COTA Australia has been working with the Australian Digital Health Agency to support older Australian's use of My Health Record. My Health Record provides a centralised record that you can see of your medical details, that have been uploaded by you, your health providers and/or Medicare. It is a valuable tool to ensure that your medical history is documented and stored in a place that is accessible by you and any nominated and authorised representative/s or medical professionals, to guide decisions regarding your health care. This is particularly important in scenarios where you may not be in the position to speak for yourself. It also saves having to repeat everything to different people.
We have been talking to the community and hearing experiences that some of you have had using My Health Record. Most of you agree this is a valuable service to document your medical history and provide an effective way of viewing your history in one place and at a time that is convenient for you. Through these conversations, there were common questions or discussion points that were raised. Below we ask these questions to the Australian Digital Health Agency and share their response, as we know that others would benefit from hearing the answers.
Who has access to the information on My Health Record?
Apart from you, the only people who can view or access your My Health Record are:
- Your healthcare providers (e.g. GPs, specialists or hospital staff)
- People you invite to help you manage your record (nominated representatives)
- People who manage your record for you if you are not able to (authorised representatives)
