Site Changes

On 1 November 2010 the Office of the Privacy Commissioner was integrated into the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and a new website established at www.oaic.gov.au.

Note 1: Major changes to the Privacy Act 1988 will come into effect in March 2014. Agencies, businesses and not for profits need to start preparing for these changes. For more information go to our privacy law reform page at www.oaic.gov.au
Note 2: From 12 March 2013 content is no longer being added to, or amended, on this site, consequently some information may be out of date. For new privacy content visit the www.oaic.gov.au website.

Healthcare Identifiers

The Healthcare Identifiers Act 2010 (the HI Act) establishes the Healthcare Identifiers Service (the HI Service) and prescribes how healthcare identifiers will be assigned, how they can be used and disclosed. There are also Healthcare Identifier Regulations that expand on the requirements in the HI Act.

Healthcare providers can only access, use or disclose healthcare identifiers for the limited purposes set out in the HI Act. The main purpose is to communicate or manage health information as part of the provision of healthcare however there are several other purposes where healthcare identifiers can be used or disclosed including for the management and evaluation of healthcare and for approved research.

An individual healthcare identifier is a 16 digit number that is now issued by the HI Service to all individuals who receive healthcare in Australia. Healthcare providers and healthcare provider organisations also have a unique identifier.

The Office has oversight and compliance functions under the HI Act including investigating complaints about the mishandling of healthcare identifiers. In some cases the OAIC will have the power to investigate complaints against state or territory authorities, where the state or territory has not separately legislated to give that power to another body.

The HI Act does not affect existing privacy obligations that healthcare providers and other organisations have in relation to the handling of your health information.

More information:

See our FAQs on healthcare identifiers

Privacy fact sheet 13 – Healthcare identifiers: General information for healthcare providers

Privacy fact sheet 14 – Healthcare identifiers and the eHealth record system

Privacy agency resource 1 - Individual Healthcare Identifiers—Compliance obligations for state and territory healthcare providers

Privacy business resource 1 - Individual Healthcare Identifiers—Compliance obligations of private healthcare providers

Also see our information on the eHealth record system

Healthcare Identifier Service
enquiries line: 1300 361 457
email: healthcareidentifiers@humanservices.gov.au
website: For individuals: www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/medicare/healthcare-identifiers-service For health providers: www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/provider/health-identifier/index.jsp

National E-Health Transition Authority
website: www.ehealthinfo.gov.au/healthcare-identifiers