With My Health Record on the cusp of growing beyond a ‘shoebox of PDFs’, the RACGP has updated its position statement on tests initiated by other clinicians.
The RACGP has quietly updated its position statement on how GPs should follow up on test results they did not personally initiate, as sharing by default legislation begins to have a positive effect.
In February, the government passed the Health Legislation Amendment (Modernising My Health Record – Sharing by Default) Bill 2024.
While the finer details of what information needs to be uploaded and who needs to upload it are yet to be revealed, the legislation broadly compels certain healthcare professionals to upload certain information to the My Health Record system.
Failing to do so will result in the Medicare benefit being withheld.
Already, pathology results and images are being uploaded to My Health Record “at a scale never seen before”, Australian Digital Health Agency chief digital officer Peter O’Halloran told delegates attending the Digital Health Festival in Melbourne on Tuesday.
“Sharing by default is already working, even before the legislation is in force, and that’s fantastic,” he said.
Dr Tanya Kelly, acting deputy director-general of eHealth Queensland, said she was excited about the way Sharing by Default would change the My Health Record.
“Up until now the My Health Record has not held a cohesive narrative of your healthcare story,” she told DHF delegates.
“Sharing by default is a game changer.
“The consumer will suddenly become the holder of the most information about themselves.”
The RACGP position statement on testing initiated by other health care clinicians was updated in mid-April acknowledging that the government was in the process of establishing rules regarding the health information that providers must share to My Health Record.
In comparison to the previous position statement, the 2025 version has slightly more emphasis on record management.
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“The RACGP’s Standards for general practices (5th edition) Indicator C7.1A requires practices to have an individual patient health record for each patient, which contains all health information held by the practice about the patient,” the position statement read.
“This includes relevant clinical findings including history, examinations and investigations.”
The other addition to the position statement is a recommendation that requesting clinicians include relevant clinical information related to the patient and reason for request.
Advice on who should follow up on these test results is consistent with previous editions of the position statement.
According to the college, GPs should not assume that clinically significant test results initiated by others have been appropriately followed up.
“Where there is any doubt, it is good practice for GPs to take a cautious approach and check with the person who initiated the test, and/or the patient as to whether further follow up is recommended,” the college said.
“GPs can suggest the patient follows up with the initiating healthcare professional.
“A practice should have systems and processes in place to ensure tests requested within the practice that have clinically significant results have been dealt with appropriately, in particular those that could immediately impact patient safety.”
Exceptions to the new rules will include patients who do not have a My Health Record, patients who ask that the information is not shared to their record, patients whose healthcare provider has concerns for the health and safety of their patient or technical issues beyond the control of the practice.
The government has not yet set a deadline for the rules to be developed; the legislation cannot come into effect until the rules have been developed.
