Upcoming changes to My Health Record: better and faster access

The Australian Digital Health Agency (the Agency) will soon be implementing the next step in the Australian Government’s Share by Default Reforms, providing consumers with better and faster access to their pathology and diagnostic imaging reports in My Health Record.

The faster access change will be implemented in two parts:

• from mid-October 2025, the seven-day delay will be removed for most pathology tests. Some tests, including anatomical pathology, cytopathology and genetic tests, will be subject to a five-day delay. This will make most pathology reports available to consumers in the My Health Record as soon as they are uploaded.
• from February 2026, the seven-day delay will be removed for x-ray reports of the extremities (limbs) and reduced from seven to five days for other diagnostic imaging reports. This includes cross-sectional imaging reports (CT, MRI, PET, ultrasound) and x-rays of head and thorax (chest, abdomen, and pelvis).

It is important to note that the five-day delay is based on the type of test, not the result itself. If access to a result is delayed, this does not indicate an adverse result - the delay will apply irrespective of whether the result is positive, negative, within or outside normal range.

No technical changes are required within clinical information systems to implement these faster access changes. The removal or reduction in the consumer access delay will be managed within the My Health Record system itself.

More information:

• printable guides for pathology and diagnostic imaging service providers and healthcare providers that request tests, as well as a consumer resource that providers can share with their patients
• further information for providers is available on the Agency's website: Better and Faster Access to health information.