How to find your HPI-I number

When you onboard to electronic prescribing software in Australia, you will often be asked for your HPI-I — the Healthcare Provider Identifier–Individual. It is the unique identifier assigned to you as an individual healthcare provider in the Healthcare Identifiers (HI) Service operated with Services Australia.

What an HPI-I is (and is not)

Your HPI-I identifies you as an individual provider. It is separate from your AHPRA registration number, a clinic’s organisation identifier (often discussed as HPI-O), PBS prescriber numbers, and login credentials for PRODA or your clinical software.

Electronic prescribing and HI Service workflows use these identifiers so prescriptions and healthcare information can be associated with the correct clinician and organisation.

Where doctors typically find their HPI-I

1. Ask your practice manager or IT lead

In many clinics, the practice manager or IT vendor already holds each doctor’s HPI-I from previous eHealth or e-prescribing setup. This is often the fastest path — especially if the practice has already connected other clinical systems to the HI Service.

2. PRODA / HI Service channels

Practitioners who use PRODA (Provider Digital Access) for Services Australia services may be able to view healthcare identifier information through the relevant HI Service / PRODA-linked pathways their organisation has set up. Availability depends on how your access was provisioned. If you do not have PRODA access, your practice may need to arrange it, or retrieve the identifier on your behalf.

3. Practice software records

Some practices store HPI-I values against clinician profiles inside their practice management system (PMS) after the initial HI Service registration. If you previously prescribed electronically in another product, your HPI-I may already appear in that software’s user settings. Treat those fields as a clue, then confirm against an authoritative source if the number looks unfamiliar.

4. If you have never been assigned an HPI-I

New graduates or clinicians who have not previously participated in HI Service–connected systems may need to be registered for an HPI-I through the formal HI Service process. Your practice manager can usually point you to the current application pathway. Do not invent or reuse another clinician’s identifier.

Why ScriptPad (and similar software) may ask for it

Standalone electronic prescribing software needs to identify the prescribing clinician in a way that aligns with Australian electronic prescription infrastructure. During onboarding, ScriptPad may ask for your HPI-I so your account can be associated with the correct individual provider identity. Clinics may also need organisation-level identifiers (see our eRx entity ID guide).

Supplying the correct HPI-I helps reduce onboarding delays. If you are unsure which value to enter, pause and confirm with your practice manager rather than guessing.

Practical tips

• Copy and paste the identifier carefully — transcription errors are a common cause of failed onboarding checks.
• Keep a secure record in your practice’s usual credential store; avoid sending HPI-Is through unsecured channels when possible.
• If multiple clinics employ you, confirm which HPI-I / organisation pairing applies to each site’s prescribing setup.
• For locum or multi-site work, talk through identity setup with each clinic before your first electronic script.

Related: eRx entity ID for clinic onboarding · Standalone vs PMS prescribing · All guides