The federal government has extended the opt-out period for My Health Record by an extra month to November 15.
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This was a key request from the Australian Medical Association and the Royal College of General Practitioners and gives Australians more time to consider their options.
My Health Record is an online summary of a person’s key health information. It can be viewed securely online, and gives healthcare providers access to health information including medication, allergies and blood results, when for instance, a patient visits a GP or has been in an accident and taken to hospital.
A patient is able to set access control to restrict who can and cannot see their information.
The government will amend the 2012 legislation to ensure if someone wishes to cancel their record they will be able to do so permanently, with their record deleted from the system forever.
This means any Australian will be able to opt-out of the system permanently, at any time in the future, with their record deleted for good.
Under the Healthcare Identifiers Act 2010, healthcare providers cannot be authorised to collect, use or disclose a healthcare identifier, and as a consequence access a patient’s My Health Record, for employment and insurance purposes.
The government will also work with medical leaders about the benefits and purpose of the My Health Record, so they can make an informed choice.
