What is My Health Record?

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

This information might include details of your medical conditions and treatments, medicines you take, your allergies, and test or scan results. Your healthcare providers, such as doctors, specialists and hospital staff, 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, which includes immunisations information from the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).

You can download your immunisation history statement or COVID-19 digital certificate if you need proof of vaccinations — including COVID-19 vaccinations.

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

Accessible from anywhere, My Health Record can help you in emergencies or when you’re travelling. 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 or cancelled their record.

What’s added to My Health Record?

My Health Record can store your:

• shared health summary (from your GP)
• current medicines and prescriptions
• referral letters
• allergies (including past adverse reactions)
• immunisation history (including routine childhood immunisations)
• test and scan reports — from, for example, ultrasound scans or x-rays
• pathology reports — such as blood test results
• hospital discharge information
• Medicare and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) claims history
• Indigenous status
• Veterans’ or Australian Defence Force status
• 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
• child’s development and health information
• personal health notes

Your My Health Record doesn't replace any of your existing health records, or the 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. Ask your GP to add a summary of your medical history to your My Health Record next time you see them.

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 so they can give you the best care — whichever stage of life you’re in.

During pregnancy and childhood

During pregnancy, you may see many healthcare providers and have various tests and scans, which can be difficult to keep track of. Access to all that information will 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. Babies develop quickly, and healthcare providers can update your child’s record with immunisations, any possible allergies and more. You can also add details of your child’s milestone developments.

Once a child turns 14, they can control their own My Health Record. They can give access to their parents or another trusted person if they wish to help them manage it.

Later in life

My Health Record is available wherever you go, so you don’t need to remember previous appointment or test dates, medicine names or dosages, or carry health documents such as prescriptions.

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

You can add your advance care planning document to your My Health Record or the contact details of your advance care document custodian. If you are unable to make decisions for yourself, an authorised representative can be appointed to manage your My Health Record on your behalf.

In an emergency

In a medical emergency, healthcare providers can give you better care quickly if they can see your, or your child’s, My Health Record.

You can add emergency contact details to your record so, if you can’t communicate, healthcare providers know who to contact in an emergency situation.

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, or your child’s, My Health Record. This protects your health information from misuse.

All documents in My Health Record are set to ‘general access’ for healthcare providers by default. This means that any providers involved in your care can see this 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. If you want to restrict access, you can set a record access code or limited document access code. You can also set SMS or email notifications so you know when certain information is added to your record, or 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 passphrase 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 to 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 — unless you change this in your settings.

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

COVID-19 test results can also be added to your My Health Record, depending 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 do not want one.

If you opted out of having a My Health Record, or deleted your previous 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 and choose Option 1
• by asking your healthcare provider to help you

Watch this video from the Australian Digital Health Agency to learn more about accessing, and managing, your My Health Record.

How do 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 DVA (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. (Use this link to create a myGov account if you don’t already have one.)

Once you've linked your My Health Record, you can upload, view and add or manage your health information securely online 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.

If you don't have internet access, you can call the My Health Record helpline on 1800 723 471 to access your information. Helpline staff can tell you which documents are in your My Health Record but not what each document contains.

Where can I get more information?

For more information, or to cancel your My Health Record, go to the My Health Record page on digitalhealth.gov.au or call 1800 723 471.

If you decide to cancel your My Health Record, all information — including any backups — will be permanently deleted.

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