31 March 2026 - Top Stories

Faz Australia\'s MedTalk AI pilot with ACT Health embeds an AI scribe into Epic workflows, pressuring Australian EMR providers to prioritise HL7-ready AI integrations.

Public sector AI adoption is moving from pilot to mainstream. Faz Australia has won ACT Health\'s MedTalk AI pilot to trial an AI scribe inside Epic, using HL7 to weave into daily notes. If it scales, health IT leaders will push EMR vendors to deliver HL7 ready AI components and strong governance around generated guidance.

Locally curated AI guidance gains traction. MedLuma\'s GP tool will be embedded in Best Practice, delivering Australian guidelines with citations and CPD updates. This shifts advantage toward tools that lock in trusted sources; global AI platforms lacking local governance may struggle to win long term adoption and accreditation.

Policy and funding shift care access. The ACT bulk billing initiative adds three clinics, forcing practices to handle larger patient loads with interoperable digital systems for triage, telehealth and records. Vendors should prepare modular, affordable health IT that scales across GP networks to avoid bottlenecks in patient flows.

Telehealth safeguards and standards loom. Industry voices push for self accreditation of online care software; speed to alignment will reward platforms that meet data security and identity verification requirements. The HepLink launch shows digital platforms must connect testing guidance, remote consultations and prescribing without friction to be viable.

Regulatory clarity around vaping and cessation tools. The UNSW vaping review strengthens calls for tighter controls and surveillance. For health tech, this means greater demand for digital cessation tools and exposure monitoring, with insurers more likely to fund them and regulators ready to align coverage with policy.

• Faz Australia won the ACT Health MedTalk AI pilot to trial an AI scribe inside Epic; Australian health tech executives must prioritise HL7-ready AI integrations to avoid delays.
• MedLuma\'s GP AI search tool launches and will be embedded in Best Practice; Australian GPs gain access to curated guidelines with CPD tracking; global platforms lacking local governance face headwinds.
• Canberra\'s Bulk Billing GP Attraction Initiative adds three bulk-billed clinics; health IT vendors should plan interoperable patient management and telehealth capabilities to support scale.
• Eucalyptus advocates self accreditation for telehealth; telehealth platforms aligning quickly win market share; slow adopters risk regulatory friction.
• HepLink telehealth goes live; MediRecords and Coviu deliver end to end digital care; providers should ensure cloud platforms integrate with AI scribe and remote workflows.
• Pharmacy Guild pushes PBS prescribing rights; could accelerate e-prescribing and require interoperability between pharmacy and GP systems.