Electronic identifier numbers will be assigned to all patients and health care providers by the middle of the year as the Federal Government pushes ahead with its electronic health care program.
Health Minister Nicola Roxon has promised to introduce legislation to Parliament in the first half of this year that would create the unique electronic IDs.
"The first step in creating an e-health system will come into effect in the middle of the year when unique health care identifiers are assigned to all health consumers as well as to health professionals and the organisations that provide health care in Australia," Ms Roxon announced.
"The unique healthcare identifiers will be available on a secure system, operated by Medicare Australia. These identifiers will be provided in addition to Medicare numbers, as a further step to ensure the security of the system."
Mr Roxon promised more than $1 million for the proposed national electronic database for patient records which, she hoped, would be up and running within 10 years.
Pharmacists are already set to benefit from the Government's commitment to e-health by receiving a $0.15 incentive for every prescription they fill using an electronic prescribing system.
Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw said electronic health records would ensure that doctors would be better informed about patients' health when prescribing drugs.
"That is critical from a quality use of medicines perspective," Dr Shaw said.
"It has the potential to deliver an enormous benefit to patients. A national e-health record will also provide an important opportunity to deliver a significant competitive advantage to Australia's extensive clinical trial capability.
"There is a real opportunity to ensure an e-health record system provides remote access to the medical records of trial participants in Australia where the appropriate consent has been given."