If you have a question about the eHealth Network that is not included below, please submit your question online.
What will be included in an eHealth Network record about me?
If you choose to be part of the eHealth Network, then a doctor from your Nominated Practice will create what is called a shared health summary. This is a record which includes important information about you like your medications, your allergies and any ongoing medical conditions you may have. This information helps other healthcare providers to identify the right treatment for you when you present with a new condition or illness.
Click on this link for an example of a shared health summary.
If you set up an eHealth Network record, then you can choose whether other records will be added to the eHealth Network record over time. These are summaries of what your treating clinicians think are important health events, discharge summaries when you leave hospital and letters between your doctor and specialists.
Over time, we also plan to be able to give you the choice to include test results and other health information to your eHealth Network record.
What will not be included in my eHealth Network record?
Your eHealth Network record is a collection of key health information which helps healthcare providers treat you. It is not a replacement for the record your doctor keeps about you in the surgery, and so it will not include things like the notes the doctor writes when talking to you, or your financial or payment information.
How do I get an eHealth Network record?
You will need to provide us with a
consent form which you will need to fill out.
How do I get access to my record?
Your nominated Medical Practice can provide you with a copy of your eHealth Network record. You can request a report of who has been accessing your eHealth Network record by contacting the eHealth Network Call Centre on 1800 697 234.
How do I set personal control settings?
You can contact the eHealth Network Call Centre on 1800 697 234 to set your personal control settings.
If you allow a healthcare provider to access your eHealth Network record, you are agreeing to them using your record for the following purposes:
- providing healthcare to you;
- training and educating staff, and planning the delivery of healthcare services; and
- reporting to us so that we can manage the eHealth Network and ensure the quality of service. We expect that this will usually be possible without identifying you or any other person.
How is my health information protected?
Your eHealth Network record will be stored in a secure computer facility where public health services also keep health information. The information collected for the eHealth Network will be kept on a separate machine from other information in the building, but will share the high level of physical protection at the facility.
We will also keep a copy of your information in another building like this in another State. We do this so that if there is a disaster (like a fire or a flood) we can continue to keep the eHealth Network up and running.
When your information is being transferred from the storage facility to healthcare providers involved in your care, we will use a secure connection to protect against interference with or interception of your information when it is being shared.
Once your information is received by a healthcare provider, they are required by the eHealth Network rules to put in place safeguards to protect your information.
We will also keep an audit log which records when someone accesses your eHealth Network record. You can get a copy of the audit log yourself by contacting the eHealth Network Call Centre on 1800 697 234.
What healthcare providers can join the eHealth Network?
The kinds of healthcare provider organisations which can ask to be part of the eHealth Network include general practices, hospitals, pharmacists, and aged care facilities. You can see a list of the member healthcare providers on this site.
What if I have any concerns about my eHealth Network record?
Please talk to us! We would like to help.
If you have any concerns about how your information is being handled or stored, we will ask you to raise them with the healthcare provider involved first. If you are still concerned after having that conversation, we ask you to contact the eHealth Network Call Centre on 1800 697 234 and we will investigate further. If you do notify us in this way, we will get back to you in writing within 30 days about the outcome of our investigation.
We will take your concerns seriously and explain what is happening to your information (and why) in plain English.
What if I want to withdraw from the eHealth Network?
You can choose to stop having an eHealth Network record at any time by contacting the eHealth Network Call Centre on 1800 697 234 and we will send you a form to complete. You can also download the
Withdrawal Form. This means that healthcare providers will no longer be able to access your information, but we will retain a copy of your eHealth Network record on our computer system to meet health record obligations in your State.
Who will have access to my eHealth Network record?
For day to day health matters, you can choose through your personal control settings to exclude healthcare providers from accessing some or all of your eHealth Network record. Healthcare providers who have joined the eHealth Network may access your eHealth Network record in a serious medical emergency.
You may nominate an authorised representative on your consent form. This person can act for you within the eHealth network, including giving consent for healthcare providers to access your eHealth Network record, accessing records, adding information and changing control settings.
Information which does not identify any individuals may also be used for health research purposes.
All eHealth Network staff are bound by privacy legislation to ensure your information remains confidential.
Under Australian law, there may be times when we are required or permitted to provide health information about you to other people, even where they are not included in your healthcare. These are the same rules which currently apply to the paper health record which is held at your doctor’s surgery. You can find out more information about this at
www.privacy.gov.au/faq/health.
What if I want more information?
The Commonwealth Government has provided funding for the development and implementation of the eHealth Network, as part of the National eHealth Strategy. You can find out more information about ehealth initiatives generally at:
