AMA Victoria has called for a clear pathway for GPs and private specialists to access CareSync Exchange, alongside funded improvements to digital capability in regional and rural health services.
CareSync Exchange, known to many members as health service information sharing, is being rolled out progressively, with completion expected in late 2028. As we noted on 24 September, an independent review is examining whether the system is working as intended, alongside issues of privacy, participation, and administrative burden. The review panel is expected to report to the Minister for Health by February 2027.
In our feedback to the review, we reaffirmed our support for the system’s purpose: giving treating clinicians access to relevant patient information, reducing avoidable duplication and delays, and improving continuity of care. AMA Victoria strongly supported the legislation establishing CareSync Exchange and advocated for its passage.
Patients routinely move between public and private care, and their treating clinicians should have access to the information needed to care for them. Our feedback endorsed recommendations made by Immediate Past President Dr Jill Tomlinson, who made a submission in her personal capacity, drawing on her experience as a member of the Health Information Sharing Management Committee and as a private specialist.
We called for a defined, staged pathway for GP and private specialist access, with appropriate privacy and security safeguards and requirements proportionate to smaller practices. We also supported practical improvements to information sharing in the meantime, and meaningful GP and private specialist involvement in the system’s governance and design.
We raised particular concerns about regional and rural health services that still rely on paper records. Browser access may allow clinicians to view information held elsewhere, but it does not resolve how their own service’s records can be shared with other treating clinicians. The review must consider both access to information and the ability to contribute it.
AMA Victoria has called for a costed and funded plan to improve these services’ digital capability, including electronic medical records, infrastructure, training, and ongoing technical support. This should include clear timeframes, priority for services with the least developed systems, and workable interim arrangements.
CareSync Exchange should support safe care close to home and continuity when patients move between providers. Regional and rural patients must not be left behind as the system develops.
We also raised concerns about the consultation process. Despite our longstanding involvement, AMA Victoria had not, to our knowledge, been approached directly. We learned indirectly of a short timeframe for written feedback, limiting our opportunity to consult members. We called for direct engagement with the medical profession, clear information, and reasonable timeframes.
Members can still share their views on CareSync Exchange for us to raise through our regular engagement with the Department of Health. Please contact Principal Policy Advisor Lewis Horton at LewisH@amavic.com.au.