Healthcare Identifiers FAQs

The National e-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) has published a set of Frequently Asked Questions about the Healthcare Identifiers system that is expected to be introduced progressively from 1 July, assuming that the legislation goes through the Federal Parliament this month.

To view the e-Health ID Services FAQs click here.

NEHTA explains that the identifiers are required because "in order to effectively connect the ‘islands of information’ held by different e-health systems, these systems must be able to confidently and uniquely identify individuals, healthcare providers and healthcare provider organisations. This is to ensure the right information is assigned to the right person at the right place and at the right time".

Medicare Australia will administer the e-Health ID system and NEHTA will perform a quality control and audit role.

e-Health ID Services are made up of three separate identification services;

1. Individual Healthcare Identifier (IHI) will identify individuals (patients)
2. Healthcare Provider Identifier – Individual (HPI-I) will identify individual healthcare providers (e.g. dentists) using a 16 digit number
3. Healthcare Provider Identifier – Organisation (HPI-O) will identify facilities that provide healthcare services (e.g. dental practices, corporations or public services).

The initial group of healthcare providers who are expected to be issued with identifiers includes general practitioners, specialists, public hospitals and pharmacies. Dentists are expected to be in the second batch of healthcare providers to be issued with their numbers via a cooperative relationship between Medicare Australia and the registration boards.