THE Australian Digital Health Agency has announced that the three month "opt-out period" for the My Health Record system will run from 16 Jul-15 Oct 2018.
Every Australian will be offered a My Health Record (MHR) unless they choose not to have one during the timeframe - and can also cancel their MHR at any time afterwards, or create one, if they opted out.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said a national communications strategy would be implemented to inform all Australians of the benefits of digital health and explain the opt out process.
After the three month opt-out phase, a further month will be required to reconcile the data and finalise processing of paper opt-out forms received from Australians in remote locations and from people without access to a computer.
The new records will be activated when individuals login for the first time or when healthcare providers access records in treating patients.
Two years of Medicare and PBS data will be uploaded, unless an individual chooses not to include this information.
Individuals will also be able to upload personal notes, advanced care documentation and medication & allergy information.
Access can be restricted to specific information or test results in each person's record if required.
A range of health groups are strongly supporting the MHR rollout including the Pharmacy Guild, with president George Tambassis saying it would support increased use of the system by pharmacists and sustainable healthcare delivery.
"The Guild is committed to helping build the digital health capabilities of community pharmacies and advance the efficiency, quality and delivery of healthcare to improve health outcomes for all Australians," Tambassis said.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 15 May 18
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