Canberra, Dec 8 (IANS): Australia's first hospital with fully integrated, digital eHealth capability opened Monday in Queensland.

St Stephen's Private Hospital, operated by UnitingCare Health in Hervey Bay, has been created by expanding the regional hospital with a new, three-storey inpatient hospital with 96 acute care beds and three additional operating rooms, Xinhua reported.

Health Minister Peter Dutton said that St Stephen's was a world class hospital which showcased the future of health care.

"St Stephen's has raised the bar for all healthcare providers by embracing the technology literally before the foundations were laid," Dutton said.

"Digital technology can make healthcare far more efficient and more effective for patients and providers," he said.

The hospital's digital features include patient, community and medical web portals, and information linkages with Hervey Bay Public Hospital, medical practitioners, other UnitingCare Health hospitals, universities and diagnostic providers.

The patient-centred clinical systems include automatic record feed, automated care pathways, alerts, and medication management.

Instead of paper scripts, all medication transactions will be done electronically.

The Australian government provided $21.4 million for the construction of the new hospital building and $17.57 million to equip the expanded hospital with state-of-the-art eHealth technology.

"My department will continue to work with St Stephen's to monitor the effectiveness of the electronic system, and pick up on the benefits to inform future changes," Dutton said.