20 April 2026 - Top Stories

Arexvy funding under the National Immunisation Program for Australians aged 75 plus and Indigenous people aged 60 plus is driving a major revamp of primary-care immunisation workflows and data feeds.

The shift means clinics must embed real-time vaccine data into patient records, align immunisation processes in EMRs, and share status with national registries, elevating the importance of interoperable records in rural and Indigenous health services.

A national prescribing standard for pharmacists centralises training and creates uniform prescribing workflows across jurisdictions, pressuring software vendors to support consistent pharmacist‑led prescribing and credentialing while states retain control over which medicines can be prescribed.

Mater Queensland’s eConsult rollout demonstrates a scalable model for remote specialist input, with around 1,700 Requests for Advice and 82% of GP cases resolved without in-person visits, pushing health systems to invest in secure, interoperable consult platforms and data-sharing between primary care and specialists.

Modeus’ Modentity introduces a secure single sign-on for pharmacy at APP2026, enabling staff onboarding across dispensing, prescribing and escript tools in seconds and creating a clear case for cross‑system identity federation and tighter audit trails for compliance.

The Australasian Institute of Digital Health is formalising a Clinical Informatics Fellowship with government backing, a move that will enlarge the talent pool for digital health projects and EMR optimisation, provided funding remains stable.

• Federal government expanded Arexvy funding under the National Immunisation Program to include 75 plus and 60 plus Indigenous Australians, requiring EMR vendors to integrate real-time vaccination data and order sets into primary care workflows.
• Pharmacist prescribing moves to a national standard, so software platforms must support uniform pharmacist-led prescribing workflows across jurisdictions.
• Mater Queensland eConsult rollout gives GPs faster access to specialist input across 16 subspecialties, reducing face-to-face referrals.
• Modeus launches Modentity secure single sign-on for pharmacy at APP2026, pressuring vendors to implement cross-system identity federation.
• AIDH launches Clinical Informatics Fellowship with government backing, expanding recruitment for digital health capability projects in health services and EMR teams.