About My Health Record

My Health Record is a secure digital record of your health information. It is owned by the Australian Government and managed by the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA).

Your healthcare providers can check your My Health Record when they need to.

Both you and your healthcare providers can add information to your record. You can also choose to have Medicare information added to your record. This includes information from the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).

You can download your immunisation history statement or COVID-19 digital certificate.

Your record can only be seen by you, your healthcare providers and any people you choose to share it with.

My Health Record can help you in emergencies or when you're travelling. It is accessible anywhere that has internet, or by telephone.

If you have a telehealth consultation, your healthcare provider can check your My Health Record.

Every Australian now has a My Health Record unless they 'opted out' before the end of January 2019. People who cancelled their My Health Record don't have one.

You can delete your My Health Record at any time. Once a My Health Record account has been deleted, all the information contained in the record will be permanently deleted and no one, including health care providers, can access it.

My Health Record can store your medical history and information including your:

• shared health summary (from your doctor)
• current medicines and prescriptions (scripts)
• referral letters to other healthcare providers
• allergies (including past adverse reactions)
• immunisations, including routine childhood immunisations and vaccinations
• test and scan reports — such as ultrasound scans or x-rays
• pathology reports — such as blood test results
• hospital discharge information

It also stores personal information:

• Medicare and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) claims history
• organ donation status
• advance care planning document (which explains what to do if you become too unwell to communicate, sometimes called a 'living will') and contact details of your substitute decision-maker
• emergency contact details
• personal health notes
• child development information

My Health Record can also show whether you:

• identify as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
• are a veteran or in the Australian Defence Force

Your My Health Record doesn't replace any of your existing health records. You still need to have regular conversations with your healthcare providers. Your healthcare providers will still keep their own medical records.

When you first access your record, there may be little or no information in it. You can ask your doctor to add a summary of your medical history to your My Health Record. You can do this whenever you go to see your doctor.

The information in your My Health Record gives healthcare providers a more complete picture of your health. This helps them give you the best care throughout your life.

During pregnancy and childhood

During pregnancy, you may see many healthcare providers and have various tests and scans. It can be difficult to keep track of everything. My Health Record ensures that your doctor can easily access relevant health information and give you and your baby the best care.

When you register your newborn for Medicare, you can get a My Health Record for them as well. Healthcare providers can update your child's record with their:

• immunisations and vaccinations
• allergies
• other health issues

You can also add details of your child's developmental milestones, including:

• an achievement diary
• growth charts
• health check schedules and questionnaires

Once your child turns 14 years, they can manage their own My Health Record. They can give access to you or another trusted person, if they choose.

Later in life

My Health Record is available wherever you go and can help you find all the information you need.

You can find:

• dates of your past appointments
• dates of your tests
• names of your medicines
• your medicine dosages

You won't need to carry all your health documents with you, such as prescriptions (scripts).

If your health situation changes, your healthcare providers can add new information to your My Health Record.

You can also add your advance care planning document to your My Health Record. You can add contact details of your substitute-decision maker. If you can't make decisions for yourself, someone can be appointed to manage your My Health Record on your behalf.

In an emergency

Healthcare providers might need to act quickly to help you in an emergency. They can provide better care if they can access your My Health Record.

You can add emergency contact details to your record, so healthcare providers know who to contact in an emergency. This can be helpful if you aren't able to communicate, for example if you've been involved in an accident, or suddenly become seriously ill.

Health care providers won't be able to view information you have removed from My Health Records, even in an emergency.

ADHA protects the information in your My Health Record using a range of security controls.

There are also strict regulations about who can see or use your My Health Record. This protects your health information from misuse.

All documents in My Health Record are set to 'general access' for healthcare providers. This means that any health provider involved in your care can see your information. You can change your access controls at any time.

You can see details of who has accessed your My Health Record at any time. You can control access to your record by setting up a record access code or limited document access code.

You can set up SMS or email notifications so you know when information is added to your record. You can also get notifications when your record has been accessed by a healthcare organisation for the first time.

You can take further steps to secure your information:

• Use a strong password and set up security questions or an access code.
• Check your My Health Record often using a secure connection.
• Review your My Health Record access log to see who has accessed your information.
• Turn on automatic updates on your device so your system is as secure as possible.
• Manually enter login details instead of clicking on links or attachments contained in emails. This helps you avoid scams.

You can get proof of your COVID-19 vaccinations from My Health Record. Your immunisation information will automatically be added to your record. You can choose to change this in your settings.

Your COVID-19 digital certificate is available on My Health Record.

Your COVID-19 test results may also be added to your My Health Record, depending on the healthcare organisation that did the test.

Every eligible Australian has a My Health Record unless they have chosen not to have one ('opting out').

To access your My Health Record, you first need to link it to your MyGov account. See 'How do I access My Health Record?' below.

If you are new to Australia, a My Health Record will be created for you when you register for Medicare. You can indicate on the Medicare enrolment form if you don't want a My Health Record.

If you opted out or deleted your My Health Record, you can register for a new My Health Record at any time. You can do this:

• online by linking the My Health Record service to myGov. If you don't have a myGov account, you will need to create one first.
• by phone — call 1800 723 471
• by asking your healthcare provider to help you

Use these online resources from ADHA to learn more about accessing, and managing, your My Health Record.

People who are not eligible for Medicare can register for a My Health Record once they have an individual healthcare identifier (IHI).

You can request an IHI from Services Australia.

Find out more about getting a My Health Record without a Medicare or Department of Veterans' Affairs card.

You need to have a myGov account to access your My Health Record.

Log in to myGov online and link your My Health Record by selecting it from the 'Link My Services' list. You can also use this link to create a myGov account if you don't already have one.

Once you have linked your My Health Record, you can access your records online. You can upload, view, add and manage your health information securely from any device. You can also view your information using a mobile app.

Find out more about apps you can use to view and edit your My Health Record.

If you don't have internet access, you can call the My Health Record helpline on 1800 723 471. The helpline will let you access your information. Helpline staff can tell you which documents are in your My Health Record. They can't tell you about any health information contained in the documents.

My Health Record is managed by ADHA on behalf of the Australian Government. Healthdirect provides this information as general guidance only.

• To manage your record — for help linking your record to myGov, changing access settings, viewing your access history, or cancelling your record, call the My Health Record helpline on 1800 723 471 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) or visit my.gov.au.
• For general health information or advice — including how to use this and other Healthdirect content, call Healthdirect on 1800 022 222.

For more information or to cancel your record, go to the My Health Record page. You can also call 1800 723 471, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you decide to cancel your My Health Record, all information will be permanently deleted. This includes all backup information.

You can read more about My Health Record privacy controls and how to make complaints on the Office of The Australian Information Commissioner website.

Consumers Health Forum of Australia has developed several resources to help Australians understand and use My Health Record.

Do you prefer to read in languages other than English?

Find information in your language about My Health Record. To view other languages, select your language from the Languages drop down menu in the title bar.

You can also call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450 and they will connect you to My Health Record.

Looking for information for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people?

The national authority in Aboriginal primary healthcare provides information on how you can use My Health Record. They also provide storybooks on how to log in, who can see your records and other important information.