AIR & PRODA

PRODA (Provider Digital Access)

PRODA is an online identity verification and authentication system for healthcare workers. It allows secure access to government online services including HPOS (Health Professional Online Services). HPOS is required to access AIR (Australian Immunisation Register).

Need help? Call the PRODA team on 1800 700 199

Register for PRODA

• How to register for an individual account
• How to register an organisation

PRODA – AIR access for GPs

AIR can now only be accessed via a PRODA account: Login to PRODA

• • CESPHN Information Sheet – How to: Register for PRODA + link to AIR

PRODA delegations – AIR access for nurses

• • PRODA delegations for AIR access – CESPHN Information Sheet

• • Supporting and understanding delegations in HPOS to access AIR – NCIRS

Australian Immunisation Register (AIR)

The Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) is a national register which records vaccines given to all people Australia.

Mandatory reporting to the AIR

It is mandatory for all vaccination providers to report all NIP vaccines, COVID-19 vaccines, Influenza vaccines, and Japanese Encephalitis vaccines administered to the Australian Immunisation Register. This is a requirement under the Australian Immunisation Register Act 2015.

Mandatory reporting penalties:

• Mandatory reporting: Australian Immunisation Register Amendment (Reporting) Bill 2020
• Penalties: Fines for Commonwealth offences

COVID-19 vaccine encounters should be uploaded into AIR at the time of administration, or within 24 hours, to ensure consumer immunisation information is up to date.

Payments

Eligible vaccination providers get an information payment for:

• completing a National Immunisation Program (NIP) Schedule for a child under 7 years old and recording it on the AIR – up to $6 per completed immunisation schedule for children under 7 years old
• following up and vaccinating a child under 7 years old, who is more than 2 months overdue for their childhood vaccinations under the NIP Schedule, and recording it on the AIR – $6 per completed catch-up schedule for children under 7 years old

The information payments are paid by Electronic Funds Transfer on the second last Tuesday of each month.

Immunisation payment statement summary can be accessed each month on the AIR site.

Record or update bank account details:

• Use this form to record or update bank account details for the purpose of receiving AIR payments: IM005 form: Bank account details for vaccination providers
• Updating bank account details can also be done using HPOS

AIR vaccine code

AIR vaccine code formats – Vaccine codes in clinical software send immunisation notifications to the AIR.

Register for an AIR Provider Number

Use the Application to Register as a Vaccination Provider​ IM004 if you are an Individual or Organisation wanting to register as a vaccination provider for the purposes of sending immunisation data to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).

General Practitioners

If you are a general practitioner with a registered Medicare provider number, you do not need to complete this form. You can use your Medicare provider number to submit data to the AIR.

Organisations: General practice 

General practices with either an RN or with two or more GPs should apply for an Organisation AIR provider number – also known as:

• • AIR Location Provider Number (in Best Practice)

• • AIR Ancillary Provider Number (in Medical Director)

Individuals: Pharmacists

If you are a pharmacist, complete and submit the NSW Pharmacist application to register as a vaccination provider with the Australian Immunisation Register

How to submit

• • Email the completed form to: MOH-vaccreports@health.nsw.gov.au​ or

• • Post the completed form to: Immunisation Unit, Health Protection NSW, Locked Bag 2030, ST LEONARDS NSW 1590

See NSW Health website

Using the Australian Immunisation Register

The DOH webpage provides information to health care professionals about the Australian Immunisation Register, and how they can use it to record vaccinations and generate reports.

Services Australia – AIR Access Guidelines

• • Access to AIR

• • Delegation access to AIR

• Organisation access to AIR

Services Australia – AIR Guidelines

• • View patient details

• • Identify individual
  • Create a new record

• • Record an immunisation encounter (including overseas)

• • Update an encounter
  • Record an immunisation exemption

Services Australia – AIR Report Guidelines

• • View and print reports and statements

• • View statistical and identified reports 

AIR user guides 

• • AIR factsheet – Department of Health

• • Accessing AIR using PRODA for individuals – Services Australia

• • Accessing AIR using PRODA for organisations – Services Australia

• • How to view statistical and identified reports on the AIR site  – Services Australia

• • Guide to using the AIR – WA Department of Health

• • Reason codes and explanations

Helpful resources and videos created by QLD Health: Using the Australian Immunisation Register

Request AIR Overdue Report

Complete this Request Form if your practice would like to request ongoing overdue reports to be emailed to your practice.

Use the CESPHN guideline Following up overdue children to address patients on your overdue report.

Generate AIR Overdue Report

Overdue reports can be generated from online AIR website.

• • AIR10A Due and Overdue Report – Services Australia

• • National due and overdue rules – Services Australia

• • How to request AIR 10A report  and How to use AIR 10A report – CESPHN guideline

• • Following up overdue children – CESPHN guideline

Overdue letters from Medicare

Medicare post letters to patients who are overdue for scheduled vaccines by one month or more.

• • Example Medicare letter:

    • • Overdue letter for adolescents
    • • Overdue letter for adults

AIR data quality

• • Enhancing data quality of vaccination encounters – NCIRS

• • Data Quality user guide  (1012 KB) – Services Australia

• • Dose number errors – CESPHN guildeline

AIR error messages

• Troubleshooting AIR uploads – Communicare

Ensuring patient records are accurate

Encourage your patients to update the personal details they have recorded with Medicare (including their address and whether they identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people). The AIR uses Medicare details in its records, so the details need to be right so that the AIR will be accurate.

Medicare Web Services & AIR access

Web services is a technology that enables secure communication between 2 devices on a network to share data and services. IMPORTANT: General practices need to have software that is web services ready. Services Australia have published a list of software developers who provide web services ready software.

Web services uses PRODA to authenticate and identify users and organisations (previously PKI). PRODA is used to securely access the following channels for web services:

Medicare Online claiming – used to transmit claims:

• Medicare bulk bill and patient claims
• DVA claims
• patient eligibility checks
• patient immunisation details to AIR

AIR web services – used to access the AIR

• record, update, download and view immunisation information from the AIR

MedicalDirector

Mandatory upgrade: MD Clinical & Pracsoft

From 31 August 2022 all practices using MedicalDirector Clinical and Pracsoft will be required to upgrade to the new Medicare web services-enabled version: Clinical 4.2, Pracsoft 4.2, in line with mandatory upgrades to Medicare Web Services.

NEW immunisation features in MedicalDirector

MedicalDirector Clinical 4.2 allows access to AIR records in real time!

New AIR web services features within MD Clinical’s Immunisation tab allows GPs to:

•       View patient’s AIR vaccine records within MD

•       Download vaccine records from AIR directly into MD (right click > save locally)

•       Send vaccine records from MD  to AIR in real time

•       Update vaccine encounters in MD and transmit to AIR

•       View or update Indigenous or Special Risk status in MD and transmit to AIR

•       View or record Medical Contraindications and Natural Immunity in MD and upload to AIR

•       Record vaccination planned catchups in MD and upload  to AIR

•       View vaccine trials the patient has participated in

•       Outstanding Immunisations menu allows you to send and manage all immunisations that have been recorded but not yet sent to AIR

See MedicalDirector userguide:  Clinical User Guide – Immunisation module

Watch MedicalDirector webinar: Medicare Web Services – Clinical Workflows  (start: 19min 50sec)

Call MedicalDirector support line: 1300 300 161

Nurse access to AIR web services in MD

Can Nurses access the new AIR web services features in Medical Director Clinical?

•       Yes, within MedicalDirector Clinical, a nurse must be set up in the User Database with an “AIR Ancillary Provider Number”:

What is an AIR Ancillary Provider Number?

•      It is a provider number given to an organisation to access AIR (also known as organisation AIR provider number)

•      Call AIR to check if practices already have an existing AIR Ancillary Provider Number

•      Or, to apply for a new AIR Ancillary Provider Number complete the ‘Application to register as an immunisation provider IM004’ form

Best Practice

NEW immunisation features in BP!

With BP PremierSaffron SP3, information recorded in the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) can be accessed from Bp Premier via the View AIR screen in the Immunisation section of the patient record.

New AIR web services features within BP tab allows GPs to:

•       View vaccine history and vaccines due in BP from patient AIR records

•       Save immunisations from AIR to the patient record in BP

•       Record vaccines given overseas

•       Upload individual immunisations to AIR from BP

•       Generate an Immunisation History Statement from BP

•       Update immunisation encounters from BP and upload to AIR

•       Add a Planned Catch up in BP and upload to AIR

•       Add indigenous status or Special risk status in BP and upload to AIR

•       View Medical Contraindications, Natural Immunity, and Vaccine trials

•       View complete list of vaccinations sent to AIR via Utilities > AIR > View > Sent vaccinations

Release Notes: Bp Premier Saffron SP3
Reference Guide: Immunisations & Sending to AIR
Website: Record and send immunisations to the AIR
Website: Access AIR information
Website: Record immunisation batch numbers

Nurse access to AIR web services in BP

Can Nurses access the new AIR web services features in Bp Premier?

•       Yes, nurses will need to add the “Location AIR Provider Number” to access and view AIR data via Setup > Practice details > Practice locations > Edit.

What is a Location AIR Provider Number?

•      It is a provider number given to an organisation to access AIR (also known as organisation AIR provider number)

•      Call AIR to check if practices already have an existing Location AIR Provider Number

•      Or, to apply for a new AIR Ancillary Provider Number complete the ‘Application to register as an immunisation provider IM004’ form

Using HPOS Messages

HPOS Messages is a way to send and receive secure notifications. It’s not an email account.

See website for guides to help health professionals use HPOS Messages:

• Accessing your mailbox
• Composing mail
• Form upload

Using FORM UPLOAD in HPOS

The AIR forms will no longer be accepted if sent by email, mail or fax – it will only be accepted if submitted online using the “form upload” function in HPOS Messages. This function allows you to securely send messages with forms and supporting documents directly to AIR:

• Immunisation medical exemption (IM011)
• Immunisation history (IM013)
• Immunisation encounter (IM018)