My Health Record - What Allied Health Professionals Need to Know
As Australia’s healthcare system continues to embrace digital transformation, My Health Record (MHR) is emerging as a key tool for improving communication and continuity of care for the person and the collaborative healthcare team.
A 2024 Allied Health Digital Transformation Survey coordinated by Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA) involving over 2,400 allied health professionals across 36 disciplines found that:
- Awareness of My Health Record is growing, but actual usage remains limited.
- Many professionals still did not have access to conformant clinical software or are unfamiliar with how to use the National Provider Portal.
What’s in a My Health Record?
Records contain key health information like immunisations, pathology and diagnostic imaging reports, prescription and dispensing information, hospital discharge summaries, e-referrals, goals of care and more, all in one place.
Access and Use: What Are the Rules?
Allied health professionals can access MHR through two main pathways:
- National Provider Portal (NPP) – Allows read-only access to patient records. Clinicians must:
- Have a Provider Digital Access (PRODA) account.
- Be linked to a registered healthcare organisation with a Healthcare Provider Identifier – Organisation (HPI-O).
- Conformant Clinical Information System (CIS) – Enables both viewing and uploading of clinical information directly from within the clinician’s software. This method:
- Offers seamless integration.
- Allows automatic incorporation of MHR data into the client’s record.
- Requires the software to be MHR-conformant.
To use MHR, clinicians must comply with privacy, security, and consent requirements under the My Health Records Act 2012 and Australian Privacy Principles. Access must be for the purpose of providing healthcare, and patients can restrict or remove access at any time.
Benefits of Using My Health Record
- Improved care coordination: Access to discharge summaries, medication histories, allergies, and diagnostic reports supports safer, more informed care.
- Reduced duplication: Avoids unnecessary tests and repeated patient histories.
- Timely access to information: Especially valuable in emergencies or when working across multiple providers.
- Supports end-of-life care: Advance care planning documents and shared goals of care can be uploaded and accessed by the care team. For allied health professionals, understanding how to access and use MHR appropriately is essential to delivering integrated, person-centred care, particularly in aged care and a palliative context.
Things you can do
- Check if your CIS is MHR-conformant or explore access via the National Provider Portal.
- Complete training available through the Australian Digital Health Agency and your local Primary Health Network.
- Review recommended digital health resources listed in the PHN Allied Health Practice Engagement Toolkit.
- Review your organisation’s policies on privacy, consent, and digital health governance.