Onboarding to the Shared Digital Health Record

General practices and other primary care providers need to take several steps to share patient data through the Shared Digital Health Record.

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Practices will hear more about being part of Shared Digital Health Record from your PHO before onboarding in your region. Otherwise, you can contact shareddigitalhealthrecord@tewhatuora.govt.nz

1. Register for Shared Digital Health Record

An overview of the steps general practices need to take to get set up to share data through the Shared Digital Health Record. 

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Check your practice meets the following eligibility requirements.

Medtech Evolution users

Your practice must be on MedTech Evolution version 8.0.0.113 or above to share patient information to the Shared Digital Health Record. Your practice must also have Medtech ALEX®.

Indici users

Your practice must be on Indici version 2.3.4.5 or above to share patient information with the Shared Digital Health Record.

All practices that use Indici are automatically upgraded as part of their standard rollout schedule. You can check the version number in the footer of the Indici browser.

Before Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora takes a copy of your patient data for the Shared Digital Health Record, your authorised organisation representative will need to complete these registration forms and submit them to Health NZ:

  • Request for Data Services form (register your organisation's details)
  • Primary Care assessment form (organisation assurance checks)

2. Sign the access and use agreement and acquisition schedule

Before patient data is shared with the Shared Digital Health Record, your organisation must sign:

  • an Access and Use Agreement (overarching information sharing agreement with Health NZ)
  • supporting PMS Information Acquisition Service Schedule (a specific Shared Digital Health Record agreement to provide patient data to the service).

3. Tell patients about the Shared Digital Health Record

Patients must be told about the Shared Digital Health Record before their data is collected. 

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Before Health NZ takes the initial copy of your patient information, you must:

  • tell patients about the Shared Digital Health Record
  • give them a chance to consider the different information sharing choices.

We recommend at least:

  • one communication from the practice to all enrolled patients
  • Health NZ poster displayed
  • Health NZ brochure accessible to patients
  • adding information to your website.

You will need to tell new and casual patients that your practice is providing data to the Shared Digital Health Record.

You must include Shared Digital Health Record information and participation options in your enrolment and casual patient processes.

Patients can choose how much of their information is shared and who with.

Share my information

The 'Share my information' option is for people who are happy to share their health information with other participating healthcare providers. Patients do not need to take any action for this option.

Mark private

The 'Mark private' option is for people who are happy to share most of their health information but want to keep certain details confidential with their healthcare provider.

Providers will need to mark specific information as confidential or private within the PMS.

Only this healthcare provider

The 'Only this healthcare provider' option is for people who want to keep their health information only with the healthcare provider that collected it.

Staff will be able to block the entire patient record from being shared with the Shared Digital Health Record within the PMS.

Block any sharing

The 'Block any sharing' option is for people who do not want to participate in the Shared Digital Health Record at all. None of their health information from any healthcare clinic or national source will be shared.

To block all sharing or opt back in, people need to call Health NZ on 0800 144 751 or complete the opt out/in form and email to customerservice@health.govt.nz

Existing shared record settings

The Shared Digital Health Record will respect any existing record-level confidentiality settings in PMSs. This means specific records already marked as confidential will not be shared. 

Patients are advised to contact their practice if they do not want any of their information held at the practice to be available through the Shared Digital Health Record. They should do this even if they have previously opted out of other shared record sharing services, like a SEHR or patient portal.  

Acting on behalf of dependants

Parents or legal guardians can make participation choices for dependants, for example tamariki under 16.

For rangatahi between the ages of 12 and 15, the parent or guardian will need to make sure the rangatahi understands:

  • what the Shared Digital Health Record is
  • the choices they have in sharing their data to the service.

4. Data sharing and technical set up

An overview of what is involved for data to be shared between participating general practices and the Shared Digital Health Record. 

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Your practice does not need to do anything during the initial data load process. Health NZ will work with your practice management system supplier to schedule a date for your enrolled patient data to be sent to the Shared Digital Health Record.

The initial data load will include historical information about your enrolled patients':

  • health conditions, such as asthma, diabetes and other conditions (sometimes referred to the ‘Classifications list’ in PMSs)
  • observations including vital signs like temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, pulse oximetry (SpO2), weight and height
  • allergies and intolerances, for example an allergy to a medicine like penicillin.

After the initial upload, any updates to patient records (this includes enrolled and unenrolled) in your PMS will be automatically sent to the Shared Digital Health Record in near real time.

These updates will also respect and not share records that are:

  • marked private or confidential in your PMS
  • flagged in your PMS as do not share with the Shared Digital Health Record
  • of patients who have globally opted out of the Shared Digital Health Record.

Patients opting out or in

A patient may decide to opt out or back into the service after the initial data load for the practice has taken place.

When a patient opts out, any data held in the Shared Digital Health Record about them is archived and no longer searchable in the service. It is essentially treated as deleted. Archived records are held for 10 years (with legislation exceptions) before being permanently deleted. Archived data can only be accessed by a limited number of authorised people to support investigations, such as a complaint to the Health and Disability Commissioner. 

If a patient opts back in, their data history needs to be re-copied into the Shared Digital Health Record from the person’s enrolled general practice. It is important to note that there may be gaps in the patient’s record as historical casual encounters will not be included in the opt-in process.

The process for re-importing their history will be managed between Health NZ and the PMS supplier.

Deceased persons' data 

Deceased people’s data will be archived in the Shared Digital Health Record and no longer searchable. Archived records are held for 10 years (with legislative exceptions) before being permanently deleted. Archived data can only be accessed by a limited number of authorised people to support investigations, such as a complaint to the Health and Disability Commissioner.