Requirement 1 - Integrating Healthcare Identifiers into Electronic Practice Records

The intent of this Requirement is to make Healthcare Identifiers available for Secure Message Delivery and for use in the personally controlled electronic health (eHealth) record.

The Federal, state and territory governments have developed a national Healthcare Identifiers Service (HI Service) which uniquely identifies healthcare providers and individuals who seek healthcare. Medicare Australia is the operator of the HI Service. The HI Service will give individuals and Healthcare Providers confidence that the right health information is associated with the right individual at the point of care.

The HI Service allocates three types of healthcare identifiers:

  • Individual Healthcare Identifier (IHI) - Allocated to individuals enrolled in the Medicare program or those who are issued with a Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) treatment card and others who seek healthcare in Australia.
  • Healthcare Provider Identifier – Individual (HPI-I) - Allocated to healthcare providers involved in providing patient care.
  • Healthcare Provider Identifier – Organisation (HPI-O) - Allocated to organisations that deliver healthcare (such as hospitals and medical practices)

    Pracsoft and Clinical have been enhanced to interface with the HI service, and can interact with the HI service in real-time, retrieving and then storing a patient's IHI in the system.

  • The Practice: Each registered practice must apply for an HPI-O (Healthcare Provider Identifier- Organisation) number, which must be entered in the associated field within the practice's details.
  • Practitioners: Each registered practitioner must apply for an HPI-I (Healthcare Provider Identifier-Individual) number, which must be entered in the associated field within the practitioner's details.
  • Patients: Each registered patient will be provided with an IHI (Individual Healthcare Identifier) number, which is automatically retrieved and entered into the associated field within the patient's details.

    Before you begin integrating Healthcare Identifiers in both Clinical and Pracsoft

    Obtain the following information:

  • Ensure your practice is accredited with RACGP for PIP. For more information on accreditation: https://www.racgp.org.au/running-a-practice/practice-standards/standards-5th-edition/accreditation
  • Obtain a HPI-O. For information, visit the Medicare for Healthcare Professionals web site http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/provider/health-identifier/index.jsp#N10097
  • Obtain a HPI-I. For information, visit the Medicare for Healthcare Professionals site http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/provider/health-identifier/index.jsp#N1012B
  • Obtain a PKI certificate/s
    PKI Certificate Where to obtain PKI Certificate Supported inMD/PS Version PIP Incentive Requirement
    HI Service PKI Certificate

    HI Signing Certificate

    HI Encryption Certificate

    If you already have a PKI certificate for Online Claiming in Pracsoft, you can update by applying to include access to the HI Service.

    		 http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/provider/health-identifier/index.jsp#N10271 Clinical/PS 3.12.1b

    or later.

    		 Requirement 1
    National Authentication Service for Health (NASH) PKI certificate

    Secure Messaging Delivery (SMD)

    My Health Record

    		 http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/provider/vendors/pki/index.jsp#N1007A Clinical 3.14d Requirement 2 (SMD) Requirement 5 (My Health Record)

    For more information, please consult the following guides, available from the MedicalDirector eHealth Site at http://www.hcn.com.au/ehealth