25 May 2026 - Top Stories

Epic rollout at Hunter New England Local Health District is delayed to 20 May as NSW Health staff push back.

NSW Health's public Epic deployment underscores how workforce pressure can derail major digital health programs. The stop-work action and fatigue reports threaten data quality, user adoption and the pace of future investments in hospital IT. For vendors, this means longer deployment windows and higher ongoing support costs.

As of July 1, clinics must prove bulk-billing consent for every encounter and retain records for two years. That creates an added admin burden and requires stronger consent capture, auditing and patient data workflows, with potential delays for vulnerable patients if digital access is uneven. Health IT suppliers will need to upgrade practice management and EMR modules to meet the new rules.

The RACGP 2026–30 Advocacy Plan prioritises investment in general practice and new digital care standards, including tighter regulation of telehealth prescribers and a framework for Urgent Care Clinic accreditation. For healthtech suppliers, this means meeting stricter accreditation requirements and delivering interoperable care models across primary care networks.

Genomics Australia welcomes a $508.5 million MRFF package over four years, lifting grant funding toward roughly $1 billion per year by 2030–31 and backing the Precision Health Program to expand genomic testing and representation. The move should accelerate national genomic testing platforms and data infrastructure across Australia.

Taken together, policy decisions and funding shifts are reshaping procurement, vendor roadmaps and the pace at which digital health tools reach clinics across Australia.

• Epic negotiates extended go-live support with NSW Health: health IT vendors must plan longer deployment windows.
• Clinics must capture bulk-billing consent for every episode and store it for two years: EMR providers must upgrade consent capture and audit trails.
• DoHDA data shows 3,800 clinics on BB PIP: practice management vendors must embed pre-assignment of benefits in billing workflows.
• RACGP's 2026–30 plan tightens digital care standards: EMR and telehealth vendors face stricter accreditation requirements.
• Genomics Australia secures MRFF funding of $508.5 million over four years: genomic testing platforms and data infrastructure will scale nationally.
• Frailty framework adoption will drive demand for digital frailty screening tools: health IT vendors should build interoperable screening and referral workflows.