My Health Record Archives | South Western Sydney PHN

09 October 2026

From 1 October 2026, all healthcare provider organisations registered with My Health Record must ensure their security and access policy complies with the My Health Record Rules 2026. This includes organisations with an existing policy developed under the My Health Records Rule 2016.

The updated requirements cover user account management, staff training, security measures and processes for responding to My Health Record data breaches. Organisations must also keep records showing how they apply their policy.

Use the video guide and templates below to help your practice update its policy and maintain supporting records. Adapt the templates to reflect your practice’s systems, staff responsibilities and procedures.

Watch the video guide

SWSPHN has created a video to help you complete the security and access policy template. Watch the video as you work through the template and add information specific to your practice.

Download templates

Download and adapt these Word templates to suit your practice.

Security and access policy template

Word document

View resource →

User access register

Word document

View resource →

Staff training register

Word document

View resource →

Data breach and incident response template

Word document

View resource →

Annual compliance review checklist

Word document

View resource →

Further information

For guidance on the requirements, visit the Australian Digital Health Agency’s resources:

Need help?

Contact SWSPHN’s Digital Health team at DigitalHealth@swsphn.com.au for support.

29 September 2026

From 1 October 2026, all healthcare provider organisations registered with My Health Record must ensure their My Health Record security and access policy complies with the My Health Record Rules 2026.

This includes organisations who had previously developed a policy under the My Health Records Rule 2016.

While the core requirements remain largely consistent, several key changes have been introduced. This includes changes to requirements concerning user account management, training and security measures, and a new requirement to include processes for responding to My Health Record data breaches.

In addition to the policy itself, organisations must keep records showing how the policy has been applied.

All organisations which use My Health Record should review their security and access policy now, ensuring it complies with the requirements of the 2026 Rules.

Organisations registered with the My Health Record system before 1 April 2026, must update their security and access policy by 1 October 2026, in line with the 2026 Rules.
Organisations registering for My Health Record from 1 April 2026, must develop a security and access policy in accordance with the 2026 Rules.

The updates follow recent legislative changes aimed at ensuring the system continues to support safe, secure and effective healthcare delivery.

Resources and support:

If you need support, contact our Digital Health team at DigitalHealth@swsphn.com.au

This article appeared in Practice Pulse on Wednesday, 30 September 2026. If you are a GP, practice nurse or practice manager in South Western Sydney and do not get the weekly Practice Pulse email, speak to your Practice Support Officer.

06 July 2026

SWSPHN’s digital health team supports practices to implement My Health Record by offering hands-on assistance with registrations, software integration, staff training and security policies.

My Health Record is a digital summary of an individual’s key health information. When properly maintained it helps to paint a more complete picture of someone’s health.

My Health Record centralises records – such as immunisations, hospital discharge summaries, medications, referrals and test results – making them accessible to patients and authorised healthcare providers, even in emergencies.

SWSPHN’s support helps practices improve patient care, increase efficiency and ensure secure, comprehensive information exchange, promoting better healthcare.

Find out more

What SWSPHN can do

22 June 2026

With commencement of the Share by Default upload requirements on 1 July approaching, the Australian Digital Health Agency is sharing information and resources to help healthcare providers understand the upcoming changes.

From 1 July, most written pathology and diagnostic imaging reports authored by (or on behalf of) a pathologist or radiologist will be uploaded to My Health Record by default. The requirement does not include diagnostic images.

These changes will help ensure patients and healthcare providers can access important health information through My Health Record, supporting more connected and informed care.

What this means for healthcare providers:

more pathology and diagnostic imaging reports will be available in My Health Record
healthcare providers can continue to access reports through their existing clinical systems and workflows where available
My Health Record can provide access to reports uploaded by other pathology and diagnostic imaging providers involved in a patient’s care, supporting continuity of care across healthcare settings
patients may choose to access some pathology and diagnostic imaging reports through My Health Record before a follow-up consultation occurs
at the time when pathology and diagnostic imaging services are requested, providers may wish to have a discussion with their patients regarding report availability and follow-up arrangements
guidance resources are available to support conversations about understanding and interpreting results.

There are circumstances where a report may not be uploaded to My Health Record, because an exception applies.

This could apply where a consumer does not have a My Health Record; a consumer or their representative requests certain reports are not uploaded; a healthcare provider reasonably believes a report should not be shared because of a serious concern for the health, safety or wellbeing of the individual; or circumstances outside a healthcare provider’s control prevent upload (such as an unforeseen technical or system issue).

The organisation subject to the upload requirement must retain evidence of the exception for two years from the date the health service was provided.

Additional reasons a report may not be uploaded include where an extension of time to comply has been applied for, preserved privacy laws apply, or the type of report is not required to be uploaded.

Access information and resources

Read guide for requesting providers

Read consumer fact sheet

This article appeared in Practice Pulse on Wednesday, 24 June 2026. If you are a GP, practice nurse or practice manager in South Western Sydney and do not get the weekly Practice Pulse email, speak to your Practice Support Officer.

17 March 2026

When it comes to improving the health of Australians, the role of digital innovation and connection is a vital part of a modern, accessible healthcare system.

The Australian Digital Health Agency’s Online Learning Portal offers a range of resources for GPs, aged care professionals and allied health practitioners.

Courses help you manage My Health Record and electronic prescriptions and cover subjects such as clinical safety and cyber security. There is also a range of additional resources.

Find out more:

General practice

Aged care

Allied health

08 October 2025

From mid-October patients will be able to see their pathology results in My Health Record much sooner.

The current seven-day delay will be removed for most common tests, such as bloods.

Some specialised tests, including anatomical pathology, cytopathology and genetic testing, will still have a five-day delay before patients can view them.

In February 2026, changes will also apply to diagnostic imaging with x-ray reports for limbs becoming available immediately, while other imaging reports – including CT, MRI, PET, ultrasound and chest/abdomen/pelvis x-rays – will move to a five-day delay instead of the current seven days.

It’s important to note delays are based on the type of test, not the result itself. A delay does not mean there is a problem with the result.

For practices, no system changes are needed as the timing is managed entirely within My Health Record.

What you may notice is patients can now see their results at, or even before, the time of their follow-up appointment. This may lead to more patients raising questions about their results sooner.

These reforms are part of the national Share by Default program. The aim is to improve continuity of care, reduce duplication of tests, and meet community expectations for faster, more transparent access to health information.

Further information and printable resources for providers and consumers are available:

Healthcare provider information Consumer information

10 May 2023

The strong focus on primary care, with the tripling of the bulk billing incentive and investment in the health workforce to better meet the health needs of the Australians in the 21st century, were among the welcome features of Tuesday’s Federal Budget.

South Western Sydney Primary Health Network (SWSPHN) Acting Chief Executive Officer, Kristen Short, said there was little doubt primary care had been struggling in recent years, with fewer practices in a position to bulk bill, further highlighting the need for strong and ongoing funding commitment for the sector.

“The $3.5 billion committed to bulk billing incentives, $98.2 million for new Medicare rebates for patients who require consultations of longer than 60 minutes and $445.1 million to support team-based care in general practice, are welcome measures to support the revival and protection of a healthcare system which has served us well for decades,” she said.

Other investments of interest to primary care, in particular general practices in South Western Sydney include:

$358.5 million for Medicare Urgent Care Clinics
$143.9 million for after hours primary care
$91.5 million to improve mental health by addressing workforce shortages

Ms Short said SWSPHN had a particular focus on innovative projects like iRAD, the New to General Practice Nursing program and My Care Partners to build capacity and support our general practices in delivering accessible, effective and timely care to our community.

She noted investment in digital health ($951.2 million); increasing the number of nurses in primary care ($10.7 million); and increasing incentives for general practices to employ a range of health professionals to provide team-based primary care ($445.1 million) would support those projects which were already improving the health of our region.

“Primary care is the cornerstone of our healthcare system, and SWSPHN looks forward to continuing to work with and support primary care providers across our region on the projects, services and other activities funded in this budget.

“We particularly welcome the focus in the budget on multidisciplinary team care and voluntary patient enrolment and look forward to seeing how it complements our local medical neighbourhood model of care, My Care Partners, which has been working for the past two years to reduce avoidable hospital admissions and enhance care coordination for people with multiple chronic diseases.”

30 January 2023

The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) is holding the following free webinars on My Health Record and dermatology conditions.

My Health Record (ACRRM members only)

My Health Record: A summary of system enhancements and time-saving tips for busy practices will be held on Wednesday 8, February at 7pm.

With an increasing number of organisations connecting to My Health Record, a significant amount of key health information is being uploaded to the platform. The amount of clinical content which is readily available can greatly benefit healthcare providers in busy practices.
Register for webinar

Innocent rashes and chronic skin ulcers (Tele-Derm members only)

Spot diagnoses not to miss, innocent rashes and an approach to chronic skin ulcers will be held on Tuesday, 21 February at 8pm.

Only doctors registered in Tele-Derm will be able to access the webinar.

All ACRRM members, and non-members who work in MM3 to MM7 can easily join the service. Enrol for Tele-Derm and register for this webinar via the ‘Announcements’ tab within the Tele-Derm platform.

Not an ACRRM member and not working in MM3 to MM7, but would like to take advantage of services like Tele-Derm? Find out more about the benefits. Download Tele-Derm flyer

30 January 2023

GPs, registrars and nurses who work in the aged care sector are invited to join the webinar: My Health Record: supporting safety, quality and better care in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs).

SWSPHN is collaborating with Murrumbidgee PHN for the webinar which will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, 22 February, from 2pm to 3pm.

Participants will hear from Marwa Osman, a Digital Health Educator at the Australian Digital Health Agency. The session will be interactive with the opportunity for questions.

Topics will include:

Supporting optimised patient care in the residential aged care setting using My Health Record
How My Health Record can provide access to accurate and relevant clinical information uploaded by a range of healthcare providers (GPs, hospitals, pharmacists)
How My Health Record in RACFs may assist in improving quality of life, care coordination and reduce potential medication misadventures
How to access and appropriately integrate HealthPathways system to improve resident quality of life and patient outcomes

30 November 2022

What is My Health Record?

My Health Record is a secure online summary of important patient health information which has been shared between healthcare providers across the sector.

Medicare Overview – MBS and DVA information

The Medicare Overview section of My Health Record is an important, but underutilised, source of patient health information.

As consumers interact with the Medicare system, a record of these interactions is displayed in their My Health Record.

You can use the Medicare Overview to find information about services your patients have accessed through the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) such as allied health, pathology, imaging, specialists and other GPs.

Medicare information may include:

MBS/DVA claims information

MBS and DVA claims information. The MBS provides benefits for an extensive range of medical services, procedures, and consultations, including consultation fees for doctors and specialists, tests and examinations doctors require to diagnose and treat illnesses, for example X-rays, ultrasounds, and pathology tests.

PBS/RPBS claims information

Prescription information from Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Repatriation Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits (RPBS). Medication listings are PBS-only and will not include medications dispensed which are not PBS-classified (e.g. private or NSW hospital scripts).

You can access the My Health Record – Medicare Overview through your clinical software.

Download the factsheet on how to access the Medicare Overview for your software below:

Best Practice Medical Director Genie

If you need help setting up or accessing My Health Record, email SWSPHN’s Digital Health team at DigitalHealth@swsphn.com.au