As a practice manager, you need to keep across My Health Record management so you can provide information to patients and understand the benefits for your practice.
My Health Record has been introduced to the Australian (Federal) Government as part of their commitment to expand the My Health Record system. By the end of this year, all Australians will have a My Health Record unless they decide to opt-out. Practice managers must pass relevant information onto staff so patients can be advised how to go online and manage their My Health Record.
My Health Record is an online summary of your patient’s health information and is designed for healthcare professionals to have access to timely information about their patients. Information can include shared health summaries, discharge summaries, prescription and dispense records, pathology reports and diagnostic imaging reports. As a practice manager, this offers advantages for your general practice management.
We’ve compiled a short list of frequently asked questions from patients and answers you can give to them.
My Health Record is an online initiative introduced by the government to consolidate your medical records in one place. It’s online and accessible from any device that is connected to the internet.
If you move or travel interstate, your records are all online and accessible anywhere that has the internet. If you visit several medical professionals, it consolidates your records into one easily viewed online file. This can be particularly helpful in emergencies.
You can manage privacy and control over your records by adjusting your privacy settings online. You can give access to trusted family members, friends or carers if you want to. You can also set restrictions for what healthcare providers can see.
Specific documents can also have restrictions. You can set up security and privacy codes for all records or specific documents if you choose to.
You may set up a record access code under the privacy and access settings. You can decide who has access to your files by giving the codes to people of your choice.
Yes, you can go online and opt-out of My Health Record. However, you must do so by November 15, 2018, or your Record will be set up automatically.
Yes, you can remove clinical and Medicare documents from My Health Record. However, this will mean healthcare providers cannot access this information, even in an emergency. If you change your mind or remove a document by mistake, the document can be restored to My Health Record.
Although My Health Record is intended to support patient care, it may also be used by the government to provide insight into our health system and the services being provided to improve health outcomes for all Australians. Your data may be used for research purposes. If you don’t want your health information shared, you must go online and update your preferences to reflect your choice.
The government has placed many safeguards on the My Health Record system, including strong encryption, firewalls, secure login processes and audit logging. Your data is also protected by privacy legislation. My Health Record cannot be released to police or government agencies without a court order.
If you’re tech-savvy, managing your online records will be relatively easy. But if you find it overwhelming or don’t use the internet much, you can get help from trusted family members or friends to help you navigate My Health Record.
The best way for a practice manager to understand My Health Record and the issues it may bring up for your practice is to go online and look at your own My Health Record. Encourage your staff to do so as well. Adjust your privacy settings. Decide whether you would like to opt-out, either completely or from the research section only. This firsthand experience will be invaluable for you and your staff as it will provide the knowledge and empathy to address your patients’ concerns and queries.
Click here for further information on My Health Record.
