25 June 2010 Moving forward with e-health
The College is very pleased that legislation to set up the Healthcare Identifiers Service was passed by Federal Government yesterday evening. In a media statement, the health minister confirmed that all patients will get individual healthcare identifiers (IHIs) under the Healthcare Identifiers Act and that unique healthcare identifiers will now be allocated by the Healthcare Identifiers Service, operated by Medicare Australia. The passing of this legislation was very much needed to move forward with the roll out of e-health in Australia.
The correct implementation of individual and healthcare provider identifiers is important because it will help lead to a safer and more efficient means of distributing medical records between healthcare providers such as GPs, hospitals, specialists and allied healthcare professionals. It also greatly reduces the risk of avoidable errors.
Following today’s passage of the legislation, regulations to support the operation of the Healthcare Identifiers Service will be considered by the Federal Executive Council. For more information about the Healthcare Identifiers Service, visit www.ehealthinfo.gov.au and www.nehta.gov.au.
M5 Project - RACGP men's health initiative helping men to help themselves
M5 encourages men and those who care about them to recognise the importance of men forming an ongoing relationship with a GP.
