Abstract
Medicare is Australia’s universal healthcare system, and is the cornerstone of public healthcare in Australia, providing all Australians with access to timely and affordable healthcare regardless of their location. Every day, thousands of Australians use their Medicare cards to access essential medical, allied and other health services funded or subsidised through Medicare. Under current arrangements, health professionals are able to obtain their patients’ Medicare card numbers from the Department of Human Services using online and telephone channels. These arrangements ensure healthcare remains accessible even for individuals who may not be able to present their Medicare card. This Review was established to provide Government with an independent, external perspective on current vulnerabilities in the system, and how these can be addressed so that Medicare card information is better protected. The Review has made recommendations for immediate practical improvements to the security of Medicare numbers while continuing to ensure people have access to the health care they need in a timely manner.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Place of Publication | Canberra, A.C.T. |
| Publisher | Commonwealth of Australia |
| Number of pages | 56 |
| Publication status | Published - 2017 |
Bibliographical note
© Commonwealth of Australia, 2017. The Final Report of the Independent Review of Health Providers’ Access to Medicare Card Numbers is licensed by the Commonwealth of Australia for use under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence with the exception of content supplied by third parties and any images depicting people. For licence conditions see: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Keywords
- Medicare (Australia)
- data protection