The Australian Digital Health Agency has announced the next steps in the Australian Government’s Share by Default and Better and Faster Access reforms – 2 major initiatives designed to improve how health information is shared and viewed across Australia’s health system.
These changes will:
- ensure pathology and diagnostic imaging reports are uploaded to My Health Record by default, and
- give consumers faster access to their results – helping create a more connected, transparent and consumer-centred healthcare system.
Better Access (Share by Default): Closing information gaps
The Modernising My Health Record (Sharing by Default) Act 2025, passed in February, is one of the most significant legislative updates in digital health since the national shift from opt-in to opt-out My Health Record registration.
Under the new framework, pathology and diagnostic imaging reports will automatically be shared to My Health Record, with other health information types to follow.
For healthcare professionals, this means:
- improved clinical decision-making with fewer blind spots across care settings
- faster emergency and acute care pathways when every minute counts
- fewer duplicate tests and associated costs
- better public health planning through more complete data.
Even before the legislation takes full effect, sharing is already increasing. Around 4 million pathology reports and 400,000 imaging reports are being uploaded to My Health Record each week, with more than 1.4 million reports viewed by consumers weekly.
Faster Access: Consumers see results sooner
As part of the broader digital health reform program, Better and Faster Access will provide consumers with quicker access to their pathology and diagnostic imaging reports through My Health Record.
Following clinical and consumer advice via the Clinical Reference Group and approval from Minister Mark Butler, the following changes will take effect:
- From mid-October 2025: The 7-day delay for most pathology reports will be removed, making results available as soon as they are uploaded. Some tests – including anatomical pathology, cytopathology and genetic tests – will retain a 5-day delay.
- From February 2026: The 7-day delay for x-rays of the limbs will be removed, and reduced to 5 days for other imaging reports (CT, MRI, PET, ultrasound and x-rays of the head, chest, abdomen and pelvis).
The delay period depends on the type of test, not the result. A delay does not indicate an adverse finding.
No technical updates are needed for clinical information systems – all timing changes will be managed automatically within the My Health Record system.
Supporting implementation
The Better and Faster Access reforms are being guided by the Clinical Reference Group. Their advice has ensured a balanced approach that supports both timely consumer access and safe, effective clinical workflows.
To help providers prepare and communicate the changes, the Agency has developed printable guides for:
- Pathology and diagnostic imaging service providers
- Healthcare providers who request tests
- Consumers and patients
Resources are available on the Australian Digital Health Agency website. ADHA have also prepared printable guides for healthcare providers that request tests, as well as a consumer resource that providers can share with their patients.
For additional information or support, contact digitalhealth@hnc.org.au.
Together, Better and Faster Access are helping to strengthen digital health across Australia – enabling better connected, more efficient care for providers and empowering consumers to actively engage in their own health.
