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My Health Record is a secure online summary of a person’s key health information. It is part of a national system that is accessible anytime, anywhere. This allows medical professionals and patients to access their health record wherever they are as long as there is internet connection. Patients can control which health practitioners are approved to access but this protocol can be breached during an emergency situation.
Patients, GPs, specialists and pharmacists can add clinical documents in My Health Record. This includes:
- Shared health summaries, allergies, discharge summaries, diagnostic and pathology reports.
- Prescription records and pharmacists shared medicine lists.
- Medicare documents such as Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) claims, Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) records, and organ donor register status.
- Emergency contact, advance care planning documents and custodian details.
Having access to all this health information may avoid adverse drug reactions for patients, can improve communication between a patient’s multidisciplinary care teams, and may avoid duplication of services.
To register your organisation to My Health Record, visit the Australian Digital Health Agency’s website and download the checklist.
If you need assistance or if you have any questions regarding My Health Record or other digital health services, please feel free to contact CHN’s Quality Improvement Team via email: primarycare@chnact.org.au.
Resources:
- Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA)
- Better Faster Access Fact Sheet for Consumers
- eHealth Incentive Guidelines
- General Practice – My Health Record Courses
- HealthPathways My Health Record Page
- HealthPathways ePIP Page
- My Health Record Provider Portal Demonstration
- National Provider Portal
- Online Training
- PRODA, HPOS, NASH Checklist
- Provider Digital Access (PRODA)
- RACGP – Getting started – a guide for general practice staff
My Health Record 2026 Rules
From 1 October 2026, all participating organisations of My Health Record must update their security and access policy to comply with the My Health Record Rules 2026, which replace the My Health Record 2016 Rules.
Under the 2026 Rules, the requirements relating to healthcare provider organisations security and access policies are now set out in rule 21 and rule 43, replacing rule 42 and rule 44 of the 2016 Rule. Key updates include:
- Stronger user account management requirements
- Mandatory annual refresher training and training for system changes or governing legislation
- Expanded cyber security and data breach requirements
- New record keeping obligations, including retaining training records for five years
- More policy governance and annual reviews required
Further information, including a policy template and a revised security and access policy fact sheet is available on the My Health Record participation obligations webpage.
Better and Faster Access (Share by Default)
From 1 July 2026, the Australian Government implemented legislative reform to ensure pathology and diagnostic imaging reports are shared to My Health Record by default, enhancing timely access to results for consumers and clinicians.
Faster access
Previously there was a delay before a consumer could view a report in MHR, but faster access means patients can access most pathology results, and X-ray reports for limbs as soon as they are uploaded.
Some results are still subject to the 5-day delay, including genetic tests, CT, MRI and PET scans, mammograms and ultrasounds.
More information about Share by Default is available on the Australian Digital Health Agency website.
The Pathology Tests Explained website has been made to empower consumers to understand their results and ask questions to their healthcare providers in the follow-up appointment.