PRIMHD reporting, explained.
A plain-English guide for New Zealand mental health and addiction providers: what PRIMHD is, who reports, what is collected, monthly deadlines and the errors that send files back.
What is PRIMHD?
PRIMHD, pronounced "primed", stands for the Programme for the Integration of Mental Health Data. It is the national collection of mental health and addiction service activity and outcomes data, run by Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora. Submitted data is held in the PRIMHD datamart, part of Health NZ's national data warehouse.
PRIMHD began on 1 July 2008. Its data is used to report on which services are provided, who provides them and what outcomes people achieve, and to support local, regional and national planning.
The collection is defined by a set of Health Information Standards Organisation (HISO) standards:
- HISO 10023.1:2023 PRIMHD Data Process Standard
- HISO 10023.2:2023 PRIMHD Data Set Standard
- HISO 10023.3:2025 PRIMHD Code Set Standard
These sit alongside the PRIMHD File Specification, which sets out the file format and validation rules. Version 2.9 took effect on 1 July 2025.
Who has to report to PRIMHD?
PRIMHD receives data from Health NZ specialist mental health and addiction services and from contracted non-government organisations (NGOs). For NGOs, the collection covers contracted mental health and addiction providers that deliver direct support and treatment services and report using the person's National Health Index (NHI) number.
Some services are outside the collection:
- aged residential care providers with three or fewer mental health and addiction residents
- primary mental health services delivered by general practices or primary health organisations
The NGO Guide to PRIMHD notes that funders make the final decision on exclusions and may defer reporting for some services, such as drop-in services. Health NZ also requires each NGO to complete and maintain a mapping document, which records the organisation's name, locations, service types, teams and services, and links them to PRIMHD reporting codes.
What data is collected in PRIMHD?
PRIMHD records follow a person's journey through a service, from referral to discharge. The main record types are:
- Referral and discharge: referral source, start and end dates, and the referral end code
- Activity: the type, setting and team for each contact, programme attendance, bed night or period of leave, and whether family or whānau were involved
- Classification: diagnosis
- Collection occasion and outcome tools: outcome measures such as the HoNOS family of tools and the Alcohol and Drug Outcome Measure (ADOM)
- Supplementary consumer record (SCR): items such as wellness plans, accommodation, employment, and education and training status
- Legal status: for people under mental health legislation
- Team: details of each reporting team
Not every provider reports every record type. Health NZ's NGO and vendor guidance says PRIMHD does not capture NGO diagnosis, legal status or general NGO outcome data, and the NGO Guide to PRIMHD notes that NGOs do not report HoNOS. NGO data typically covers referrals and discharges, activity, team and the person's demographic details from the NHI, along with supplementary consumer records.
ADOM is the main exception for addiction services. It has been mandatory since 1 July 2015 for community-based adult addiction outpatient services, including after-care, post-residential and intensive outpatient programmes. Te Pou's national ADOM reports draw on PRIMHD data from both Health NZ and NGO services that are mandated to offer it.
How and when is PRIMHD data submitted?
The PRIMHD File Specification requires each month's data to be sent by the 20th of the following month at the latest. Providers can send one monthly extract or split it into several.
There are three ways to submit:
- PRIMHD Online: a secure web-based tool for entering data directly
- XML file transfer: batched files extracted from the provider's own client information system and sent to Health NZ by secure file transfer
- Third-party submission: a host agency, data management bureau or other organisation submitting on the provider's behalf
For file submitters, each referral is sent as its own XML file containing its child records, such as activities, collection occasions and SCRs. Files are zipped into a package with a set naming convention. A few rules matter in practice:
- open referrals must be resent with all their child records each time
- changed records must be resent in full
- records are deleted by resending them with a deleted flag, which also removes their child records
Health NZ returns an acknowledgement for every file, marked as accepted or rejected, with counts of errors and warnings. An error is fatal: the file is not loaded and must be corrected and resubmitted. A warning flags something unusual that is still accepted. Only the affected file is rejected, not the whole extract. New file submitters also complete compliance testing with test scripts before going live.
What are the most common PRIMHD errors?
The NGO Guide to PRIMHD identifies NHI input errors as one of the most common causes of reporting errors. Other frequent problems include:
- NHI mismatches: an invalid NHI, or a date of birth or sex that does not match the NHI record
- Date logic: a date of birth after the referral start, a referral end date before its start date, or dates in the future
- Duplicate referrals: more than one open referral for the same person in the same team
- Duplicate or incorrect activity: repeated activity records, wrong start or end times, or the wrong activity type code
- Invalid team and activity combinations: activity types that do not match the team type
- Retired codes: for example, activity types T36 and T42 ended on 30 June 2025
- Stale referrals: the Data Process Standard says open referrals with no activity for more than 91 days should be reviewed
Passing compliance testing confirms a file meets the format and business rules, not that the data is complete or accurate. Regular checks of activity volumes and open referrals are still needed.
How does software help with PRIMHD reporting?
Clean PRIMHD data starts at the point of care. In Mimaso, client, referral and activity data is captured once, in notes and forms on desktop or the mobile app, so staff are not re-entering the same information for reporting.
Missing or invalid fields are flagged on entry, and the whole return is validated again before submission. Mimaso produces PRIMHD returns in the format the collection requires, and funder-specific reports can be configured to match your service agreements. For organisations working on both sides of the Tasman, Mimaso also covers AODTS-NMDS, MDS and NIAA reporting in Australia.
Mimaso has more than 21 years in the health and welfare sector and is ISO/IEC 27001 certified. Your data belongs to your organisation, with a full export available if you ever leave.
PRIMHD frequently asked questions
When is PRIMHD data due?
Each month's data must reach PRIMHD by the 20th of the following month at the latest. Providers can send it in one extract or several.
Do NGOs report HoNOS to PRIMHD?
No. The NGO Guide to PRIMHD notes that NGOs do not report HoNOS, diagnosis or legal status. NGO addiction services that are mandated to use ADOM do report it.
What happens if a PRIMHD file has an error?
A file with an error is rejected and not loaded. You correct the problem and resubmit that file. Other files in the same extract are processed separately.
Who runs PRIMHD now?
PRIMHD is run by Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora. PRIMHD guidance that used to sit on the Ministry of Health website is now published on the Health NZ website, so check older bookmarks and documents.
Sources
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora: PRIMHD collection pages, NGO and vendor reference information, PRIMHD File Specification v2.9 and the NGO Guide to PRIMHD. HISO 10023.1:2023 PRIMHD Data Process Standard, HISO 10023.2:2023 PRIMHD Data Set Standard and HISO 10023.3:2025 PRIMHD Code Set Standard. Te Pou: national ADOM reporting.
This guide is general information, current as at November 2026. Check the latest PRIMHD standards and your contract for your own requirements.