26 May 2026 - Top Stories

ANDHealth's 2026 Industry Sentiment Survey on digital health funding is the day's most consequential development.

ANDHealth's 2026 Industry Sentiment Survey shows a sharp funding squeeze for Australian digital and connected health SMEs. Ninety-two per cent plan to raise growth capital in the next 12 months, and 86 per cent rank access to capital among their top five challenges. The implication is slower domestic scale‑up unless policy settings and investor appetite rebound.

Policy reforms on capital gains tax and discretionary trusts threaten the economics of Australian health‑tech start-ups. The budget proposals would replace the 50 per cent CGT discount with an inflation‑based framework and impose a minimum 30 per cent tax on gains from 1 July 2027. Industry voices warn the changes will erode equity incentives and slow talent uptake. A 2028 minimum tax on discretionary trusts increases the cost of income splitting, pressuring family GP practices and possibly accelerating consolidation in health ventures.

Australian health tech vendors are extending their reach offshore while major domestic EPR plays unfold. Alcidion won a seven‑year contract to supply Miya Precision and related modules to University Hospitals Sussex in the UK, a deal worth about $35 million with potential to rise to $49 million. The arrangement signals growing demand for modular, cloud‑native EPRs and remote care capabilities in established health systems. Domestically, Epic's NSW Hunter New England rollout goes live, a roughly $2 billion procurement, testing frontline IT readiness, training and patient safety as implementation proceeds.

Policy and governance around telehealth and AI are tightening. AHPRA urged regional clinicians to prioritise telehealth during the petrol disruption, boosting demand for remote care tooling. Separately, regulators highlighted the need for transparent AI notes in Medicare billing, with repayments and recoveries illustrating the stakes for auditable AI documentation tools. For health tech executives, that means clearer compliance, tighter product roadmaps and faster adoption of compliant telehealth and AI products.

• ANDHealth reports 92% of digital health SMEs plan growth capital raises in 12 months — this sharpens the push for both domestic and international investors to back scale-ups.
• The CGT reforms and 2028 discretionary trusts minimum tax will erode equity incentives and risk talent migrating away from Australia’s health‑tech ecosystem.
• Alcidion wins a seven‑year UK EPR contract with University Hospitals Sussex for Miya Precision and Patientrack — offshore revenue growth for cloud‑native EPRs is underway.
• Epic's NSW Hunter New England rollout progresses — the procurement tests hospital IT delivery, staff training and patient safety at scale.
• AHPRA's telehealth guidance during the petrol crisis accelerates regional remote care adoption and strengthens demand for telehealth platforms.
• PSR data on AI‑assisted Medicare notes — regulators demand higher transparency and auditable AI documentation from vendors.