As of 1 July 2024, all self-regulated allied health professions represented by AHPA have a pathway for accessing a Healthcare provider identifier - individual (HPI-I) number. HPI-I is the first step to enabling adoption and use of digital products such as MHR and electronic prescribing. AHPA are grateful to Services Australia who have assisted AHPA over an extended period of time to bring this great result to fruition.
Orthoptists with both AOB registration and OA membership will be eligible to apply for a Health Provider Identifier- Individual (HPI-I) number through Services Australia. In June 2024 OA introduced a membership subcategory for members with AOB registration to meet the requirements set out by Services Australia.
The HPI- will be necessary for orthoptists wishing to access My Health Record. There is ongoing work related to Digital Health through the Australian Digital Health Agency to create interoperability between platforms and systems. It is likely that in future, additional digital health platforms and systems will be integrated, and orthoptists may need to access these using a HPI-I. Find out more about HPI-I at https://beta.servicesaustralia.gov.au/healthcare-identifiers-hi-service-for-individual-health-care-providers?context=20#accordion2.