AU Core Patient required fields checklist
The key elements for the AU Core Patient profile, with particular attention to the Australian identifiers, above all the Individual Healthcare Identifier (IHI).
AU Core is the Australian realm set of FHIR profiles, maintained by HL7 Australia and aligned with the Sparked national program. The Patient profile constrains base FHIR Patient for Australian use, most notably around identifiers.
This checklist captures the well-known AU Core Patient essentials. Validate against the published AU Core version your project targets for the exact must-support and binding rules.
Core data elements
| Element | Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| name | Must support | At least one name with a family name; given name supported. |
| gender | Must support | administrative gender: male, female, other, or unknown. |
| birthDate | Must support | Date of birth. |
| address | Must support | Australian address; supports state and postcode. |
| telecom | Must support | Phone or email contact points. |
Australian identifiers
The identifiers that make AU Core Patient Australian. The IHI is the headline.
| Identifier | System / namespace | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| IHI (Individual Healthcare Identifier) | http://ns.electronichealth.net.au/id/hi/ihi/1.0 | The 16-digit national patient identifier. AU Core defines a specific Patient IHI identifier slice. |
| Medicare Number | http://ns.electronichealth.net.au/id/medicare-number | The patient Medicare card number. |
| DVA Number | http://ns.electronichealth.net.au/id/dva | Department of Veterans Affairs file number, where applicable. |
| Local MRN | A site-assigned namespace URI | The local medical record number for the assigning organisation. |
Identifier structure (IHI example)
How an IHI is expressed on the Patient resource.
| Field | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| identifier.system | http://ns.electronichealth.net.au/id/hi/ihi/1.0 | The IHI namespace URI. |
| identifier.value | The 16-digit IHI | For example 8003608333647492. |
| identifier.type | NI (national identifier) | Coded identifier type from the standard v2-0203 value set. |
Notes
- The IHI is the defining identifier for AU Core Patient. Its system URI is http://ns.electronichealth.net.au/id/hi/ihi/1.0 and the value is the 16-digit number.
- AU Core differs from US Core mainly in identifiers and address handling; it does not use the US race, ethnicity, or birth sex extensions.
- Validate against your target AU Core version, since must-support and binding rules evolve with each release.
Frequently asked questions
What is the IHI in AU Core?
The IHI is the Individual Healthcare Identifier, a 16-digit national patient identifier in Australia. In AU Core Patient it is expressed as an identifier with the system URI http://ns.electronichealth.net.au/id/hi/ihi/1.0 and the 16-digit number as the value.
What identifiers does AU Core Patient use?
The IHI is the headline identifier. AU Core Patient also accommodates the Medicare number, DVA number, and site-assigned local MRNs, each with its own system namespace.
How is AU Core different from US Core?
AU Core is the Australian realm profile set and centres on Australian identifiers such as the IHI and Medicare number. It does not use the US-specific race, ethnicity, and birth sex extensions that US Core requires.
How do I validate a Patient against AU Core?
Validate the resource against the AU Core Patient profile for your target version. The Interoperall FHIR validator checks resources against profiles in the browser.