THE federal Government's main health reform advisory body has set a target date of 2012 by which it says every Australian should be able to have their own electronic health record.
In one of its most definitive statements, the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission said yesterday that any electronic health record should be under the control of individual patients, instead of doctors.
It also called on the federal Government to take steps to enable health records to be introduced. These steps include introducing unique personal health identifiers - code numbers for each individual - by July next year. Medicare numbers are not suitable for this purpose because entire families can be included on one Medicare card.
The NHHRC said the Government should legislate to protect the privacy of information on a health record, while enabling doctors, nurses and health workers authorised to care for the patient to access the details.