27 March 2026 - Top Stories

DoHDA's 2026 compliance drive places telehealth at the top of regulatory focus, forcing Australian health tech platforms to embed MBS and PBS checks in their systems.

Interoperability and precision health push across Australia means data ecosystems must connect EMRs with genomic data, wearable data and environmental factors. The precision health APIs piece notes that moving toward a personalised agenda exposes gaps in data flows and large datasets. Opening APIs and AI-enabled risk tools becomes essential to deliver real-time risk assessments that adapt with new information. The expanded sharing rules for My Health Record could leave rural and First Nations populations behind if interoperability stalls. The forced decision for health tech leaders is to prioritise data standardisation and cross-system integration now.

RACGP insists urgent care clinics remain GP-led, while the ACN argues nurse practitioners could run them independently to ease staffing pressures. Interim evaluations of 87 UCCs show ongoing recruitment and retention challenges, especially in regional areas. For health‑tech executives this means prioritising systems that support GP‑nurse collaboration and seamless handovers, while keeping options open for future NP led workflows if policy shifts.

DoHDA's 2026 compliance watchlist puts telehealth at the top, with focus areas on telehealth quality, care plans and overseas claims. The set sits under the Health Provider Compliance Strategy 2025-30 and includes moves to share medicines information from online prescribers via My Health Record. The RACGP president cautions that telehealth only services may not meet MBS rules. For health tech vendors this creates demand for platforms that embed MBS and PBS validation and robust reporting to dodge audits.

Victoria's plan to allow pharmacists to initiate contraceptive pill prescriptions is moving forward, despite opposition from the RACGP and AMA. The Commonwealth has not endorsed it, but funds a trial that would pay pharmacists at PBS subsidy rates. This requires pharmacy software to integrate PBS workflows and patient records and could reshape primary care pathways. The risk is fragmentation of care if guardrails are weak and GP relationships weaken.

Digital Health Foundations for Nursing and Midwifery launches nationwide with five modules covering digital professionalism, leadership and advocacy, data quality, information-enabled care and technology in practice. The program aligns with the national framework for digital health in nursing and midwifery and accreditation standards. Uptake may vary by state and in rural areas, limiting real world impact on care delivery and tool usage. Health tech buyers should plan for educator-led training that drives interoperable tool adoption and decision support use.

• Australian Digital Health Agency and La Trobe University launched Digital Health Foundations for Nursing and Midwifery, which will drive demand for digital health training platforms aligned to national standards across Australian healthcare for health tech executives.
• EMR vendors embracing open APIs and AI-enabled risk tools will win market share as interoperability becomes a priority for buyers, a clear call to Australian health tech executives.
• RACGP's stance on GP-led UCCs and ACN advocacy will push healthtech to support GP-led teams with integrated handover workflows and workforce management tools, a directive for Australian health tech executives.
• DoHDA's telehealth compliance drive will push platforms with embedded MBS and PBS validation, speeding uptake and reducing audit risk for health tech buyers in Australia.
• Victoria's pharmacist prescribing trial will require pharmacy software to integrate PBS workflows and patient records, reshaping procurement and care pathways for Australian health tech executives.
• OPTIMAS-GP antimicrobial stewardship toolbox adoption will push GP software ecosystems to embed decision aids and clinical decision support, altering product roadmaps for Australian health tech executives.