Healthcare Identifiers Act
The Healthcare Identifiers Act establishes a national system for consistently identifying consumers and healthcare providers.
The objective is that healthcare identifiers for individuals and providers will be used as part of a national electronic health records system to improve safety for patients and increase efficiency for healthcare providers.
The Healthcare Identifiers Service will be operated by Medicare Australia.
Its functions include:
- assigning, collecting and maintaining identifiers for individuals, individual healthcare providers and organisations by using information already held by Medicare Australia for its existing functions;
- collecting information from individuals and other data sources;
- developing and maintaining mechanisms for users to access their own records and correct or update details;
- using and disclosing healthcare identifiers and associated personal information,for the purposes of operating the Healthcare Identifiers Service; and
- disclosing healthcare identifiers for other purposes set out in the Act.
The Act sets out the permitted purposes for which healthcare identifiers may be used or disclosed and the offences relating to the misuse of healthcare identifiers and penalties for breaches of the legislation.
The Federal Privacy Commissioner will provide independent regulation of how healthcare identifiers are handled and the operation of the Healthcare Identifiers Service. This will include handling complaints against Medicare Australia.
Posted 1st August 2010
by admin
in legislation
Healthcare Identifiers
The Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs has recommended the passing of the Healthcare Identifiers Bill 2010 and the Healthcare Identifiers (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2010. (Download report here)
Posted 16th March 2010
by David Jacobson
in legislation
Health insurance reform bills re-introduced
On 19 November 2009 the Government re-introduced its reform package:
The Explanatory Memoranda are here, here and here.
UPDATE: The Bills were defeated by a majority vote in the Senate on 24 February 2010.
Posted 20th November 2009
by David Jacobson
in legislation
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Health service providers are not credit providers
In L v Health Service Provider [2009] PrivCmrA 15 a patient complained to the Privacy Commissioner when his payment default for health services was listed in his consumer credit information file. While the complainant had failed to pay for the medical procedure, the Commissioner considered the health service provider did not have a sufficient credit relationship with the complainant, and was not a credit provider in accordance with Determination No. 2006-2.
The Commissioner formed the view that the health service provider had interfered with the complainant’s privacy by listing a payment default when it was not a credit provider in respect of the debt. In response to the complainant’s claim that the payment default prevented them from obtaining finance, the health service provider apologised, removed the payment default, and ceased its practice of reporting overdue accounts to a credit reporting agency. The complainant also accepted a confidential financial settlement.
Posted 20th November 2009
by David Jacobson
in legal
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Health Insurance Act 1973 updated
ComLaw has published a consolidated Health Insurance Act 1973 which includes the latest amendments.
Posted 21st October 2009
by David Jacobson
in legislation
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Private Health Insurance Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2009
The Private Health Insurance Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2009 is currently before Parliament.
It allows for the conditional listing of prostheses in the Private Health Insurance (Prostheses) Rules (Prostheses Rules) and requires the Minister for Health and Ageing to make rules specifying criteria for listing prostheses in the Prostheses Rules.
The Parliamentary Library has published a digest of the Bill here.
Posted 20th October 2009
by David Jacobson
in legislation
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New PHIAC governance standards to commence 1 January 2010
The Private Health Insurance (Insurer Obligations) Rules 2009 repeal the Private Health Insurance (Insurer Obligations) Rules 2007 and establish prudential standards for private health insurers that set minimum requirements for the governance arrangements of private health insurers, specify appointed actuary requirements of private health insurers and detail reporting and notification requirements for private health insurers.
The new Rules commence on 1 January 2010.
The Governance Standards are set out in Schedule 1.
Posted 12th October 2009
by David Jacobson
in governance
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Fairer Private Health Insurance Incentives Bill 2009 defeated in Senate
ABC News reports that the Government intends to re-introduce the Fairer Private Health Insurance Incentives Bill 2009 in 3 months after its defeat in the Senate on 9 September.
Posted 11th September 2009
by David Jacobson
in governance
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Senate report on private health insurance changes
The Senate Community Affairs Committee has tabled its report titled “Fairer Private Health Insurance Incentives Bill 2009 and two related bills“
Posted 6th August 2009
by David Jacobson
in legislation
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National Health Act updated
ComLaw has issued a consolidated National Health Act containing the latest amendments relating to the provision of pharmaceutical, sickness and hospital benefits, and of medical and dental services.
Posted 2nd August 2009
by David Jacobson
in legislation
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