Live Feed: COVID-19
11 July, 2022 Access to PBS-listed oral COVID-19 treatments have been expanded and the eligibility criteria now includes updated age limits and risk factors. For more information, visit www.pbs.gov.au.
21 January, 2022 Four new vaccines have been added to MedicalDirector Helix: CORONAVAC, BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm), COVASIN, COVISHIELD. COVID-19 Consent and Clearance Form templates have also been added.
17 January, 2022 Secure message delivery is now available in MedicalDirector Helix and Clinical.
12 January, 2022 With COVID-19 Omicron cases continuing to rise in Australia, the demand for flexibility in healthcare from patients is greater than we’ve ever seen before. Join Practice Consultant, Suzie Herniman for a free webinar on what flexibility looks like when it comes to patient care, and how you can set your practice up to support flexibility in 2022 and beyond.
10 January, 2021 The Australian Government has released Guidelines for Caring for People with COVID-19, as well as COVID-19 resources for NSW and Managing COVID-19 Safely at Home in NSW, ACT, VIC, QLD, WA, SA, NT and TAS.
29 December, 2021 General Practitioners in NSW are no longer required to provide patients with Releases from Isolation. However, this template is still available in MedicalDirector software for practitioners who wish to continue using them.
23 December, 2021 The Australian Government has released a resource providing key information about COVID-19 vaccines for parents and guardians of children aged 5 to 11 years, and an information sheet on Prescriptions via Telehealth – State and Territory Rules (Updated).
22 December, 2021 The RACGP has released a resource on Home Care Guidelines for Patients with COVID-19 and a guide, action plan and symptom diary for patients.
17 December, 2021 The Australian Government has released a series of information resources, including Management of Adults with Mild COVID-19, Management of Adults with Moderate to Severe COVID-19, Management of Adults with Severe to Critical COVID-19 and Pathways to Care for Children and Adolescents with COVID-19.
14 December, 2021 A reminder that ePrescribing is now available in all states in Australia, and this functionality is available in MedicalDirector Helix and Clinical. A range of resources are available, including webinars, setup instructions and help documentation.
25 November, 2021 Advance search in MedicalDirector Helix can now generate the total list of patients who have received either Covid-19 AstraZeneca or Vaxzevria vaccines to aid in the booster rollout.
12 November, 2021 A Covid Booster Vaccine appointment type has been added to MedicalDirector Helix, to help facilitate and track these appointments.
12 November, 2021 The Australian Government has released an information resource on Care of People Post-COVID-19.
28 July 2021 Recalls can now be automatically created as part of the immunisation recording workflow in MedicalDirector Helix. This is available for COVID-19 Vaccinations (defaults to 12 weeks for AstraZeneca and 3 weeks for Pfizer) and for Flu vaccinations (defaults to 12 months). The time period can be changed within the vaccination workflow if required.
1 July, 2021 The Australian Government has released a series of resources on information sheet on Management of People with COVID-19 who are older and living with frailty and/or cognitive impairment, and Management of People with COVID-19 who are receiving palliative care.
24 June 2021 A new recall reason for COVID-19 has been added to MedicalDirector Helix for second dose vaccination.
10 June 2021 Two additional appointment types have been added to MedicalDirector Helix – 1st Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine and 2nd Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine – to differentiate the appointments for patients.
19 March, 2021 MedicalDirector and HealthEngine have today announced a partnership to deliver a fully integrated patient engagement solution within leading health software, MedicalDirector Helix, Clinical and Pracsoft. The partnership enables practices to securely manage HealthEngine appointment bookings, recalls and reminders, as well as COVID-19 vaccinations with the integration of HealthEngine’s COVAX online booking solution and MedicalDirector’s health software.
8 March, 2021 Currently, there are no serial numbers on COVID-19 vaccination vials. Serial numbers will be introduced later in the year, and MedicalDirector Clinical users will have access to an updated version, which includes this functionality, ahead of time. The two vaccinations that will be available in Australia at this stage are COVID-19 AstraZeneca and PFIZER COMIRNATY. If you have the March MDRef installed, these vaccinations are already available.
4 March, 2021 COVID-19 and the latest Influenza vaccines are now available in MedicalDirector Helix to assist you in reporting to the Australian Immunisation Register.
18 November, 2020 For our valued practices who have just received news of a COVID-19 lockdown in South Australia, we have enabled ePrescribing functionality in MedicalDirector Helix. We are supporting MedicalDirector Clinical practices with the major release of 4.0 shortly, including functionality for ePrescribing. Alternatively, South Australian practices can now access this functionality in 3.18c. To help support you in minimising the spread, MedicalDirector practices continue to have access to fully integrated Telehealth functionality for free, within the clinical record. We are with you, every step of the way.
26 October, 2020 Introducing MedicalDirector Care – set up, populate and review care plans from within your clinical software, and empower even more patients to monitor and manage their health.
12 October, 2020 Due to the COVID-19 situation, practices in Greater Victoria have now been prioritised for the roll-out of ePrescribing.
25 September, 2020 On October 1, 2020 we will be publishing a new drug monograph on our AusDI platform for remdesivir, a provisionally approved treatment for COVID-19.
19 August, 2020 Due to the COVID-19 situation, practices in Melbourne Metro have now been prioritised for the roll-out of ePrescribing.
10 August, 2020 We have prepared a short video on how to access Telehealth consults for our MedicalDirector Clinical users. This functionality is also available in MedicalDirector Helix.
4 August, 2020 Cloud vs on premise clinical software – what’s right for your practice? Join us for the free webinar on Tuesday 18th August at 12pm. Together, we’ll delve into the specifics of cloud software platforms and how they can help enable ideal healthcare in a pandemic and beyond.
1 August, 2020 The latest MBS update is now available in Helix, Bluechip and Pracsoft.
21 July, 2020 In order to protect the data of patients and practices, MedicalDirector is introducing two-factor authentication for Helix.
6 July, 2020 We partnered with eRx Script Exchange, Australia’s electronic prescriptions gateway to answer your questions on ePrescribing, the Token Model, Active Script list, and more.
1 July, 2020 The latest MBS update is now available in Helix, Bluechip and Pracsoft.
15 June, 2020 The ePrescribing roll-out has started, with both dispensing and prescribing being tested via the Australian Digital Health Agency’s Communities of Interest initiative.
10 June, 2020 The healthcare industry as a whole is working to get platforms enabled and software up to date, for the roll-out of ePrescribing. If you’re using MedicalDirector Helix or Clinical, there are a few things you will need to do to make sure you are ready to go once ePrescribing is made available in your software. Download the checklist.
10 June, 2020 The way we prescribe is changing, to make prescriptions faster and more convenient for everyone. Read more.
3 June, 2020 Integrative GP and Chief Medical Officer, Dr Charlotte Middleton, shares her perspective on why getting ePrescribing right, is better than doing it fast.
28 May, 2020 A reminder that our team is on hand 362 days of the year to support you, via Live Chat, phone and our website.
27 May, 2020 The latest MBS update is now available in Helix, Bluechip and Pracsoft.
26 May, 2020 New PIP QI measures will soon be available to MedicalDirector customers, in accordance with the Australian Government Department of Health PIP QI reporting and data extraction specifications. More details will be provided shortly.
21 May, 2020 MedicalDirector and Microsoft have now partnered to offer practices 30% off the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 for Business i5/8GB/256 model and 20% off accessories, including type covers and digital pens.
19 May, 2020 Telehealth appointment links can now be sent via SMS and email in MedicalDirector Helix.
6 May, 2020 The latest MBS update is now available in Helix, Bluechip and Pracsoft.
2 May, 2020 While ePrescribing offers immense benefits for GPs, pharmacists and patients, as an industry it is important that we ensure a seamless execution. A unified approach to ePrescribing roll-outs is crucial. Read more…
1 May, 2020 In response to COVID-19, a significant percentage of work cover consultations are now being performed via Telehealth. To represent this change in service delivery, the NSW State Insurance Regulation Authority (SIRA) has requested a modification to billing item codes used. All work cover services performed via Telehealth are now indicated with a ‘T’ at the end of the service items. For more information, please refer to the SIRA website.
1 May, 2020 The latest MBS update for the Australian Government’s COVID-19 response is now available in Helix, Bluechip and Pracsoft.
30 April, 2020 Finding ways to care for patients while keeping practitioners safe has never been more important than it is now. At MedicalDirector, we’re working tirelessly to support you through the COVID-19 crisis, so you can keep taking care of others.
21 April, 2020 MedicalDirector recently surveyed General Practices to understand shifting views around remote care, Telehealth, cloud-based clinical software and more. Download the free Report.
21 April, 2020 New prescribing restrictions for hydroxychloroquine now apply, following an increase in prescriptions for non-approved indications linked to COVID-19. A reminder has been created in MedicalDirector Clinical at the point of prescribing.
20 April, 2020 Telehealth is now available in MedicalDirector Clinical and is accessible via the sidebar. Telehealth will be free* for at least the next 3 months, to support practices during COVID-19. Register for the webinar to learn more.
*Charges may apply for Telehealth functionality at a later date. MedicalDirector will notify customers of these charges in advance. Charges related to SMS reminders continue to apply where this feature is used in conjunction with Telehealth.
20 April, 2020 The latest MBS update is now available in Helix, Bluechip and Pracsoft.
16 April, 2020 Australian Clinical Labs eOrders are now available in MedicalDirector Clinical. eOrders automatically deliver electronic pathology requests directly to patients, without the need to follow up on the notification.
14 April, 2020 MedicalDirector is working alongside the Department of Health and the Australian Digital Health Agency to fast track the implementation of electronic prescribing (ePrescribing) to help protect people most at-risk in our community from exposure to COVID-19. For practices using MedicalDirector Helix, these updates will be rolled out automatically. For customers using MedicalDirector Clinical the update will need to be installed as as upgrade. More details will be provided shortly.
7 April, 2020 MedicalDirector has been instrumental in bringing free NBN upgrades to practices to help support Telehealth consultations during COVID-19. This offer will available to practices in the coming weeks. Listen to an address from the Minister for Communications, Hon. Paul Fletcher MP.
6 April, 2020 The latest MBS update is now available in Helix, Bluechip and Pracsoft.
2 April, 2020 Telehealth consultations are now available in Helix. Seamlessly integrated into the clinical workflow — patient history, notes, pathology and prescriptions sit alongside the Teleconsultation. This capability will be rolled out to Clinical in the coming days. Read a message from MedicalDirector’s CEO, Matthew Bardsley.
2 April, 2020 MedicalDirector has partnered with Microsoft to offer practices 15% off the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 for Business i5/8GB/256 model and 20% off accessories, including type covers and digital pens.
31 March, 2020 The latest MBS update regarding telehealth consultations for all Australians is now available in Helix.
30 March, 2020 The latest MBS update regarding telehealth consultations for all Australians is now available in Bluechip and Pracsoft.
27 March, 2020 Telehealth appointments and pre-consult notifications are now available in Pracsoft via our partner, AutoMed Solutions.
25 March, 2020 The latest MBS and DVA update for the Australian Government’s COVID-19 response is now available in Helix.
24 March, 2020 MedicalDirector has prepared a guide to assist practices with using Clinical and Pracsoft during COVID-19.
23 March, 2020 A new ‘Telehealth’ appointment type is now available in Helix. This will enable you to identify any telehealth appointments in both the appointment card and in the patient queue.
23 March, 2020 A new template called ‘COVID-19 clearance letter’ has been added to the Letter Writer in Helix to provide medical clearance to patients who have completed a 14-day period of self-isolation due to COVID-19.
23 March, 2020 Read an updated message from MedicalDirector’s CEO, Matthew Bardsley.
23 March, 2020 The latest MBS and DVA update for the Australian Government’s COVID-19 response is now available in Bluechip and Pracsoft.
20 March, 2020 The MBS update for the Australian Government’s COVID-19 response is now available in Helix.
20 March, 2020 The DVA update for the Australian Government’s COVID-19 response is now available in Bluechip.
17 March, 2020 The MBS Update for the Australian Government’s COVID-19 response is now available in Bluechip and Pracsoft.
16 March, 2020 Read a message from MedicalDirector’s CEO, Matthew Bardsley, regarding support for GPs during COVID-19.
13 March, 2020 DOCLE codes have been updated to reflect the COVID-19 situation in Clinical. Under Reasons for Visit, Reason for medication and Past history you can record if the appointment relates to COVID-19 (Coronavirus).
13 March, 2020 A new pathology favourite has been created in Helix called COVID-19 PCR with the required pre-sets. This has been automatically added to the favourite list for those who have permission to create pathology requests.
11 March, 2020 SNOMED codes have been updated in Helix to reflect the current COVID-19 situation. Under Reasons for Visit, Reason for medication and Past history you can record if the appointment relates to COVID-19 (Coronavirus).
Reminder Practices can add the COVID-19 nucleic acid assay (Nasopharyngeal swab) and the Infectious respiratory nucleic acid (Respiratory PCR; Rhinovirus nuclei acid) Pathology test requests in the Pathology Favourites section, in Clinical.
Reminder Practices can create alerts for patients’ files to flag if the patient is COVID-19 positive or is suspected to have COVID-19, in Clinical.
Reminder Practices can create custom appointment types (e.g. Telehealth/Phone Consult) in Pracsoft.
Support MedicalDirector is supporting practices during COVID-19 via LiveChat, customerservice@medicaldirector.com and 1300 300 161.
