Healthcare provider—organisation identifier, N(16)

Guide for use:

A Healthcare Provider Identifier-Organisation (HPI-O) identifies organisations where healthcare services are provided. For example, state health departments, hospitals, medical practices, pathology or radiology laboratories or pharmacies.

Each organisation's HPI-O is unique within the Australian healthcare system.

The HPI-O is part of the government's e-health initiative developed to enhance the way information is exchanged, shared and managed in the Australian health sector. Electronic identifiers and the systems underpinning them were developed and are maintained by Medicare Australia.

All organisations that provide healthcare services will be able to apply for a HPI-O. As part of establishing their eligibility, an organisation will need to provide evidence to the HI Service Operator that it is a legal entity and employs or contracts one or more individual healthcare providers or sole traders who are employed for the purpose of providing a health service. Registration is optional though desirable and the information guides and forms are available online at Medicare.

Organisations registered directly with the HI Service are referred to as "seed" organisations. Once registered, they can obtain identifiers for subordinate organisations or departments known as "network" organisations. For example, the seed organisation The North Shore Hospital may declare their radiology department as a network organisation so it will have its own unique identifier.

Record the full Healthcare Provider Identifier-Organisation (HPI-O) for an organisation.

All healthcare identifiers use the International Standard ISO 7812-1:2006 that specifies the numbering system for identification cards.

The format of the number is as follows:

• Digits N1-N6 consist of the issuer identification number
• N1-N2 Major industry identifier: 80 = health
• N3-N5 Country code: 036 = Australia
• N6 Number type: 2 = HPI-O
• Digits N7-N15 Individual account identification (9 digits for the unique identifier)
• Digit N16 Check digit