About the changes
Better access
My Health Record provides Australians who choose to have a My Health Record with easy access to their key health information.
Currently, healthcare providers can choose if they upload health information to My Health Record. Key health information is often missing from peoples’ My Health Record when they would like it made available.
New changes to legislation will allow the government to make rules about what health information healthcare providers must share to the My Health Record system. These changes respond to recommendations made by the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce.
Rules will set out what health information must be shared and by who. The pathology and diagnostic imaging sectors will be the first healthcare providers required to share test results to the My Health Record system.
There will be exceptions to the requirement to upload to My Health Record:
- patient preference
- clinical discretion in cases where there is a serious concern for a person’s health, safety or wellbeing
- technical issues.
Legislation changes will tie Medicare benefits payments to the requirement for healthcare providers to upload health information to the My Health Record system.
Public consultation has supported this important change. Important clinical safeguards will ensure people can decide what is shared and what is not.
Healthcare providers will receive information and education to support these changes before they start.
The Australian Digital Health Agency is the system operator of My Health Record. The agency is already working with pathology and diagnostic imaging providers and organisations to help them register and connect to the My Health Record system.
Faster access
Patients are waiting seven days before they can access most pathology and diagnostic imaging reports that have been shared to My Health Record.
We will be removing this delay for all pathology and diagnostic imaging reports. More information on implementation timeframes will be available after considering:
- advice by the clinical and consumer advisory group
- feedback as part of consultation activities.
There may be some circumstances where there will still be a delay, such as where delays would support patient and clinical safety regarding sensitive results. The clinical and consumer advisory group will help us consider this matter. You can also provide feedback as part of our consultation activities.
The changes required to support faster access are not included in the legislation changes that will introduce requirements to share health information to My Health Record.
Why the changes are important
The changes aim to give patients and their healthcare providers better access to key health information, when it is needed, to help:
- empower patients to participate in their own healthcare
- make it easier for healthcare providers to coordinate care and access information
- support healthcare providers to make better clinical decisions that can
- reduce avoidable adverse outcomes, hospital admissions and duplicate tests
- increase use of evidence-based appropriate treatments and interventions.
Who we work with
We will be working with the Australian Digital Health Agency and a clinical and consumer advisory group to make these changes.
Information on the clinical and consumer advisory group is available on the Australian Digital Health Agency website.
Find out more
Read the frequently asked questions for more information.
Health Legislation Amendment (Modernising My Health Record – Sharing by Default) Bill 2024 – Frequently asked questions
Consultation process
We ran a consultation process from 8 September to 31 October 2023 to help us make these changes. You can find out more and read a summary of key themes from this process on the consultation hub.
Subscribe to updates
You can subscribe to receive updates about the changes to improve sharing of pathology and diagnostic imaging results to My Health Record.
My Health Record
You can find out more about My Health Record on the Australian Digital Health Agency website.