In 2024, the Australian healthcare sector accounted for 20% of all reported data breaches, making it the most affected industry for the fourth consecutive year, according to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner’s (OAIC) Notifiable Data Breaches Report. *

These breaches often stem from human error or malicious insiders—not just external cyberattacks—highlighting a critical vulnerability: the way in which healthcare organisations monitor and protect patient data from within.

As healthcare organisations across Australia accelerate their digital transformation, the need for a robust, timely and intelligent patient privacy-monitoring solution has never been more crucial.

Haystack iS is an advanced patient privacy monitoring platform that uses sophisticated analytics, machine learning, and behavioural modelling to detect and prevent inappropriate access to protected health information (PHI). It doesn’t just log who accessed what; it intelligently understands how and why — learning patterns over time to flag anomalies that traditional auditing tools often miss.

By using a proactive approach instead of relying solely on retrospective audits or manual reports, healthcare organisations can now move to real-time detection and response, safeguarding data before a breach occurs.

Why it matters to the Australian market

Australia’s healthcare sector is under immense pressure to maintain the integrity of patient data, driven by stringent privacy regulations like the Privacy Act 1988, Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) and the My Health Records Act 2012. With more high-profile breaches making headlines, public and regulatory scrutiny has only intensified.

A patient privacy-monitoring solution supports organisations for several reasons. Let’s take a look:

1. Compliance and risk management:
   Facilitates Australian healthcare organisations to meet regulatory requirements by providing auditable evidence of proactive privacy monitoring.
2. Tailored to healthcare complexities:
   Healthcare environments are notoriously complex — with multiple systems, diverse user groups, and varying levels of data sensitivity. Having a solution designed specifically for these realities, offering out-of-the-box support for any electronic health record (EHR) system makes it easy to implement
3. Enhanced public trust:
   In a market where patient choice and confidence are becoming increasingly important, healthcare organisations that demonstrate a strong commitment to protecting privacy will stand out. A solution that enables organisations to proactively demonstrate their vigilance fosters greater trust among patients and clinicians alike.
4. Real-time threat detection:
   Cybersecurity threats and insider risks are evolving rapidly. A solution that leverages AI to continuously monitor and detect suspicious activity—such as unauthorised access to patient records or unusual viewing patterns—helps organisations act swiftly before issues escalate.
5. Scalability across the healthcare spectrum:
   Whether it’s a large public health network, a private hospital group or a specialty clinic, there is a requirement for a solution that scales to fit different operational models. A cloud-hosted solution also means easier deployment and lower overheads, an important factor for organisations managing tight healthcare budgets.

As healthcare organisations across Australia accelerate their digital transformation, the need for a robust, timely and intelligent patient privacy-monitoring solution has never been more crucial

The future of patient privacy in Australia

As Australia’s digital health initiatives, continue to expand, the importance of securing personal health information will only grow.

Solutions like Haystack iS represent a shift towards smarter, more proactive and more accountable healthcare systems in which clinician awareness and patient trust is determined by visible and meaningful action.

In an era when data is both a powerful asset but has the potential to be a significant liability, Altera can help healthcare organisations stay one step ahead.

* Latest Notifiable Data Breaches statistics for July to December 2024 | OAIC