CareSync Exchange is a secure electronic system implemented by the Department of Health for sharing patient health information.

It allows Eastern Health and other Victorian health services to access and share your information to support their treatment and care decisions.

Clinicians at Eastern Health can view your health information from other Victorian Public Health Services, while other health services can access your information from us to provide appropriate care during your visits.

CareSync Exchange improves the sharing of health information, enabling clinicians to coordinate care more efficiently, which enhances patient safety and reduces risks.

By sharing important patient information, we can rely less on paper records, phone calls, and faxes to gather essential details from other health services.

Quick access to this information minimises delays and reduces the burden on you to remember your medical history from various providers

Access to CareSync Exchange is strictly for providing clinical care to patients. Authorised clinicians can only use the information to inform their treatment and care decisions.

The data cannot be used for research, policy planning, or any other purposes.

The information that may be shared and accessed includes:

– Your patient details, including demographic information and emergency contacts
– Records of your hospital visits as an inpatient, outpatient, or in an emergency
– Clinical documents such as diagnostic test reports, hospital discharge summaries, and related letters
– Information about your diagnosis, including the onset date and description.

Access to CareSync Exchange is limited to clinicians working in Victorian public health services, such as public hospitals like Eastern Health.

Clinicians in private health services and general practitioners will not have access.

Authorised Health Information Services (HIS) staff, IT staff, and technical support personnel will have access for maintenance and auditing but will not see individual patient records.

Eastern Health’s privacy brochure provides detailed information about the types of personal information we collect, how we use and disclose it, and how we keep it safe. CareSync Exchange is governed by a Privacy Management Framework created by the Department of Health, his can be viewed here. The Framework includes:

  • Privacy obligations
  • Conditions for accessing information about sensitive health conditions
  • Additional protections for vulnerable groups, such as those affected by family violence

Clinicians and health services, including Eastern Health and the Department of Health, must comply with this Framework and relevant privacy legislation. The Health Services Act 1988 lists the public health services using the system. CareSync Exchange also adheres to the Victorian Protective Data Security Standards (VPDSS), established by the Office of the Information Commissioner (OVIC). For more information, visit CareSync Exchange.