My Health gains 4 million health records in one month
The federal government’s recently re-launched My Health Record secure, online system of people’s health information to be shared with doctors and healthcare professionals, has already surpassed four million records, equal to around 17% of Australians. The Minister for Health, Aged Care and Sport, Sussan Ley, said on Tuesday said that following the recent re-launch of My Health Record — which facilitates information that can be shared with doctors, hospitals and healthcare providers with the permission of patients — there has been a steady increase in registrations.
“In the past four weeks alone, there has been an average of 2200 new registrations every day, or one new My Health Record created every 38 seconds,” Ley said.
“With changes to the general practice incentive, healthcare providers are increasingly contributing and viewing on-line health information about their patients. We are now seeing one upload of clinical health information from a healthcare provider every 21 seconds.”
Ley said every day one in five GPs would see a patient for whom they have little or no information at all, but with the My Health Record, they will increasingly have access to at least some information about a patient. “This may be a Medicare claim or pharmacy prescription, or clinical information uploaded by other healthcare providers such as a specialist, hospital and pharmacy.
"A My Health Record puts the power in the hands of health consumers to decide with whom they share their health information.”
Ley says that with a My Health Record, both a patient and their healthcare professional can gain “immediate access to important health information on-line”.
“This can improve co-ordinated care outcomes, reduce duplication and provide vital information in between the multiple services many of us may need through our lives.
“It also enables us, as a consumer, to become more active in managing your health and provide links to become more active in managing your health and provide links between the multiple services many of us may need through our lives.”
The My Health Record numbers have been released just one day after Ley announced the appointmdent of a former executive from England’s National Health Service (NHS) and Telstra Health, Tim Kelsey, as head of Australia’s new national health body, the Australian Digital Health Agency.