Modernising My Health Record – Sharing pathology and diagnostic imaging reports by default and removing consumer access delays

Overview

In February 2023 the Minister for Health and Aged Care released the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce Report. The report recommended that the government:

Modernise My Health Record to significantly increase health information available to consumers and their health care professionals, including by requiring sharing by default for private and public practitioners and services, and make it easier for people and their health care teams to use at the point of care.

Modernising My Health Record is an important priority because it will:

• improve health outcomes for Australians
• empower consumers to manage their own health and make decisions about their health care
• make it easier for healthcare providers to coordinate patients’ care and support better clinical decision making that can reduce avoidable adverse outcomes, hospital admissions and duplicate tests and increase use of evidence-based appropriate treatments and interventions.

The Australian Government responded to the recommendation of the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce by providing 2 years of funding to continue modernising My Health Record and improve digital health information sharing. This includes requiring healthcare providers to share diagnostic imaging and pathology results to My Health Record.

If a patient gets a diagnostic scan or pathology test, then those results should be uploaded. At the moment, this happens by exception. It is not the rule. I intend to make it the rule.

• • Minister for Health and Aged Care,
  • the Hon Mark Butler MP (May 2023)

About My Health Record

My Health Record is Australia’s consumer controlled electronic health record. It enables Australians to have their health information available whenever it’s needed, including in an emergency. Having easy access to their health information helps to put consumers firmly at the centre of their healthcare journey.

My Health Record keeps key health information – like immunisations, pathology reports and diagnostic imaging reports, prescription and dispensing information, hospital discharge summaries and more – all in one safe and secure place. A My Health Record can support diagnosis and treatment, document treatment approach and results, and promote continuity of care among healthcare providers.

All Australians have a My Health Record (unless they have cancelled it) and always have control over it. Consumers can add information to it, remove information from it, and see when a healthcare provider has looked at it. Consumers can also restrict which healthcare provider organisations can see documents.

Australia first introduced a national digital health record system in 2012 to allow sharing of key health information. In 2016 the new Australian Digital Health Agency became the system operator for My Health Record. The My Health Record system was originally designed as a voluntary opt-in system and consumers were free to decide whether they wished to have an electronic health record. However, after a period of review, consultation and trials, it was recognised that the system would be more valuable, and more practitioners would use the system, if more consumers were participating. An opt-out model was adopted to help achieve this. The Australian Government announced the decision to transition to an opt-out participation model as part of the 2017-18 Budget.

Improved Sharing of Information to My Health Record

The government is making changes to improve sharing of information to My Health Record in 2 ways:

1. Better access – requiring healthcare providers to upload diagnostic imaging and pathology reports
2. Faster access – allowing consumers to see those reports without delay after they are shared to My Health Record.

Better access to diagnostic imaging and pathology reports through My Health Record

Current situation: Healthcare providers vary in how much they use My Health Record. Most (99%) GPs and pharmacies have used it. But only about half of pathology reports and one in five diagnostic imaging reports are being shared to My Health Record.

Time and time again, a patient goes to their healthcare provider, talks about their conditions, and their tests are not available for the GP to look at and use as part of their diagnosis and treatment decisions. We have got to do better.

• • Minister for Health and Aged Care,
  • the Hon Mark Butler MP (February 2023)

How it will change: By 30 June 2024, diagnostic imaging and pathology providers should be uploading patient results to My Health Record. It is expected that legal obligations to upload results will be in place from December 2024.

The Australian Digital Health Agency will help healthcare providers to meet the new requirements. There will be situations where healthcare providers can’t or won’t have to share diagnostic imaging or pathology results (for example, when a consumer asks for their results not to be shared). These will be the exception and not the rule. 

Faster access to diagnostic imaging and pathology reports in My Health Record

Current situation: Usually there’s a 7-day delay between when a healthcare provider uploads a diagnostic imaging or pathology result to My Health Record and when a consumer can see it.

How it will change: Consumers will be able to see their new diagnostic imaging and pathology reports as soon as they are shared to My Health Record.

About this consultation

The consultation will:

• give more detail on the 2 changes to improve sharing of information to My Health Record
• listen to your advice to help shape how the government will implement these changes
• signal to public and private diagnostic imaging and pathology services to start now to plan and prepare to meet the new requirements. This includes training staff and making any necessary changes to systems and procedures

More information on each initiative is in the PDF documents you can download below:

Part A: Better access - sharing pathology and diagnostic imaging reports to My Health Record by default

This initiative will make it a rule for public and private pathology and diagnostic imaging organisations to share reports to My Health Record by default. They will need to be doing this from December 2024. Sharing by default aims to give consumers and their healthcare providers better access to key health information when they need it. This empowers consumers to manage their own health and make decisions about their health care. It also makes it easier for healthcare providers to coordinate patients’ care and supports better clinical decision making that can reduce avoidable adverse outcomes, hospital admissions and duplicate tests and increases use of evidence-based appropriate treatments and interventions.

Part B: Faster access - removing delays to accessing pathology and diagnostic imaging reports in My Health Record

This initiative will remove the 7-day delay in making pathology and diagnostic imaging results available to consumers in My Health Record. This will enable consumers to have more timely informed discussions with their healthcare provider. It is expected that this initiative will be implemented in 2024. More specific implementation timeframes will be determined following consideration of advice to be provided by a clinical and consumer advisory group and feedback from this consultation process.   

Why your views matter

The Department of Health and Aged Care and the Australian Digital Health Agency are committed to meeting the needs of consumers and healthcare providers for better and faster access to health information. We are equally committed to safeguarding patients’ clinical safety, security, privacy and control over their health information.

A key aim of this consultation is to get stakeholder and community feedback at a crucial early stage. The diverse perspectives, experiences and knowledge of individuals and organisations will help to shape the regulations, policies and supports required to successfully deliver these initiatives.

We’re inviting views and advice from:

• healthcare consumers, their families, and carers
• pathology and diagnostic imaging providers
• other healthcare providers
• peak bodies and colleges representing healthcare providers
• state and territory governments
• experts in target areas
• clinical software industry partners.

This survey asks separate questions on the initiatives described in the PDF documents you can download above. You’re welcome to provide views and advice on one or both initiatives.

The best way to do this is by responding to the survey. This will help us to analyse your feedback and collate all responses thoroughly and quickly.

If you would prefer to provide a submission directly to the Department of Health and Aged Care you can do so by email to MHR@health.gov.au.

Submissions will be open until 31 October 2023. You can save your submission and come back to update or edit it at any time (providing you haven’t already submitted it) until the closing date.

The Department of Health and Aged Care and the Australian Digital Health Agency will jointly host information sessions to help you prepare your response to the survey.

Your feedback will help shape how these initiatives will be implemented.

You can subscribe to receive updates on this consultation, including details of future engagement opportunities.

What happens next

The feedback provided as part of this consultation process will help to shape the development of regulations, policies and supports required to successfully deliver these initiatives.