OK good folk of the forum, what do you think?As people with a complex health issue, with multiple specialists, this is something that directly impacts us, and could benefit us greatly (memory issues anyone?!).However there's privacy issues (any government department can access it without your knowledge), identity theft, insurance denial, employment issues etc.I just asked my GP about it today and she is officially undecided. She said get back to me on that one, the practice is having a meeting about it tomorrow!To opt out or not, that is the question. Would love to hear your thoughts.

I've opted out on principle. There have been so many IT stuff-ups in this country (let's start with the census). Apart from that, even the federal health minister doesn't know how it's going to operate. Yes, (contrary to his beliefs) the police can demand access to it without a warrant, it seems. Is it accessible if you're overseas? They don't know yet. So many unanswered questions. At my age, I care little who knows what about my health history; but for young people, it could be used against them for employment reasons, if it's not secure.

Prof Kerryn Phelps was talking about this on Radio National this morning and has had a bit to say about the legislation on Twitter.Prof Kerryn Phelps AM‏ @drkerrynphelps 11m11 minutes ago More Copy link to TweetEmbed TweetProf Kerryn Phelps AM Retweeted Louise SmithThe opt-out period is the next three months. You can wait to see what the Minister @GregHuntMP decides next week. If you are not happy with the privacy settings on this legislation, you can opt out, knowing you can opt in at any time in the future.As a previous president of the AMA, and a fairly sensible woman, I think she has a fair idea what she is talking about. Her concerns were mainly the amount of agencies who could request personal and currently private information, such as GP notes, without a warrant or court order by contacting the regulator, currently the Australian Digital Health Agency, and putting forward a 'reasonable' argument. The decision to release the information would then be made, without the patients consent, by a public servant. That's uncomfortable enough, but if the Agency was ever privatised (never say never about that) it's possible those decisions would be made by a corporate entity. That's really uncomfortable. The model has changed considerably since the idea was conceived in 2012--back then it was to be controlled by the patient. It seems we cant be trusted with that. Ironic, no?Her feeling is that GPs may stage a revolt and refuse to upload information that they consider sensitive unless the privacy concerns are addressed which could put them at risk of professional sanctions. She's also worried about the push by the health insurance companies to have access. That huge amount of data, the health records of potentially 25 million people, is a very valuable piece of kit. Money being the root of all evil (or route if you feel like being literal) nothing should be taken for granted. I think the legislation would have to be tightened considerably for me to be comfortable with it. The cynic in me is also concerned about changes in legislation as time passes which may not be in the individuals best interests.This story will go on for a while, but the more I'm hearing, the less I like it. There is still more than enough time to make a decision and, as Prof Phelps points out, you can always opt in later.

Everyone is 'in' unless you 'opt out'. As I understand it - your GP can't make the decision on your behalf.Personally, I don't trust the Govt as being smarter than the hackers.You should be able go online & use your centrelink/whatever log in to change that.

I'll probably not opt out but I might if I were younger, if half the world hadn't already got access to my medical records or (sorry, not my intention to alarm) if I had mental health issues. I don't care if employers have access to my physical health records, given the unsolicited approaches I get my details would appear to be well and truly circulated. But while it might helpmedical practitioners to share information about my mental and emotional state, I would be concerned about any leakage elsewhere. That sort of info wouldn't be on offer until this scheme is well established and some evaluation available.

I like the idea of everything being held centrally but for me too many unknowns about who will have access so I opted out at the weekend.

My Health Record | BCNA Online Network

54 Replies

Blossom1961
Member
7 years ago
I’m in, but only because I like to travel and when we did the Aust loop it was a pain each time I needed to see a doctor and had to give them my health history. Hubby on the other hand will probably opt for out because he likes to tick yes in the box that asks if he is pregnant every time he has to see a new dr.
kezmusc
Member
7 years ago
I stayed in just to see what it says. Not much there but prescriptions. Even the chemo scripts, but nothing else. I'll keep an eye on it and see where it goes. If I don't like what I see or who is accessing it, I'll shut it down. Can't see that it would be very interesting to most people.
iserbrown
Member
7 years ago
I stayed in, my history was needed recently! I am pleased that the information is there to assess my situation - we're all different in our views - no right or wrong in this
Doin_it
Member
7 years ago
I opted out ages ago
Kiwi_Angel
Member
7 years ago
Im out. I think in theory it’s a good idea but I don’t trust it not to get hacked.
Afraser
Member
7 years ago
I'm in - it is a good idea badly stuffed up but I've always leant towards stirring from within! It can be improved and users can drive that improvement.
Kattykit
Member
7 years ago
I'm in, I'm not likely to be overlooked for any job and who would want the health records of a person with stage 4 cancer, but might be out of state and need a hospital or other doc to be able to access my health records if I'm not able to give the info needed for whatever reason.
Flaneuse
Member
7 years ago
I'm out. A good initial idea badly stuffed up, I think.
kmakm
Member
7 years ago
I'm in.
arpie
Member
7 years ago
My personal theory is: If they can't even run census without it being hacked - how can they guarantee your info isn't safe from those outside the medical profession?

I opted out months ago.

There is regular illegal accessing of police records (licence details, convictions, accident reports) when bribes are offered to staff members on behalf of employers or insurance companies .......

The same could happen with the medical records. It could be the reason for insurance claims being knocked back, or the reason you don't get that job that you are perfectly suited for.