Healthcare has long resisted adopting the same principles of information technology management now employed in other industries. A lack of resources, the absence of direct competition and the long standing belief that IT should function as a support service rather than a core business unit all contributed to the problem.

Today, a hospital's ability to function effectively means taking advantage of every opportunity afforded by technology while reducing operating and maintenance costs. As hospital information systems support a rapidly increasing array of applications beyond administration, clinical data and patient management it is vital that IT strategy keeps pace and that IT leaders stay informed of the latest developments.

While the potential benefits of e-health dominate the headlines, it is the infrastructure behind the hype and the experience that informs its implementation that will determine the eventual success of these and many other initiatives.

The 3rd Annual Technology in Healthcare Summit will be held from the 27th – 28th of February at The Australian Technology Park in Sydney. The two day conference will feature presentations from hospitals, Area Health Services, healthcare agencies, aged and primary care organisations.

The event will build on the success of the last summit in Melbourne where over 140 attendees enjoyed two days of case studies, policy analysis and expert insight, profiling e-health and health ICT initiatives from across Australia. In 2012, the event will be focusing on the infrastructure and strategy that supports the delivery of today's healthcare – the technology behind e-health that underpins the latest systems and applications.