework that software vendors and diagnostic providers can use to support these workflows across different organisations and technologies.
The specification was tested against live implementation as it was developed.
In 2023, Magentus and Sonic Healthcare introduced a FHIR-based diagnostic requesting solution for pathology providers, including Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology. The approach was later extended into radiology through Queensland X-Ray.
These live services showed how digital requests move through healthcare environments, from request creation and acceptance through to fulfilment and status updates. They also surfaced the details that matter most in day-to-day care, including terminology, workflow handoffs and clinical visibility.
At the same time, the Sparked FHIR Accelerator provided a national forum for developing and refining the specification.
Government agencies, healthcare providers, clinicians, software vendors, standards organisations and interoperability specialists worked together through working groups, public consultation and HL7 Australia Connectathons to test, challenge and improve the approach.
The result is a standard informed by production experience, strengthened through open collaboration and designed to support adoption across the wider healthcare sector.
Why does HL7 AU eRequesting matter for patients and clinicians?
A diagnostic request contains the information a provider needs to perform the right test for the right patient. When that information moves accurately between systems and organisations, it supports safer, more efficient care.
HL7 AU eRequesting gives different organisations a common approach they can implement and use together, so the benefits reach beyond any single provider or vendor.
What’s next?
As healthcare becomes more connected, interoperability will continue to depend on strong standards and strong collaboration.
Through their roles on the HL7 Australia Board, Michael and Andy will contribute implementation experience, industry perspectives and lessons from live healthcare environments to the ongoing development of Australia’s interoperability landscape.
Magentus will continue working with providers, technology partners, government agencies and standards bodies to turn interoperability from a strategic objective into everyday services that support clinicians, providers and patients alike.
To learn more about FHIR-based requesting and interoperability initiatives, visit [link].
Frequently asked questions
What is HL7 Australia?
HL7 Australia is the Australian affiliate of HL7 International and a membership-based, not-for-profit organisation that supports the development and effective use of health information standards in Australia.
What is FHIR?
FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is a global standard for exchanging healthcare information between systems. It provides a common framework that helps different healthcare applications communicate and share information securely.
What is HL7 AU eRequesting?
HL7 AU eRequesting is an Australian FHIR-based standard that defines how healthcare systems create, exchange, track and fulfil electronic pathology and medical imaging requests.
Why does interoperability matter in healthcare?
Interoperability allows information to move safely and consistently between healthcare systems. It helps reduce manual administration, improves visibility across care journeys and supports more connected healthcare experiences for clinicians and patients.
How has Magentus been involved in HL7 AU eRequesting?
Magentus and Sonic Healthcare introduced a FHIR-based diagnostic requesting solution in 2023, which was later extended into radiology, providing live implementation experience. Dr Andy Bond also contributed to the Sparked FHIR Accelerator’s AU eRequesting work through technical design, implementation testing and standards development activities.
