To the Editor: The editorial by Olver1 is a reminder of the usefulness of linking health datasets for research and evaluation. While data linkage is not a foreign concept to many health services researchers, such work with regard to Australian primary care is very limited. The recent review of Medicare Locals noted that the few linkages created “only occur in pockets and are often constrained by administrative, collaborative and/or legislative factors”.2 The public interest is not served by these barriers.
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The Melbourne East Monash General Practice Database (MAGNET) research platform is a collaboration between Inner East Melbourne Medicare Local and Monash University. Danielle Mazza is Scientific Director of MAGNET, Christopher Pearce is Deputy Director and Lyle Turner is the biostatistician.