My Health Record – Better Faster Access to Health Information

Improving access to health information in My Health Record is at the heart of recent reforms to Australia’s digital health landscape. Historically, not all key health information was required to be uploaded, leaving gaps in a consumer’s record that potentially hampered care. The new ‘Sharing by Default’ legislation aims to modernise healthcare, delivering more timely and comprehensive information for providers and consumers alike.

These changes respond to recommendations from the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce Report and were announced in May 2023. The Australian Parliament then passed the Health Legislation Amendment (Modernising My Health Record – Sharing by Default) Bill 2024, setting out new requirements for providers.

Policy changes will complement this, to provide consumers with faster access to their pathology and diagnostic imaging reports.

There are two key components that will be introduced:

1. Faster access
   • Pathology: From mid-October 2025, most pathology results (see new test categories below) will be available for consumers to view in My Health Record or my health app immediately after they are uploaded. Previously, a 7-day delay was in place (with exceptions for specific tests such as COVID-19, respiratory infection tests, diabetes monitoring, and INR blood clot monitoring). For certain categories (including anatomical pathology, cytopathology, and genetic tests) results will be available to consumers after a 5-day delay, regardless of test outcome. View new test categories here.
   • Diagnostic imaging: From February 2026, consumers can immediately view x-ray reports for limbs (arms and legs) after upload. Other diagnostic imaging reports will be available after a 5-day delay, compared to the previous 7-day wait.
2. Better access
   • Sharing by default: Healthcare providers, starting with those delivering pathology and diagnostic imaging services, will be required to upload reports to My Health Record by default. In future, other types of reports or documents may be included in the upload requirement. The requirement to upload by default will not commence until legislative rules have been made setting out the obligations to do so. Exceptions apply where consumers or their representatives request that reports not be uploaded, where a reasonable concern for consumer, health, safety or wellbeing exists, or technical/system issues prevent upload. Evidence of exceptions must be retained for 2 years. These changes are expected to transition into effect throughout 2026.

For digital health support please contact digitalhealth@emphn.org.au.