Boosting Healthcare Access with AI Investments: Australian Universities Receive $20 Million for Innovative Projects.

The Medical Research Future Fund has allocated $20 million for 10 AI projects in major universities across Australia, aimed at enhancing healthcare access. One of these projects from the University of Queensland focuses on using AI in combination with 3D total skin imaging for early melanoma detection, while another project from the University of Melbourne aims to develop AI-powered services to address mental health issues in young people.

In New Zealand, a fake app posing as the official app of The Doctors Medical Centres has been identified. The service has taken action to have the fake app blacklisted by the National Cyber Security Centre NZ and removed from the Play Store. The Doctors app allows patients to book appointments, access medical records, order repeat prescriptions, and receive health reminders. Users are advised to download the official app directly from their website if they have not already updated from previous apps.

PenCS has introduced a new module on its Practice Cloud platform to support care planning activities related to the General Practice in Aged Care Incentive. This federal scheme provides incentives of $430 per eligible patient each year. The MyMedicare – Aged Care Incentive module helps practices identify eligible patients, generate reminder and recall lists, track claimed and unclaimed MBS items, view revenue opportunities, and analyze patient lists based on various parameters. This new module is part of PenCS’ effort to enhance Practice Cloud with Dashboards, Reports, and actionable patient lists.