Oliver Frank wrote: > Tim Churches wrote: > >> Yes, yes, and if you re-read my post, you will noted that I said: >> >> "One has to ask the question: why not just jump directly >> to a national health care identifier, particularly when we are already >> 80% of the way there with the Medicare number. Yes, it would take some >> (minor) legislative change to allow the Medicare number to be used >> universally, yes, Medicare numbers would need to be made unique to >> each person > > I understand that although the numbers visible on each person's Medicare > card may change over time (because the cards expire, changes in the > person's family situation, etc.), there is already an unchanging and > unique number assigned to each of us, within Medicare Australia, that > does uniquely identify each of us, at least to the limits of the > evidence of identity currently sought by Medicare Australia. I > understand that privacy laws prevent this unchanging and unique number > from being used as a Unique Patient Identifier by the health system. Pity.
It is the Medicare Act which prevents it, but laws can be changed, and the current Federal govt shows no hesitancy in changing all sorts of laws which enshrine long-standing national traditions. I don't think they'd be too fussed about the sanctity of the Medicare number... Tim C _______________________________________________ Gpcg_talk mailing list [email protected] http://ozdocit.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gpcg_talk
