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Pathology results in My Health Record, explained

How to see a parent's My Health Record

You help look after a parent, and their test results are landing in My Health Record. There are two official ways to get access. Which one fits depends on whether your parent can still make their own decisions.

Two kinds of representative

Either way, you must act in line with your parent's will and preferences, or what they would most likely want.

  • Nominated representative: your parent invites you into their record so you can view it or help manage it. They choose how much you can see and do, and can change it at any time.
  • Authorised representative: someone who manages the record of a person 14 or older who lacks the capacity to make their own decisions. This could be a carer, family member, legal guardian or someone with enduring power of attorney.

If your parent can decide: they invite you

Your parent needs My Health Record linked to their myGov account. They send the invitation from their side.

  1. Your parent signs in to myGov and opens My Health Record from their linked services.
  2. They choose their record, open the Privacy & Access tab and select My Representatives.
  3. They select Invite someone, enter your name and choose your level of access.
  4. They receive a Personal Access Code. They give you that code and their date of birth.

Accepting the invitation

You need your own myGov account. The code works once and lasts 30 days. If it expires or gets lost, your parent can create a new one.

  1. Sign in to myGov.
  2. If you have not linked My Health Record yet, choose to link it and select Use my access code. If you already have it linked, open My Health Record and choose to access or create a record for someone else, then enter a code.
  3. Enter the Personal Access Code, plus your parent's family name and date of birth.
  4. Read the participation information, tick I agree and continue. Your parent's name now shows on your welcome screen.

The three levels of access

Even with full access, a nominated representative cannot invite anyone else, change other representatives, change Medicare information or cancel the record. To move someone from general or restricted access to full access, your parent removes them and invites them again.

  • General access: can view all documents except ones your parent has marked restricted. Cannot add information.
  • Restricted access: can view all documents, including restricted ones. Cannot add information.
  • Full access: can view all documents and add information to the record.

If your parent cannot decide: apply as authorised representative

You fill in the form to apply to be a dependant's authorised representative, available from the Australian Digital Health Agency website. You send evidence of your relationship with your parent and evidence that they cannot make decisions for themselves.

Once the application is processed you receive a code to open their record online. An authorised representative has complete access and control of the record and does not need their own My Health Record. For help with the form, call 1800 723 471.

Call 000 in an emergency. For health advice at any hour, call healthdirect on 1800 022 222 (NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). For questions about what your results mean for you, talk to your GP.

Keep your reports in one place

Take a photo or screenshot of your pathology report, or upload the PDF, and Vita explains each number in plain words, suggests what to ask your GP, and keeps it with your past results. Vita does not connect to My Health Record or any Australian health record system. Hospital connections work with US hospitals, not Australian ones.

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Questions

Can my parent take my access away later?

Yes. Your parent can change your access level or remove you at any time from My Representatives in the Privacy & Access tab.

Can I ask for a test report not to be uploaded for my parent?

Yes. An authorised or nominated representative can ask the healthcare provider not to upload a particular report on the person's behalf.

What if my parent gets their capacity back?

If a person 14 or older can show they have regained capacity, all authorised representatives are removed from their record. They need a letter from a medical practitioner or psychologist and then call the help line.

Who can I call for help?

The My Health Record help line is 1800 723 471. It can help with invitations, codes and authorised representative applications.

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Sources

General information, not medical advice. VitaMedas is not connected with any government health service. Vita Health Coach explains; it never diagnoses. In an emergency, call 000. Read the medical disclaimer.