22 March 2022
SWSPHN is continuing its partnership with the Australian Digital Health Agency to assist medical specialists connect with the My Health Record system.
Through My Health Record, medical specialists can join GPs in accessing patient clinical information in a timely manner minimising administrative time and burden. It also facilitates care coordination with other healthcare providers to ensure continuity of care.
My Health Record is designed to provide you with key health information, including;
- Hospital discharge summaries
- Medicine prescription and dispensing records
- Pathology and diagnostic imaging reports
- Medicare information
If you are a medical specialist or work with one, we encourage you to register to connect to the My Health Record system. Please send an email to digitalhealth@swsphn.com.au to contact one of our Digital Health Officers for assistance.
To find more information:
Factsheet 1
Factsheet 2
02 October 2020
An assessment of My Health Record security governance at 22 healthcare organisations has reported areas of good privacy practice and identified areas for improvement.
The Australian Digital Health Agency operates the My Health Record system and the Office of the Information Commissioner (OAIC) oversees the privacy aspects of the system.
The OAIC has reported areas of good privacy practice, with most organisations having My Health Record security policies, suitable access controls and training. They report broad compliance with processes for suspending or deactivating user accounts, and for identifying and responding to My Health Record-related security and privacy risks. The OAIC found that most of the assessment targets provided appropriate levels of initial and refresher training to their staff.
The OAIC also identified areas for improvement. They concluded that some providers did not have a written access security policy in place, had not implemented sufficient processes to deactivate accounts, had not provided appropriate initial or refresher training, or had not required sufficiently strong passwords with regard to the sensitive health information being accessed.
The agency encourages healthcare organisations to consider OAIC guidance which sets out better practice on how healthcare organisations can comply with their obligations regarding security and access.
The agency also publishes guidance to assist healthcare organisations to comply with their obligations, including guidance on security and account management, and training modules on cyber and security awareness for healthcare organisations. Healthcare providers can contact the Agency at education@digitalhealth.gov.au if they would like assistance in meeting their obligations and implementing security and access controls.
