13 May 2026
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Using data to strengthen Indigenous health care
EMPHN’s Indigenous Health Report is designed to give general practices a clear, practice‑level snapshot of their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patient population.
The report brings together key data in one place, including demographics, data quality, clinical profile, Shared Health Summary uploads, hospitalisation risk, MyMedicare registration and more.
Practices can use the report to monitor progress on Quality Improvement (QI) activities and identify practical opportunities to strengthen Indigenous health care.
Read on to hear from two EMPHN catchment general practice clinics on how they used the report to guide QI activity and support better outcomes for their practice and patients.
Both practices highlight the value of having clear, practice‑specific data to guide QI activity. While their focus areas differed, the EMPHN Indigenous Health Report helped each team identify where to start, test changes, and put systems in place to support ongoing improvement in Indigenous health care.
EMPHN general practice spotlight – Get Well Clinic
Get Well Clinic Practice Manager Jennifer Charles and 2IC Louise Lott supported EMPHN by trialling both the report and the associated Quality Improvement (QI) activity.
Their feedback, along with that of other participating practices, played an important role in refining the report and resources to ensure they are practical and fit for use in busy general practice settings.
Using the EMPHN Indigenous Health Report and the QI activity, the team at Get Well Clinic identified two immediate focus areas:
- Increasing Indigenous Health Checks
- Improving information sharing through My Health Record by uploading Shared Health Summaries and participating in the Practice Incentives Program (eHealth Incentive)
The clinic also reviewed and streamlined how Indigenous Health Checks were offered and completed. By embedding the process into everyday workflows and using their existing reminder system, the team made it easier to identify eligible patients and follow through over time.
Between February and April, the clinic completed 13 Indigenous Health Checks and began uploading Shared Health Summaries to My Health Record. To support consistent use, nurses also undertook training on the system.
Throughout this activity, the practice recognised the importance of clear, practice‑specific data to guide QI activity. The EMPHN Indigenous Health Report helped Jennifer and Louise to identify key focus areas, test changes, and put systems in place to support ongoing improvement in Indigenous health care.
“The changes implemented in these two focus areas helped support more connected care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients who may travel for services by improving the availability of key clinical information when it was needed.”
Get Well Clinic – Practice Manager, Jennifer Charles
Get Well Clinic – 2IC, Louise Lott
EMPHN general practice spotlight – Yarra Valley Clinic
Practice Nurses Brittany Zubov and Jana Compton, who share the Practice Manager role at Yarra Valley Clinic, also took part in trialling the Quality Improvement (QI) activity using the EMPHN Indigenous Health Report.
By reviewing their data from the report, the team quickly identified a few practical focus areas:
- Increasing Indigenous Health Checks
- Registering eligible patients for MyMedicare
- Uploading a Shared Health Summary to My Health Record when completing an Indigenous Health Check
Using POLAR and Husky, the clinic generated a list of eligible patients. Patients were then contacted by phone or flagged in Best Practice if they already had an appointment booked. The same list was also used to add reminders to patient files, supporting follow‑up over time and helping to embed the changes into routine practice.
Along the way, the team identified several key learnings that helped guide their approach:
- Building staff confidence and capability to complete Indigenous Health Checks, including navigating sensitive questions
- Confirming the correct Indigenous Health Check templates were being used in Best Practice
- Ensuring staff understood which MBS item numbers to bill
- Planning for sustainability by using reminders to support ongoing follow‑up
- Making sure all clinical staff knew how to upload a Shared Health Summary to My Health Record
- The Health Checks also helped identify and follow up health issues that may not have been picked up during a standard consultation.
Between February and March, the clinic completed 11 Indigenous Health Checks and plans to continue, now that patient files have been flagged for follow‑up.
GPs at the practice are also now uploading Shared Health Summaries to My Health Record – a task that had previously been completed only by Practice Nurses.
The activity reinforced the value of having clear, practice‑specific data to inform QI efforts. Using the EMPHN Indigenous Health Report, Brittany and Jana were able to identify priorities, trial changes, and put systems in place to support continued improvement in Indigenous health care.
“Having the report made it easier to see where to focus, and the reminders in Best Practice have helped us keep the work going.”
Yarra Valley Clinic – Practice Nurse + Practice Manager, Brittany Zubov
Yarra Valley Clinic – Practice Nurse + Practice Manager, Jana Compton
Learn more about the EMPHN Indigenous Health Report
Practices interested in further details on the report can contact EMPHN Digital health team at digitalhealth@emphn.org.au.
EMPHN offer various Indigenous Health Quality Improvement (QI) resources to assist you with learning more about the report, including a QI toolkit to support implementation.
