IHI

All patients have been allocated an Individual Healthcare Identifier (IHI) by Services Australia. The IHI is used for integration with My Health Record and ePrescribing. The IHI may also be used by the AIR to identify patients if there is insufficient other information.

Helix attempts to validate a patient's IHI automatically using name, address, Medicare number and other details in the patient record. If the IHI cannot be validated, it will not be available for use in Helix.

Table 1. IHI Record Status

Status	Description
Verified	Allocated to an individual that is a known customer of Services Australia, DVA or Department of Defence, or has provided evidence of identity information that has been recorded in the HI Service by the HI Service Operator to establish the identity of the healthcare individual.
Unverified	Allocated to an individual when the individual has not provided evidence of identity to Services Australia. An Unverified IHI can be merged with another Unverified or Verified IHI record. Unverified IHIs are generally reserved for non DHS eligible individuals (overseas visitors/diplomats, newborns not yet registered with DHS) or individuals who are seeking healthcare and would like to remain anonymous.
Provisional	Allocated to an individual if they are unconscious or incapacitated and unknown to the healthcare facility. Provisional IHIs are able to be updated to an Unverified IHI record or merged with an existing (Unverified or Verified) IHI via a healthcare facility or updated to a Verified IHI through the HI Service Operator by providing evidence of identity. Provisional IHIs will expire 90 days after the last date of use.