Transforming health care through digitisation

As demand for pathology services continues to grow across Australia, healthcare providers are under increasing pressure to improve inefficiencies stemming from outdated data storage systems.

Despite the need to process over 150 million pathology tests annually, many clinics both in Australia and across the globe remain burdened by archives that contain millions of physical glass slides and paper medical records.

Medical data stores consume vast amounts of physical space and often strain both time and financial resources. In these systems, staff often face challenges locating, retrieving and managing critical diagnostic materials — tasks that are not only time-consuming but also prone to human error. The manual nature of these systems can increase the risk of damage, misplacement and transcription mistakes, all of which can delay diagnoses and compromise patient care.

Often the driver of this ‘time sink’ is compliance. Australian health regulations require medical records to be retained for decades, creating substantial storage demands, with physical archives susceptible to degradation over time — which puts the integrity of essential patient information at risk. Without robust digital backups, the loss of such data has the potential to be permanent.

Digitisation offers a viable solution, helping to mitigate risks by converting fragile, analog pathology archives into structured, searchable digital libraries. This transformation ensures that critical research materials — such as tissue slides, patient histories and diagnostic records — are preserved and are accessible for future clinical and academic use.

The future is digital: AI’s impact on pathology and patient care

Artificial intelligence is reshaping healthcare processes, helping to drive significant improvements in operational efficiency and patient outcomes. By automating routine tasks, improving diagnostic accuracy and streamlining access to information, AI can play an important role in helping medical professionals focus on diagnoses and patient care.

In digital pathology, AI-powered tools are revolutionising how clinicians detect, quantify and classify diseases. From mitotic figure counting and tumour classification to pattern recognition in complex tissues, AI is delivering diagnostic accuracy that rivals and, in some cases, even surpasses human performance. Studies show that AI can achieve a mean sensitivity of 96%, outperforming traditional pathologists by 2% and offering insights beyond the capabilities of conventional microscopy.

This technology is particularly valuable in resource-constrained settings. In many healthcare systems, diagnoses often require two consultants — a costly and time-consuming process. AI-enabled digital pathology can serve as a reliable ‘second opinion’, helping to alleviate workforce pressures and improve access to timely diagnoses.

Beyond pathology, AI is also enhancing radiology by accelerating the analysis of MRI and CT scans, supporting faster and more accurate clinical decisions. Early adoption of these technologies has already demonstrated improvements in diagnostic accuracy by up to 45% and efficiency by 12%.

Looking ahead, the healthcare sector is poised to embrace various forms of AI. Agentic AI will play a key role in reducing administrative burdens and enhancing patient experiences. Federated learning will be critical for maintaining data privacy and regulatory compliance and enabling collaborative AI development without compromising sensitive patient information. Meanwhile, generative AI will support the creation of personalised treatment plans, and explainable AI will be essential for building clinician trust and ensuring ethical, transparent adoption.

From archives to action: the case for healthcare asset digitisation

The convergence of asset digitisation and artificial intelligence is redefining how healthcare providers manage, analyse and act on clinical data. By converting fragile physical assets such as glass slides and paper records into high-resolution whole slide images (WSIs), healthcare institutions are laying the groundwork for a more agile, accurate and data-driven future.

Through digitisation services and technology, such as those provided by Iron Mountain, petabytes of pathology data are being transformed into structured, searchable digital libraries. These digitised archives not only preserve critical diagnostic materials but also enable seamless integration with AI-powered diagnostic tools. Digitised pathology libraries serve as a foundation for training advanced AI models. With access to millions of high-quality scanned slides, researchers can develop computer-aided tools capable of identifying patterns, anomalies and disease markers with remarkable precision.

The creation of robust digital image libraries also empowers machine learning algorithms to analyse vast volumes of imaging data — from MRIs to CT scans — improving research accuracy and clinical outcomes. Integrated with advanced analytics platforms, these datasets support early disease detection, personalised treatment planning, and reduced diagnostic variability across oncology, infectious diseases and chronic conditions.

As the healthcare sector continues to evolve, digitisation and AI will be critical to building a more resilient, efficient and patient-centric system — one where data is not just stored but actively used to improve lives.

Building a digitisation-ready healthcare system: steps, safeguards and strategy

Digitisation in healthcare is no longer a future ambition — it’s a present-day imperative that demands a strategic, secure and scalable approach. For healthcare organisations, success hinges on three foundational pillars: data readiness, cybersecurity and platform integration.

1. Data readiness: structuring for scale and insight

The first step is preparing data for meaningful use. This means converting physical assets — glass slides, paper records, pension documentation — into structured formats that are searchable, interoperable and AI-compatible.

A recent example comes from a US healthcare organisation that faced significant financial exposure due to unstructured pension documentation. Without digitised records, the organisation was legally obligated to pay ineligible claims. By digitising over 2.5 million paper images and migrating legacy systems to Iron Mountain’s InSight DXP platform, they identified duplicate payments and streamlined verification processes — saving over US$2 million annually.

This case highlights the broader value of digitisation: it’s not just about clinical efficiency, but also about operational resilience and financial accountability.

2. Cybersecurity: protecting patient data at every stage

As digital pathology systems grow, so does the risk of cyber attacks and data breaches. Patient data — especially personally identifiable information (PII) — must be protected throughout the diagnoses and storage process. Iron Mountain’s secure cloud storage and physical vaults offer an end-to-end chain of custody, meaning that digital images and physical slides are safeguarded against breaches and unauthorised access.

Compliance with regulations such as HIPAA and GDPR is non-negotiable. Healthcare organisations must implement encryption, access controls and audit trials to maintain trust and meet ethical standards. Leading institutions — including cancer centres and academic medical facilities — are already performing millions of secure image retrievals annually, proving that security and accessibility can coexist.

3. Platform integration: unlocking the power of the digital experience

Digitisation is not just about storage — it’s about activation. Platforms like Iron Mountain’s InSight DXP enable organisations to manage, analyse and act on digitised data. These platforms support AI integration, real-time collaboration and operational efficiency.

Whether verifying pension eligibility or identifying tumour markers, the ability to access and interpret data instantly is transforming healthcare workflows. InSight DXP also supports federated learning and explainable AI, ensuring that data remains private while enabling collaborative model development and transparent decision-making.

A smarter, safer, more patient-centric future

Australia’s healthcare system stands at a pivotal moment. The growth of digitisation and artificial intelligence offers a powerful remedy to longstanding inefficiencies, from outdated pathology archives to administrative bottlenecks.

By embracing structured data, secure platforms and AI-enabled diagnostics, healthcare providers can not only improve clinical accuracy and operational resilience but also refocus their efforts on what matters most: solutions for patients. The path forward demands smart investment, robust safeguards and a commitment to innovation — but the reward is a healthcare ecosystem and a data foundation that’s smarter, safer, and truly centred on creating a healthier Australia.

*Garry Valenzisi joined Iron Mountain in 2017, becoming Commercial Director, ANZ, soon afterwards. In 2021, Garry took the helm of Iron Mountain Australia & New Zealand as the Vice President & General Manager.

Garry’s management experience over 25 years has been in the areas of revenue growth and new customer acquisition, operational efficiency, logistics and customer service across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. He has held national senior leadership positions including CEO and COO in the document automation and print arenas, manufacturing and technology industries with companies including Konica Minolta, Imagetec and Inventis Limited. Garry enjoys the challenges that come with dynamic, progressive organisations who seek sustainable growth.

Top image credit: iStock.com/bymuratdeniz