The North Coast Primary Health Network's My Health Record team is hosting a series of information sessions at the Port Macquarie Library.

The first is on Tuesday, July 24.

The community will have a My Health Record by the end of 2018 unless they choose not to.

My Health Record is an individual’s safe and secure digital health information which already provides significant benefits for more than 5.9 million Australians. 

These include fewer adverse drug events, avoided hospital admissions, reduced duplication of diagnostic tests, better coordination of care for people seeing multiple healthcare providers, and better informed treatment decisions.

About 6.46 million clinical documents and over 21 million medication prescriptions and dispense records have already been uploaded to people’s My Health Records. 

Some 12,860 healthcare professional organisations are connected, including general practices, hospitals, pharmacies, diagnostic imaging and pathology practices.

Healthcare providers can add clinical documents including: shared health summaries, hospital discharge summaries, diagnostic and imaging reports including blood tests and x-rays results, medications prescribed and dispensed, and e-referrals.

Australians can manage privacy and control access to their My Health Record including what information gets uploaded and who has access such as family members, carers and healthcare providers.

Allowing 24/7 access from anywhere with an internet connection, a major benefit is practitioners being able to spend more time with the patient and less time chasing other practitioners for relevant information. 

Having a My Health Record while travelling interstate or in an emergency is a noticeable advantage.

My Health Record has multilayered and strong safeguards in place to protect individual information including encryption, firewalls, secure login, authentication mechanisms and audit logging.

By the end of 2018, a My Health Record will be created for every Australian, unless they choose not to have one. 

If people choose not to have a My Health Record, they will be able to opt out October 15, 2018 via either www.myhealthrecord.gov.au or phoning 1800 723 471.

The information sessions are at the library on Tuesday July 24, August 8, and September 4, from from 9.30am until 12.30pm. A fourth information session on October 13 is from 9.30am until noon.

Contact the North Coast Primary Health Network for more information, enquiries@ncphn.org.au or 6618 5400.