Healthcare identifiers

Healthcare identifiers are 16-digit numbers that uniquely identify individuals receiving healthcare and the providers and organisations delivering that care in Australia. They are the foundation of a connected, interoperable health system — ensuring the right information reaches the right person at the right time.

 

The Healthcare Identifiers (HI) Service, operated by Services Australia, allocates, maintains and discloses healthcare identifiers across the health sector.

There are three main types of healthcare identifiers:

IHI

Individual Healthcare Identifier

Identifies consumers (patients / clients) receiving healthcare in Australia, including citizens, permanent residents and visitors.

HPI–I

Healthcare Provider Identifier–Individual

Identifies individual healthcare providers such as allied health professionals, GPs, nurses, pharmacists and dentists.

HPI-O

Healthcare Provider Identifier–Organisation (HPI–O)

Identifies the healthcare organisation where care is delivered, such as hospitals, allied health services, pathology labs and pharmacies.

Why every allied health professional needs an HPI-I

As Australia’s health system becomes increasingly digital, the HPI-I is the key that unlocks participation. Without one, allied health professionals are unable to use core digital health tools or securely exchange information with other providers.

Having an active HPI-I is essential for:

  • Working efficiently in multi-disciplinary and team-based care

  • Enabling continuity of care across primary, acute and community settings

  • Accessing digital tools like My Health Record, electronic prescribing and secure messaging

  • Safeguarding consumers against unregistered or non-credentialled professionals

  • Improving business workflows and operational efficiency

  • Empowering consumers to engage with and control their own health information

  • Meeting privacy, security and regulatory requirements

  • Facilitating workforce data collection and population health planning.

HPI-I uptake is a key deliverable of both the National Healthcare Identifiers Roadmap and the National Healthcare Interoperability Plan — it is a fundamental enabler of safe, secure and efficient health information exchange.

 

Benefits of using your HPI-I

The benefits of an active HPI-I flow through every level of the health system:

Clinical

  • Accurate, near-real-time information exchange between software systems.

  • Connect with My Health Record, Provider Connect Australia, electronic prescribing and secure messaging.

  • Reduced risk of incorrect information being attributed to a consumer’s health record.

Organisation

  • Improved safety and security of information sharing, supporting compliance with Australian Privacy Principles.

  • Ensure other professionals can find you for referrals via the Health Provider Directory.

  • As payment and claims reforms roll out, HPI-I use will likely be mandatory for reimbursement.

System

  • Consumers can manage which professionals access and contribute to their health information.

  • Supports research, policy planning and development at local and national levels.

  • Minimises unnecessary duplication of diagnostic tests, lowering costs and reducing risk.

How to get your HPI-I

Your pathway to an HPI-I depends on whether you are registered with Ahpra:

Ahpra-registered providers

If you are registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra), you already have an HPI-I. To locate it:

  1. Check your Ahpra correspondence

    Your HPI-I will appear on letters and emails sent to you by Ahpra.

  2. Log into the Ahpra online portal

    Visit ahpra.gov.au or call 1300 419 495 to retrieve your number.

  3. Use PRODA / HPOS

    Log into PRODA, open the HPOS tile, click ‘Link identifiers’, enter your Ahpra registration number and search. Also check your HPOS mailbox.

 Non-Ahpra registered providers

There are two pathways available:

  1. Via your professional body:

    All AHPA member organisations (full and affiliate) are eligible to facilitate HPI-I registration. Contact your professional body directly to check whether their process is in place.

  2. Via the Healthcare Identifiers Service

    Apply directly through Services Australia. Follow the steps on the Services Australia website for individual health care providers.

     

Processing times may vary depending on the pathway and professional body. Services Australia checks for duplicate requests to ensure each individual receives only one HPI-I.

Activating and using your HPI-I

Once you have your HPI-I, follow these steps to activate it and connect with digital health products:

  1. Activate via PRODA

    Log into your PRODA account and complete identity verification through HPOS to activate your HPI-I. Without activation your identifier cannot be used. Find out more.

  2. Link to your organisation’s HPI-O

    Contact the Responsible Officer (RO) or Organisation Maintenance Officer (OMO) at each organisation you work for and ask them to link your HPI-I to their HPI-O. You can be linked to more than one organisation. Find out more.

  3. Set up as a sole trader (if applicable)

    If you work independently, create your own HPI-O using your ABN via PRODA/HPOS, nominate yourself as OMO, and link your HPI-I to it.

  4. Start using digital health products

    With your HPI-I linked to an HPI-O, you can connect to My Health Record, Secure Messaging, Electronic Prescribing and Provider Connect Australia. Visit AHPA’s Digital Health Hub for guidance on each product.

One HPI-I for everything

You will always have just one HPI-I, regardless of how many professions you practise, how many organisations you work for, or how many professional bodies credential you.

You can add additional health professions to your existing HPI-I via the Healthcare Identifiers Service.

Frequently asked questions

  • ‍ ‍

    Ongoing credentialling by your professional body is required to keep your HPI-I active. Services Australia will deactivate your HPI-I if evidence that you remain credentialled is not provided within the required timeframe. You can provide this evidence independently via the Services Australia website, or through your professional body.

  • The Responsible Officer (RO) or Organisation Maintenance Officer (OMO) at your organisation must link your HPI-I to their HPI-O. Identify your RO or OMO and direct them to the linking instructions on the Services Australia website.

    Sole traders should follow these steps in PRODA/HPOS:

    1. Log in

    2. Register for an HPI-O using your ABN

    3. Nominate yourself as OMO

    4. Link your HPI-I to your HPI-O.

  • No. Your HPI-I is linked to you as an individual practitioner, not to a specific profession or organisation. You can add additional health professions to your single HPI-I via the Healthcare Identifiers Service.

  • No. You will always have one HPI-I regardless of how many professional bodies credential you or how many disciplines you practise.

  • Apply directly via the Healthcare Identifiers Service on the Services Australia website. Follow the steps listed for individual health care providers.

    Via the Healthcare Identifiers Service, follow the steps detailed here.

Need help? Contact Services Australia.

NEED TO TRIPLE CHECK WHETHER AGENCY WANT DAS LINE HERE OR SERVICES AUSTRALIA

PHONE
1300 361 457
Monday–Friday 8.30am–5pm AEST

Back to the Digital Hub