EVERY Australian as of this week can choose not to have an online summary of their health information created, but Australia\u2019s peak body for rural and remote health is urging people to remain part of the scheme.<\/p>\n
A \u201cMy Health Record\u201d will automatically be created for all Australians by the end of this year, unless they opt out.<\/p>\n
The opt-out period began on Monday and runs until October 15, and National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA) chief executive officer Mark Diamond has implored people to embrace the scheme.<\/p>\n
\u201cSimply put, My Health Record can save lives,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAustralians living in rural and remote areas are more likely to end up in an emergency department from from a heart attack, car accident or diabetic coma,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they\u2019re unconscious, and the medical team doesn\u2019t have access to their health history, the team may not be able to provide life-saving care.\u201d<\/p>\n
There has been some criticism about My Health Record, including that it cannot be relied upon as a clinical record, it creates a security risk, and that the scheme should have asked people to opt in, not opt out.<\/p>\n
In an article for The Conversation, Monash University lecturer in software engineering Robert Merkel wrote the introduction of My Health Record had \u201cserious privacy implications\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe combination of improved access to records and less-than-perfect information security practices in the health sector is likely, in my view, to increase the risk of privacy breaches.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Diamond said the NRHA was satisfied that the Australian Digital Health Agency \u201cwas using the most robust security measures to safeguard people\u2019s health records, and the risk associated with My Health Record is small\u201d.<\/p>\n
Corangamite federal member Sarah Henderson said My Health Record was optional.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome medical professionals are saying very clearly that having access to a patient\u2019s history can really help with the treatment of a person, but at the end of the day, this is a very much a matter of individual choice, and the Turnbull Government respects that choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
To opt out, head to myhealthrecord.gov.au\/foryou- your-family\/opt-out-my-health-record.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
EVERY Australian as of this week can choose not to have an online summary of their health information created, but Australia\u2019s peak body for rural and remote health is urging people to remain part of the scheme. A \u201cMy Health Record\u201d will automatically be created for all Australians by the end of this year, unless […]<\/p>\n