Health Identifiers (IHI): Troubleshooting a Missing or Inactive IHI

Contents:

1. Why an IHI Number Might Be Missing
2. Why an IHI Might Be Present but Not Usable
3. Why Automatic Validation Might Not Be Running at All
4. Re-Validating or Fixing a Missing IHI
5. When to Contact Support

Why an IHI Number Might Be Missing

MediRecords automatically clears a stored IHI number in a few specific situations. None of these are errors, they happen because MediRecords keeps the IHI in sync with Services Australia's records.

The IHI was found to be incorrect

If a patient already had an IHI entered and a validation check finds that number doesn't match Services Australia's record, for example, it was matched to the wrong patient, MediRecords removes it automatically rather than keep an incorrect number on file.

No matching record was found

If Services Australia can't find a record matching the patient's current details, for example, the Family Name, Date of Birth, or Sex on file don't match what's registered with Medicare, the IHI Number, Number Status, and Record Status are all cleared together.

The patient's Services Australia record has a Retired status

If a patient's IHI record has a Retired status with Services Australia, for example, because two records were merged into one, the IHI is currently cleared in the same way as when no record is found.

Why an IHI Might Be Present but Not Usable

Sometimes the IHI number itself is still on the patient's record, but it can't be used for ePrescribing or My Health Record. Check the IHI status shown in Patient Settings to see which of these applies.

Why Automatic Validation Might Not Be Running at All

Practice subscription level

Automatic IHI validation, triggered by opening the clinical record, opening the patient Dashboard, or via bulk validation from the patient list, is not available on a Practice-tier subscription. Manual validation using the Validate button is unaffected. Contact MediRecords Support if you're unsure of your subscription level.

Expired HI Certificate

If your practice's HI Certificate has expired, IHI validation will stop working, both automatically and manually, until the certificate is renewed.

Re-Validating or Fixing a Missing IHI

1. Check the patient's Family Name, Date of Birth, and Sex match what's registered with Medicare, and correct any typos or mismatches.
2. If the patient's Medicare card number and IRN, or DVA number, are on file, MediRecords will use these to search when the IHI Number field is blank.
3. Re-run validation using the Validate button, or any of the other validation methods described in Health Identifiers: IHI Numbers & Validation.

When to Contact Support

If a patient's IHI keeps disappearing after being correctly re-validated, or none of the explanations above match what you're seeing, contact MediRecords Support so we can investigate further.

Further Reading

• Health Identifiers: IHI Numbers & Validation
• My Health Record (MHR): Practice & Provider Configuration