The government’s ‘My Health Record’ system explained

Every Australian now has a My Health Record, unless they previously opted out or cancelled their record. We explain what My Health Record is and the information it includes.

What is My Health Record?

My Health Record is an online record of your key health information. Your record can be accessed by you, as well as healthcare providers involved in your care such as doctors, specialists and hospital staff. It may include information about your medical conditions, medicines you are taking, your allergies, immunisations (including for the COVID-19 vaccine) and test results.

Do I automatically have a My Health Record?

Yes, all Australians have a My Health Record unless they previously chose to opt-out of the system, or have now cancelled their record. Between 16 July 2018 and 31 January 2019, Australians were able to decide whether they wanted to opt-out of having a My Health Record. After this time, records were created for Australians who did not opt-out. If you have a record and want to delete it, you can cancel your record at any time and the government says your information will be deleted from the system. Alternatively, if you’ve opted out but since changed your mind, you create a record at any stage.

What information is included in My Health Record?

My Health Record is designed to include your key healthcare information. This information comes from your healthcare providers, Medicare and information you input yourself.

Healthcare providers such as doctors, specialists and pharmacists can add documents to your record. The government says this can include a ‘shared health summary’ which provides an overview of your health, as well as information like test and scan results, medications you have been prescribed, hospital discharge summaries and referral letters.

Up to two years of Medicare information can also be added to your record when you first get one. This includes information about what you’ve claimed through Medicare, such as doctor visits or medications covered by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). It can also include information about immunisations you’ve received that are recorded in the Australian Immunisation Register, which can include COVID-19 vaccinations.

You can also add information to your record yourself. For example, you may want to include contact numbers and emergency contact details, your current medications, allergy information and an advance care plan.

The government notes that there may be little or no information on your record when you first log on. Your previous medical history, like older test results and reports, will not be on your record. If you want details of your medical history to be added to your record, the government says you should ask your GP to add a summary the next time you have an appointment.

How can I check My Health Record?

You can check your My Health Record through your myGov account. You’ll need to link your My Health Record to your myGov account and verify your identity first.

Once you’ve logged into your record, you can manage the information on it. For example, you can restrict access to documents so only certain healthcare providers can access them except in an emergency. You can also remove information from your record so it can’t be viewed by anyone, even in an emergency. For more control, you can also set an access code on your record or specific documents and ask to be notified when a provider accesses your record.

What are the pros and cons of My Health Record?

My Health Record has faced some criticism, particularly during the opt-out period. Critics raised security and privacy concerns about the system. On the other hand, proponents of the system have argued that records could potentially save lives in emergencies by providing health workers with critical information about allergies, medications and medical conditions.

Here’s a quick summary of some of the pros and cons.

Potential pros

• Healthcare providers can keep and find your health information in one place. This could be helpful if you have many different healthcare providers or in an emergency.
• Having a record may reduce any unnecessary or duplicate tests and medicine-related mistakes.
• There are access controls you can put in place to restrict who can access your record and you can remove information or cancel your record.

Potential cons

• Healthcare providers have access to your record by default, which some people may not feel comfortable with. You can restrict access and choose which providers can access your information; however, it will still be accessible to providers during an emergency.
• Having people’s health information stored digitally creates cyber security risks.
• Your record is not necessarily up-to-date or comprehensive. For example, when you first log in, you may have little or no information in your record.

Cover image source: lunopark/Shutterstock.com.