My Health Record — improving health outcomes for all Australians

Harnessing the power of the information revolution is one of the first priorities for governments seeking to improve the safety and efficiency of healthcare.

This includes using the potential of digital health to improve health outcomes for Australians.

This year, Australia has the opportunity, with the expansion of the My Health Record system, to create the digital health infrastructure that will produce benefits long into the future.

My Health Record is an online summary of an individual’s key health information. Currently, more than 1 in 5 Australians already have a My Health Record.

In July, the program will be expanded to an ‘opt-out’ participation model and every individual with a Medicare or Department of Veterans’ Affairs card will get a My Health Record unless they tell us they don’t want one.

Through independent research, people have told the Australian Digital Health Agency that their preferred way to receive information about My Health Record is from their trusted healthcare providers, including hospital staff, GPs and pharmacists.

The benefits

My Health Record allows people to take control of their own health and wellbeing, manage their children’s health, and upload key documents such as advance care directives.

They can choose who sees their My Health Record and what’s in it. They can choose to share their information with the healthcare providers involved in their care.

However, in an emergency, for example, if a patient is unconscious, hospital staff may be granted access to their record if there is a serious threat to the patient’s health and safety.

My Health Record has safeguards in place to protect an individual’s health information including encryption, firewalls and secure login. My Health Record data is stored in Australia and is managed by the Australian Digital Health Agency in line with the Australian Government Protective Security Policy Framework. In addition to these measures, the My Health Record system is protected by legislation which governs the way the system is accessed, managed and used.

As more people use My Health Record and information in the system grows, it will help support clinical decision-making. All patients will benefit from having a digital record of their medical history that is accessible by their treating healthcare providers, particularly those who have complex health conditions or who see several healthcare providers.

For patients, My Health Record means their medical conditions, medicines, allergies and test results can be kept together in one place.

Many hospitals and healthcare services are already uploading information to and/or viewing information in My Health Record. As a healthcare provider, through My Health Record, you may see important health information that might not otherwise be accessible — such as hospital discharge, prescription and dispense information.

The opt-out period

The three month opt-out period will run from 16 July to 15 October.

During this period, anyone who does not want a record will be able to opt out by visiting the My Health Record website or calling 1800 723 471.

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