Doctors, nurses and mental health professionals can now deliver services via telehealth. If you are unwell, you can have a telehealth consultation using your computer or phone.
Healthy and connected through telehealth
Family is critical for Kendal, and so is her health. After relocating back to her hometown of Emerald to be closer to family – and hopefully raise one of her own – she’s using telehealth services and My Health Record to stay connected to her specialists. Learn about booking a telehealth consultation here.
Find out if your doctor is using My Health Record
Uploading information to your My Health Record is not automatic. It is up to your healthcare provider, such as your GP, to upload health information to your record. Next time you visit your GP, whether it's via telehealth or in person, ask whether they use the My Health Record system.
If they use My Health Record, you can:
- Discuss whether you want them to automatically upload your future health information to keep your My Health Record updated.
- Make decisions about what types of information you want on your record, now and into the future.
- Discuss whether to add a summary of your medical history to your record.
Discuss what should go on your record
Your past medical information will not be automatically added to your My Health Record.
This is a good opportunity to talk to your GP about adding a summary of your current medical history and medicines information you would like included.
You may want your doctor to add information in your shared health summary such as:
- A summary of your current medical information
- Medical conditions (past and present)
- Current medicines
- Allergies and adverse reactions.
If your healthcare provider doesn’t use My Health Record
If your doctor isn’t using My Health Record yet, and you would like your information to be available for other health care providers to see, ask if they plan to start using it in the future.
If your healthcare provider doesn't want to, or doesn't know how to use My Health Record
It is not compulsory for healthcare providers to use your My Health Record when providing you with healthcare. For example, your GP can use their own digital records in their medical practice.
By asking your healthcare providers to actively use your My Health Record, you can encourage them to start using it to better track and manage your health together.
More and more healthcare providers are connecting to the My Health Record system. Over 15,000 healthcare providers are already connected, and 90% of Australians now have a My Health Record. Many patients and their healthcare providers are already seeing the benefits of uploading and sharing health summaries and medicines information. We continue to provide ongoing support to healthcare providers through training and support to use the My Health Record system.
Even when a healthcare provider does not access your My Health Record, it can still be a useful way for you to track your medical information.
You can view and track your Medicare and Pharmaceutical Benefits claims information, see your immunisations and your organ donation decisions. Even if your GP isn’t using My Health Record, a hospital pharmacy or other healthcare provider may be able to add and view your health information. In addition, you can add your own medicines, allergies and contacts, so that in an emergency your doctors have access to this information at a critical time.
If you don’t want information uploaded to your record
It’s your choice what information your healthcare providers upload to your My Health Record. Talk to your GP or other healthcare providers about your decision.
Information from a doctor’s visit
You can let your doctor know during your visit if you don’t want them to include certain information to your record. They must comply with your request.
While your health information may be held in the healthcare organisation’s local medical records system, such as on computers or paper files, it should not be added to your My Health Record if you request that your records not be uploaded.
Pathology and diagnostic imaging reports
Once you have a My Health Record, pathology and diagnostic imaging reports may be uploaded to that record by default.
You can ask that a report not be uploaded to your My Health Record at any time before the report is uploaded. Your healthcare providers must comply with your request.
If you don’t want a pathology or diagnostic imaging report uploaded to your record, you can do any of the following:
- Tell your doctor or pathology or diagnostic imaging service directly
- Check the Do not send reports to My Health Record box on the pathology and/or diagnostic imaging request form
- Write Do not send reports to My Health Record on the pathology and/or diagnostic imaging request form.
You can also request specific tests within a pathology or diagnostic request form be excluded from your My Health Record.
Find out more information about pathology and diagnostic imaging reports
If the information has already been uploaded to your record, you can choose to:
