Monday, May 21, 2012

PCEHR


The Melbourne East GP Network is one of three large GP divisions selected to develop the foundations of the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) project. 
 
As a Wave 1 Lead Implementation Site, the Melbourne East GP Network is responsible for developing some key functionality upon which the national PCEHR system will be based.

Marianne Shearer, CEO, Melbourne East General Practice Network talks to eHealthspace.org editor Mark Jones about being a Wave 1 Lead implementation site.
 
The Summary Health Record
The main objective of a Wave 1 Lead Implementation site is to develop a Summary Health Record which will contain an overview of key health information that has been contributed to by all healthcare providers directly involved in a patient’s health management. 
 
Specifically the Summary Health Record will contain: 
 
  • the problem/diagnosis – why the patient presented to the GP
  • medications - a list of the current medications being taken by the patient
  • alerts/allergies – a list of all current alerts (eg.pacemakers) and/or allergies that impact the management of the patient’s health outcomes
  • attached documents – documents directly related to the patient’s treatment eg. Pathology results, enduring power of attorney.

How does the Summary Health Record work?
When a patient requests a Summary Health Record they will be asked to complete a consent authority and nominate a primary healthcare provider. It is strongly recommended that this be the patient’s regular GP.
 
Once the Summary Health Record has been created other health providers can have access in accordance with the consent conditions specified by the patient.
 
NOTE: A Summary Health Record is not a duplication of the information held in the healthcare provider’s medical software. Information in the Summary Health Record will provide all healthcare providers an overview of the specific health management strategies being used to achieve positive health outcomes for the patient.
 
Who can access a Summary Health Record?
The Summary Health Record can only be accessed by registered healthcare providers who have been authorised by the patient.
 
GPs will be able to access the Summary Health Record via software that is integrated with each clinic’s medical software.
 
The Summary Healthcare Record is not available to the patient at this time, however, this may be functionality introduced as part of the national rollout.
 
Healthcare Identifiers
Medicare Australia is responsible for operating the Healthcare Identifiers Service which oversees the allocation three of healthcare identifier types:
 
  • IHI (Individual Healthcare Identifier): for patients receiving healthcare services
  • HPI-I (Healthcare Provider Identifier–Individual): for healthcare providers involved in providing patient care
  • HPI-O (Healthcare Provider Identifier–Organisation): for the organisation (eg General Practice) where healthcare is provided.
 
Why do we need Healthcare Identifiers?
Healthcare Identifiers provide the mechanism to enable patients’ healthcare organisations and healthcare providers to be uniquely identified. A Summary Health Record cannot be accessed unless all three identifiers have been verified by a process automatically executed by the software/portal.
 
Is a Healthcare Identifier a health record?
No, Healthcare Identifiers are not health records. The information held by Healthcare Identifiers Service (Medicare) is limited to basic demographic information such as name and date of birth, which is necessary to uniquely identify individuals and providers.
 
Finding my Individual Healthcare Identifier(IHI)
Individuals don’t really need to know their IHI is, but if you do want to know it you can ring Medicare on 1300 361 457. They will be able to provide you with your sixteen digit number subject to you providing specific demographic and Medicare card information.
 
Individual Healthcare Providers
If you are a registered healthcare provider with AHPRA (Australian Healthcare Practitioner Regulation Authority), you can login to your account using your user id and password (this would have been included in your registration documentation). 
 
If you have forgotten your login details, contact AHPRA on 1300 419 495 and they will advise you of your User ID and will reset your password.