Clinical Updates

1 August, 2026

The August 2026 MDref drug database and content update for MedicalDirector Clinical is now available and current from 1 August 2026. The update is a fully rebuilt MDref drug database, CMI (Consumer Medicines Information), PI (Product Information) and updated MedicalDirector Clinical content.

We strongly recommend that you update your MDref database every month. Monthly PBS changes, including new items, Streamlined Authority changes and PBS pricing details, are included in the monthly MDref update. Without this data, you are at risk of creating invalid PBS scripts.

Download August 2026 Drug Update (1.3 GB)

This update also includes the following:

• New and Updated Templates
  • • Bayside Heart Cardiology Referral
    • Impact Referral Form
    • ColoSTAT Test Request Form
    • Perth Cardiovascular Institute
    • Somnocare Sleep test referral
• Updated Pathology Lists
  • • Capital Pathology
    • Melbourne Pathology

Prerequisites:

• This MDref update can only be applied to MedicalDirector Clinical 4.2 (or above).
• The update is quite a large file, ensure you allocate sufficient time for this update.

23 June, 2026

Once the upgrade is complete, you may need to restart the MDXi Service on your practice server:

• Click Start → Run
• Type services.msc and press Enter
• Locate MDXi Service
• Right-click and select Restart
• Confirm the status shows Running

Notes:

• There will be no change to your clinical workflow
• The restart will take up to one minute
• Users do not need to log out of workstations
• Avoid sending ePrescriptions during the restart

If you have an IT provider or internal IT team, please forward them this information so they can assist with the required service restart.

If you have any questions or need support, contact us via the customer support portal.

23 June, 2026

From 1 July 2026, changes from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will affect SMS Sender IDs (the name shown to message recipients instead of a phone number).

MessageNet is the SMS service provider used to send messages from MedicalDirector Clinical.

What this means:

• SMS messages where patients can reply (e.g. appointment reminders with Yes/No confirmation) are already sent from a mobile number and are not affected by this change.
• SMS messages that don’t allow a reply (e.g. one-way recalls, results notifications, or informational updates) are sent using a Sender ID and will display as ‘Unverified’ from 1 July unless that Sender ID is registered with ACMA.
• Note: Many practices use both types, so even if your appointment reminders are unaffected, your one-way messages may still be impacted.
• If you send messages using a named Sender ID, you need to register it with ACMA before 1 July 2026.
• Unregistered Sender IDs will be displayed as “Unverified”.
• Registration requires confirming your ownership and use of the Sender ID.

What Clinical, Pracsoft and Bluechip users need to do:

• Complete ACMA registration as soon as possible to avoid disruption. This will take only a few minutes to complete.

To maintain access to the AIR, all practices must update their Clinical and Practice Management Software to version 4.3a R2 by 24 October 2025.

Learn more and upgrade today

MedicalDirector Insights 1.9.5 is now available for your practice to meet the latest Department of Health requirements for nKPI and OSR reporting for the July 2026 reporting period.

What do I need to do?

1. Download and run the .exe file, then follow the instructions as prompted for installation. 
2. Once the new MedicalDirector Insights 1.9.5 version has been installed, you will need to generate a new Ad-hoc collection before you run your nKPI reports. 
3. Navigate to Reporting, and then click nKPI’s. Please review the output of the report and record any unexpected results. 
4. Submit your nKPI report to the Health Data portal. 
5. Log into the health data portal 
6. Locate your new nKPI submission and review the results. 

⚠️ Important: MedicalDirector Insights must be installed on the database server first before generating a new Ad‑hoc Collection (snapshot). If the server is not updated, reports will use outdated data and may show missing or “no values found” results.

MedicalDirector Insights 1.9.3 is now available for your practice to meet the latest Department of Health requirements for nKPI and OSR reporting for the January 2026 reporting period.

What do I need to do?

1. Download and run the .exe file, then follow the instructions as prompted for installation. 
2. Once the new MedicalDirector Insights 1.9.3 version has been installed, you will need to generate a new Ad-hoc collection before you run your nKPI reports. 
3. Navigate to Reporting, and then click nKPI’s. Please review the output of the report and record any unexpected results. 
4. Submit your nKPI report to the Health Data portal. 
5. Log into the health data portal 
6. Locate your new nKPI submission and review the results. 
7. If you are encountering discrepancies in reporting results for PI05, PI06, PI18 or PI19, kindly refer to the instructions provided in the following guide: SQL workaround for PI05, PI06, PI18 and PI19

Department of Health and Aged Care (DoHAC) and Services Australia have been engaging with the sector, including the Medical Software Vendors Industry Association (MSIA), to agree the design specifications for integration of the MyMedicare initiative with patient management software.

While we wait for the specifications, we’ve developed the following interim solutions:

A New MyMedicare Registration Template: We have implemented a template to minimise the impact on patient registration. When you want to register patients for MyMedicare, we have created a form that will auto-populate to help streamline your workflow. These templates can now be accessed in Letterwriter by simply searching for ‘MyMedicare’ under the ‘Supplied’ tab. 

A New MyMedicare Registration (check box): In the upcoming MedicalDirector Pracsoft 4.3 release, there will be a check box to identify your patients who are registered with MyMedicare.

Note: This will require a manual updating of the field using information from Services Australia.

Smart Visual Dashboards: There will soon be new metrics added to our Smart Visual Dashboards in an update which will help support your practice in identifying patients who are eligible for MyMedicare, along with those who will get the most value from joining the program. Get your practice started with Smart Visual Dashboards.

Other Useful Links:

5 December, 2024

From 5 December 2024, Services Australia no longer supports AIR uploads from Clinical V4.2 or earlier.

Over 80% of MedicalDirector Clinical customers are now using version 4.3

Learn more and upgrade today

Manage immunisation records in AIR – PRODA / HPOS account

Alpha tags are a way for you to identify your SMS messages with a unique ‘sender’ name. Alpha tags can include digits, text, and some special characters and should be related to your business.

Other valid use cases for Alpha Tags include business names, personal names, product or service and acronyms, initialism or contractions of the sender. They cannot be generic words such as Reminder.

Registering Alpha Tags

Register your preferred Alpha tags with your messaging provider:

Follow the steps here to register your Alpha Tag with MessageNet.

Step 1: Initial Setup

The Practice

Each practice must have an HPI-O (Healthcare Provider Identifier – Organisation) number, which must be entered in the associated field on the Practice tab in Clinical under the Tools menu.

The practice also requires that eRx Script Exchange is setup on the practice network.

Practitioner

Each registered practitioner must have an HPI-I (Healthcare Provider Identifier – Individual) number, which must be entered in the associated field within the Practitioner’s details.

Step 2: Software upgrade

Upgrade now