Register for Healthcare Identifiers (HI) Service - Health professionals - Services Australia
The HI Service allows healthcare providers to view a patient's information by using a healthcare identifier to access My Health Record. HI Service assigns and administers these identifiers. This step must be done first in order to access patient records electronically, electronic testing and transmitting of claims.
Healthcare identifiers are unique numbers assigned to:
- Individuals
- Healthcare Providers
- Organisations that provide health services
Comparison of Australia’s Healthcare Identifiers
(IHI vs HPI‑I vs HPI‑O)
| Identifier | Purpose | Who It Identifies | Issued By | Key Uses | Access / Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IHI (Individual Healthcare Identifier) | Ensures accurate patient identity matching across the health system | Patients / individuals receiving healthcare in Australia | Services Australia (via Medicare/DVA or HPOS) | • Patient matching in EMRs • My Health Record access • ePrescribing • Secure messaging |
Automatically issued for Medicare/DVA participants; others can apply via HPOS |
| HPI‑I (Healthcare Provider Identifier – Individual) | Uniquely identifies a clinician involved in care | Individual healthcare providers (GPs, specialists, nurses, pharmacists, allied health, dentists) | Services Australia (via Ahpra registration or HPOS) | • My Health Record access • ePrescribing • Secure messaging • Clinical attribution in EMRs |
Automatically issued for Ahpra‑registered providers; non‑Ahpra providers apply via HPOS |
| HPI‑O (Healthcare Provider Identifier – Organisation) | Identifies the healthcare organisation delivering care | Organisations (clinics, hospitals, pathology, radiology, allied health practices) | Services Australia (via HI Service registration) | • Organisation identity in secure messaging • My Health Record transactions • EMR system configuration |
Organisation must register with the HI Service; requires PRODA and responsible officer (RO) setup |