Online Prescribing Services: Sharing medicines-related information to My Health Record by Default
Overview
About this consultation
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (the Department), in partnership with the Australian Digital Health Agency (the Agency) is seeking feedback to shape the development of the new Share by Default requirements focused on online prescribing services, announced by Government on 28 January 2026:
“As a first step to strengthen safety in digital medicines and telehealth, the Australian Government will implement requirements to ensure all medicines-related information from online prescribers is made available to people and their healthcare providers through My Health Record.”
The Hon Mark Butler, Minister for Health, Disability and Ageing
About My Health Record 
My Health Record is Australia’s personally controlled electronic health record. It enables people to have their health information available whenever it’s needed, including in an emergency. Having easy access to their health information helps to put people firmly at the centre of their own healthcare journey.
My Health Record keeps key health information – such as, pathology results, diagnostic imaging reports, prescription and dispensing information, hospital discharge summaries and more – in one safe, secure and accessible place. A My Health Record supports diagnosis and treatment, documents treatment approaches and results, and promotes better coordination and continuity of care among healthcare providers.
All Australians have a My Health Record (unless they have chosen not to) and always have control over it. People can add information to their My Health Record, remove information, see when their healthcare providers have accessed their record, and restrict which healthcare provider organisations can access their record and view documents in it.
About Sharing by Default to My Health Record
Until recently, it was optional for healthcare providers to share health information to the My Health Record system. As a result, key health information is often missing from a person’s My Health Record when they or their healthcare providers want it to be available. In 2025, the Australian Government passed legislation to establish a framework for Share by Default requirements to be introduced through Rules for certain healthcare providers.
From 1 July 2026, the first Share by Default Rules will commence - requiring pathology and diagnostic imaging providers to share results to My Health Record. This will mean that Medicare benefits will only be payable for certain pathology and diagnostic imaging services when the required health information is uploaded to My Health Record. This will give people better and faster access to their test results and other important details.
In January 2026, the Government announced that medicines-related information from online prescribing services will be the next category of health information to be required to be shared by default to the My Health Record system. This is part of the Government’s broader intent to improve medicines safety for the Australian community, including through the development of a National Medicines Record.
As part of the Government’s 2026–27 Budget investment in digital health, $598.3 million has been committed over two years to support the continued operation and enhancement of My Health Record.
This includes funding to expand the Share by Default legislative framework to include all medicines information and require primary care providers to share GP Chronic Condition Management Plans to My Health Record. It also includes funding to connect the National Prescription Delivery Service to My Health Record, progressing the next stages of the National Medicines Record. These measures are outside the scope of this consultation and will be considered through separate consultation processes.
What we are consulting on
We are consulting on the introduction of requirements for online prescribing services to share prescribed and dispensed medicines information to My Health Record by default. Medicines information shared to My Health Record would then be available to people and their healthcare providers, subject to existing privacy protections and individual controls.
The following definitions are intended to clarify what is proposed to be in scope of the new requirements to share medicines-related information to My Health Record and will be refined through consultation:
Online prescribing services
- Healthcare providers who prescribe and dispense medicines solely through telehealth or digital platforms, including through ‘direct-to-consumer’ models of care. This means the prescriber does not have an established relationship with the patient that includes face-to-face consultations.
- Online consultations with patients may be in real time, for example by phone or video.
- Consultations could also include instances where patients submit information without speaking to a healthcare provider and receive a response later. This is known as asynchronous care.
- This suggested definition is intended to encompass all online prescribing services operating in Australia, regardless of whether consultations are billed through the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS).
- Services that combine face-to-face and online care are out of scope for this consultation and may be considered in the future.
Direct-to-consumer models of care
- This refers to consumer‑initiated, commercially marketed services that provide predominantly virtual consultations (e.g., phone, video, or messaging).
- The main fee structure for these services does not involve public funding or rebates and is often paid directly by the patient.
- These models typically do not rely on an ongoing therapeutic relationship in the way traditional general practice does, and frequently emphasise speed, convenience and streamlined access.
Medicines-related information (prescribing and dispensing information)
- Prescribing information includes the name of the medicine prescribed, strength, dosage instructions, repeats, date prescribed, and other relevant prescribing details that provide relevant clinical context.
- Dispensing information includes the medicine supplied, strength, dosage instructions, repeats dispensed/remaining, date dispensed, and other relevant dispensing details that provide relevant clinical context.
- This information will be shared for medicines that can only be obtained with a prescription (Schedule 4–8). Medicines of particular interest include (but are not limited to) antibiotics, contraceptives and high-risk medicines such as opiate analgesics, psychostimulants and medicinal cannabis.
- While sharing to My Health Record is encouraged, there will not be a mandatory requirement to share information about over-the-counter medications and supplements, including pharmacist only medications e.g. high-dose pain relief (Schedule 3).
Existing digital health systems and tools
- Existing digital health systems and tools will be used to support healthcare providers share medicines information to My Health Record, while protecting patient privacy, security of data, and patient choice.
- For example, when an electronic prescription is used (with either a digital token or a paper script provided to the patient) the medicine information is sent to the National Prescription Delivery Service and can be shared directly to My Health Record.
- Healthcare providers using My Health Record can also use an ‘Event summary’ document to share supporting medical information which was considered when they prescribe a medicine.
This consultation focuses on online prescribing services only.
Share by Default requirements for other care settings, and broader medicines information reforms such as the National Medicines Record, are out of scope for this consultation.
The intent is for the new requirements for online prescribing services to be in place by the end of 2026, with commencement from 2027. This will provide time for consultation feedback to inform the final design of the new requirements and give stakeholders time to prepare before they come into effect.
Decisions on when online prescribing services will have to start sharing by default will be informed by responses to this public consultation as well as further consultation with impacted stakeholders, which will be led by the Australian Digital Health Agency.
Why your views matter
We want your views to help us shape how the new Share by Default requirements for online prescribing services are developed and implemented, including:
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Medicines information, safety and privacy - we want your views on how people’s privacy and control over their My Health Record should work alongside safe care. This includes views on whether there should be stronger requirements to share information about medicines that are potentially more harmful if misused (Schedule 8), compared to other prescription-only medicines.
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Scope of proposal - we want feedback on how to describe what an online healthcare provider is, what medicines information should be shared, and when it might be reasonable not to share medicines information.
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People’s values and experiences - we want to understand what matters most to people when they access online prescribing services and when they would want their medicine-related information shared or not shared.
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Clinical workflows and accountability - we want to understand what medicine-information is used and shared currently, how it is shared, and what needs to be considered to ensure clinicians are supported to meet their clinical and legal responsibilities.
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Implementation and system impacts - we are seeking views on factors that could either assist or prevent this initiative being successfully implemented to deliver benefits for people, healthcare providers and the healthcare system.
Information on the existing Share by Default legislation and Rules, please see the Background Paper.
How to respond
Review the Consultation Paper which provides details on the policy and outlines areas we are seeking feedback.
A Background Paper has also been developed to provide additional detail on the policy, and legislative and system context for medicines-related information sharing in Australia.
Provide your feedback via the online survey on Citizen Space.
This will help the Department review and bring together all responses. If you would prefer to send a written submission, you can email it to: MHR@health.gov.au
Closing date for submissions: Tuesday 07 July 2026
Late submissions may not be considered. If you need more time, please contact us before the closing date to request an extension.
Audiences
- Anyone from any background
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