Dept on Telstra Health’s aged care electronic product failure
eNRMC systems are used in residential aged care to electronically prescribe, supply and track medication, reducing the administrative burden and improving resident safety.
In Senate Estimates last week, the Department revealed the extent of its concern over Telstra Health’s continued failure to meet electronic prescribing requirements.
Earlier this month, Telstra Health’s MedPoint was granted a second extension to meet electronic prescribing requirements, in a move designed to avoid aged care providers being forced to revert to paper scripts.
Telstra Health’s MedPoint and StrongRoom AI's StrongCare are the only non-conforming platforms, with eight of the 10 electronic National Residential Medication Chart (eNRMC) software vendors now successfully conforming.
eNRMC systems are used in residential aged care to electronically prescribe, supply and track medication, reducing the administrative burden for staff and improving resident safety.
“Enduring clinical risks”
In Senate Estimates last week, Senator Anne Ruston asked the Department about Telstra Health’s ongoing non-conformance.
Daniel McCabe, First Assistant Secretary, Medicare Benefits and Digital Health Division with the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, said the Department will investigate before Christmas if “enduring clinical risks” make MedPoint “unable to meet conformance".
“If that occurs, we will be working with Telstra Health to advise their customers to transition to different products,” he said, adding the Department wishes to allow “plenty of time” for any potential transition.
It was also revealed Telstra Health’s MedPoint crashed when providers attempted to generate three months’ worth of prescriptions before the former 1 October conformance deadline.
Extension avoids return to paper systems
The introduction of electronic prescribing and medication management in residential aged care was a recommendation of the Aged Care Royal Commission.
In 2022, the Government adopted temporary Transitional Arrangements to allow aged care homes to begin using eNRMC systems before full electronic prescribing functionality was available.
The Transitional Arrangement will end on 31 December 2026. After that date, only fully conformant eNRMC systems will be permitted for prescribing in residential aged care.
Telstra Health and StrongRoom AI have had their conformance deadlines pushed back to 1 April 2026. Aged care homes can continue using non-conformant software until that date.
However, after 1 April 2026, any orders created using non-conformant systems will require duplicate paper/electronic PBS prescriptions – increasing the administrative burden and the risk of medication errors.
