Healthcare Identifiers Act 2010

The service operator is authorised to assign a number (a healthcare identifier) to uniquely identify:

a healthcare provider to whom section 9A or 9BA applies; or

a healthcare recipient.

A national registration authority is authorised to assign a number (a healthcare identifier) to uniquely identify a healthcare provider, if:

the healthcare provider is an individual who is a member of a particular health profession; and

the national registration authority is responsible under a law for registering members of that health profession.

The types of healthcare identifiers include:

an identifier that is assigned to an individual healthcare provider; and

an identifier that is assigned to a healthcare provider organisation; and

an identifier that is assigned to a healthcare support service provider; and

an identifier that is assigned to a healthcare recipient.

A sole practitioner may be assigned:

a healthcare identifier of the type mentioned in paragraph (3)(a); and

a different healthcare identifier of the type mentioned in paragraph (3)(b).

In exercising a power under subsection (1), the service operator is not required to consider whether a healthcare provider or healthcare recipient agrees to having a healthcare identifier assigned to the healthcare provider or healthcare recipient.

A healthcare identifier of a healthcare recipient or of an individual healthcare provider is a government related identifier for the purposes of the Privacy Act 1988.