myHealth Record to trial opt-out approach

Minister for Health Sussan Ley today announced that the Abbott Government will redevelop the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) system set up under the previous Labor Federal Government. The new approach called myHealth Record will trial an opt-out, rather than opt-in, approach as part of a $485 million budget package to develop a national electronic medical records system. 

Less-than one-in-ten Australians are currently signed up to the PCEHR system, which is opt-in, with an independent review last year finding this was not a large enough sample to make it an effective national system or worth the time and effort for patients and doctors using it.