What is My Health Record?

My Health Record is a secure digital record of your health information.

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 can’t leave the house and are having 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.

What’s added to My Health Record?

My Health Record can store your:

• shared health summary (from your doctor)
• current medicines and prescriptions (scripts)
• referral letters
• allergies (including past adverse reactions)
• immunisation history (including routine childhood immunisations)
• test and scan reports — such as ultrasound scans or x-rays
• pathology reports — such as blood test results
• hospital discharge 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’) or contact details of your advance care custodian
• emergency contact details
• personal health notes

My Health Record can also show whether you:

• identify as an Aboriginal and/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.

Why should I have a My Heath Record?

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. These can be difficult to keep track of. Access to all that information in My Health Record will help give your baby the best start in life.

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
• allergies
• other health issues

You can also add details of your child’s developmental milestones.

Once your child turns 14, they can control 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. You can find all the information you need. You can find:

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

You won’t need to carry all your health documents such as prescriptions (scripts).

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

You can add your advance care planning document to your My Health Record. You can also add contact details of your advance care document custodian. 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. This can be helpful if you can’t communicate. It will allow healthcare providers to know who to contact in an emergency.

Is My Health Record secure?

The Australian Government 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 providers 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 by:

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

Does My Health Record help with COVID-19 vaccinations?

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 change this in your settings if you choose.

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

Your COVID-19 test results can also be added to your My Health Record. This can depend on the healthcare organisation that conducted the test.

How do I get a My Health Record?

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.

Can I get a My Health Record if I don’t have Medicare?

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 here.

How do I access My Health Record?

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.

Go here for information about other apps authorised to connect with My Health Record.