Live Feed: Sector Updates
22 February 2023,The Department of Health and Aged Care has continued to extend the subsidy of electronic prescription tokens sent via SMS until June 30 2023, via the existing SMS Gateway providers.
10 February 2022, On behalf of the Department of Health and Aged Care, the Australian Digital Health Agency advises that the reimbursements of electronic prescription tokens sent via SMS will be extended until 30 June 2023, via the existing SMS Gateway providers.
21 May, 2022 Services Australia has agreed to extend the deadline from June 30th to August 31st for practices using MedicalDirector Clinical and Pracsoft that have not yet upgraded to the new Medicare web services-enabled version.
4 May, 2022 To prepare for the release of Medicare Web Services in MedicalDirector Helix, it is vital that any stored patient claims are transmitted, at close of business before the upgrade. We will remind practices before the new Medicare Web Services functionality is released.
3 May, 2022 The 4.2 release of Clinical and Pracsoft is just around the corner and will include the crucial update to Medicare Web Services. Some practices will require a Microsoft SQL update before upgrading to the new version. The minimum required version is Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 SP2, to ensure you to meet the system requirements for the upcoming 4.2 release. However, we recommend you upgrade to the latest version of Microsoft SQL Server, if possible.
11 February, 2022 MedicalDirector will be hosting a series of webinars detailing Medicare Web Services changes for practices, including pre-set up, install instructions and demonstrations of the new clinical and practice management workflows. For more information, please register for the webinars.
10 February, 2022 The Australian Government has announced that PKI certificates must be renewed and updated in clinical software to support the change to Medicare Web Services. All practices will be required to have an updated PKI certificate by 13th March, 2022, and be using Medicare Web Services compatible software versions by the extended deadline of 30th June, 2022.
For practices using MedicalDirector Clinical, Pracsoft and Bluechip:
- If your practice has set up automatic PKI certificate renewals, your PKI certificate will have been updated automatically during your usual online claiming transactions.
- If your practice has not set up automatic PKI certificate renewals, you will receive an update disc in the mail from Services Australia. Please follow these instructions for PKI Certificate Installation and Renewal. If you have not received a disc, please contact Medicare eBusiness on 1800 700 199.
For practices using MedicalDirector Helix:
- Practices using MedicalDirector Helix have been set up for automatic PKI certificate renewals. Please raise an enquiry with our Customer Service Team to assist you with updating your PKI certificate within Helix.
19 January, 2022 Our Medicare Web Services software versions are currently with the Department of Health for approval prior to release. At this stage, we expect Web Services-compatible versions of our software will be available during the first quarter of 2022. We will continue to keep our customers updated as more details become available.
15 December, 2021 The NSW Government has announced that the existing PKI infrastructure will continue to work alongside the new Medicare Web Services to enable practices additional time to install their Web Services compatible software, when it becomes available.
20 September 2021 We’re pleased to confirm that MedicalDirector will manage the entire PRODA authentication process on behalf of MedicalDirector software users — removing the need for you to step through the manual authentication process. Read more about the PRODA process and what it means for you and your practice if your clinical software provider is not authenticating for you.
09 August 2021 Replacing the PKI system is a new PRODA authenticated system. MedicalDirector will be managing the entire PRODA authentication process for Medicare Web Services – with no action required by practices at all. We have been advised that not all software providers will be taking this approach, and will require practices to undertake significant manual setup and ongoing authentication. To learn more, watch the Q&A
28 July 2021 Join us for a Q&A session where we answer your questions surrounding the new Medicare Web Services platform, upgrading your software, what the change means for you and your practice, and how you can prepare. Watch the Q&A
25 June 2021 Medicare Web Services will affect the way practices claim through Medicare Online, DVA, the Australian Immunisation Register, and more. To learn more about these changes, and how they will affect you and your practice, watch the free webinar.
11 June 2021 Medicare Web Services will integrate directly with your practice management software for a smoother online claiming process. It will also be more flexible and easier to use across multiple systems. Your practice software will need to be updated to be compatible with the new Medicare Web Services platform – depending on your software provider this may mean action is required from you. Read the full article.
07 June 2021 The Australian Government recently announced the roll-out of Medicare Web Services. It is critical that your clinical software is compliant so you can continue to access Medicare services. Practices using desktop-based clinical software will need to update to a new Medicare Web Services-compatible version. Practices using cloud clinical software, such as MedicalDirector Helix, will have automatic access to this update.
