Introduction
Patient IHI (Individual Healthcare Identifier) validation is an essential step in electronic prescribing, ensuring accurate identification and access to patient records within the Healthcare Identifiers Service (HI Service). RxPad incorporates a patient IHI validation process to facilitate safe and efficient healthcare practices. This FAQ article addresses common questions and concerns related to patient IHI validation in RxPad.
Q1: What is patient IHI validation?
Patient IHI validation is the process of verifying the accuracy and validity of a patient's IHI number.
Q2: What is a Patient IHI?
The IHI is a unique 16-digit identifier used in the My Health Record system to ensure accurate patient identification and seamless communication between healthcare providers.
Q3: Why is patient IHI validation important?
Validating a patient's IHI is crucial for several reasons:
It ensures accurate identification of patients and their health records.
It enables healthcare providers to securely access patient information within the My Health Record system.
It promotes patient safety by reducing the risk of medication errors and improving care coordination.
Q4: When does patient IHI validation occur in RxPad?
Patient IHI validation occurs when adding a New Patient to RxPad.
As part of the Patient Creation Form, you must fill in mandatory Contact Information and Medicare / DVA Information when adding a New Patient.
Provided you have entered all the mandatory Contact and Medicare / DVA Information accurately (refer to the patient's Medicare Card and My Health Record as a source of truth), RxPad automatically looks up and validates the status of the Patient IHI once you click on the Validate IHI button.
Note: You will NOT be able to type in the patient IHI Number
Q5: What information is required for patient IHI validation?
To validate a patient's IHI, the following information is requested as part of the Patient Creation Form:
Patient's First Name
Patient's Last Name
Date of Birth (DOB)
Gender
Medicare / DVA Information
Medicare Card Number and Individual Reference Number (IRN)
or
DVA Card Number
Q6: If you only require up to 6 fields to conduct an IHI Validation, what is the other information used for?
Patient IHI validation is only one part of electronic prescribing.
There are other patient fields that are needed as part of eRx Script Exchange validation. Such fields include:
Patient Mobile Number
Patient Email Address
Patient Address
Residential Address (Street Address)
Suburb
Postcode
State
Hence, these fields are also included as mandatory fields in the Patient Creation Form.
Q7: Why is my patient's "IHI Status" not validating?
I clicked on "Validate IHI" but I received an error message saying "No Healthcare Individual record has been found"
If patient IHI Validation is unsuccessful, it means that the entered patient information does not match the records in the HI Service system.
The validation failure can occur due to either:
Incomplete patient details entered in RxPad.
Incorrect patient details
Please ensure that the following fields are fully and accurately entered:
Patient's First Name
Patient's Last Name
Date of Birth (DOB)
Gender
Medicare / DVA Information
Medicare Card Number and Individual Reference Number (IRN)
or
DVA Card Number and Card Colour
Note: It is the responsibility of the prescriber to ensure that patient details are accurate and correct. If unsure, please refer to the patient's Medicare / DVA Card. Prescribers are also able to look up their patients on HPOS to find the most up-to-date My Health Record patient details (see article on Find a Patient on HPOS).
Q8: I tried to send a prescription but it has returned a Validating IHI error - what can I do to resolve this?
I received this error after trying to send a prescription......
To resolve patient IHI validation failures, follow these steps:
Go to Manage Patients
Click on the Edit icon for your patient
Double-check the following patient information is entered, including
Patient's First Name
Patient's Last Name
Date of Birth (DOB)
Gender
Medicare / DVA Information
Double check the above patient information is accurate - confirm details with the patient or use HPOS Patient Search as a source of truth.
Update any incorrect or missing patient information in the Patient Creation Form
Scroll down to the bottom of the form to the Individual Healthcare Identifier (IHI) section
Click Validate IHI
If the IHI Status bar turns green and indicates Active(Verified), then click the Update button on the bottom right of the Patient Creation Form.
Success - the patient is now validated in RxPad
Q9: Can I proceed with a prescription if patient IHI validation fails?
No. It is essential to resolve patient IHI validation failure before proceeding with the prescription. Prescription transmission requires a valid patient IHI to ensure accurate record-keeping and medication management.
Q10: Does patient IHI validation affect all prescriptions in RxPad?
Patient IHI validation applies to all prescriptions created within RxPad.
It ensures compliance with the requirements of the My Health Record system and promotes patient safety in the electronic prescribing process.