Clinical Information Systems for allied health

 

Clinical Information Systems support documentation, scheduling, billing, communication, and connection to digital health. Whether you’re selecting a system or reviewing your current setup, this page provides practical guidance to support safe, efficient, and connected care.

 

What are Clinical Information Systems?

Clinical Information Systems (CIS) is the preferred term for software that supports clinical care management in an allied health setting. This includes tools for clinical documentation, administration, scheduling, billing, and reporting. You may also hear these referred to as practice management systems or electronic health record systems.

These systems may support:

  • Clinical notes and documentation

  • Appointment scheduling and reminders

  • Billing and claiming, including Medicare and NDIS

  • Reporting and outcome tracking

  • Communication and secure messaging.

For many allied health professionals, a single system brings these functions together in one place.

Why they matter for allied health

Clinical Information Systems play an important role in supporting everyday practice. They can help allied health professionals to:

  • Maintain clear and consistent clinical records

  • Improve efficiency in busy practices or small teams

  • Support continuity of care across providers

  • Reduce administrative burden

  • Enable safer sharing of health information.

Clinical Information Systems are also the primary way allied health professionals connect to Australia's digital health environment. Using conformant software enables you to access and contribute to My Health Record and share information securely with other providers. Choosing software that supports these connections helps ensure your practice is ready to participate in safe, secure and coordinated care.

What to consider when selecting a Clinical Information System

Selecting a Clinical Information System is an important decision for your practice. It should support your clinical work, day-to-day operations and connection to digital health products.

The prompts below can be used to guide conversations with software vendors and compare systems.

When comparing options, consider:

  • Your clinical and administrative needs

  • Practice size and team structure

  • Budget, including setup and ongoing costs

  • Integration with other tools you already use

  • Availability of training and support

  • Ability to connect to digital health, including conformant software

Hardware requirements

Supports your digital foundations and system performance

    • Does the system work across devices such as laptops, tablets and phones?

    • Is it compatible with different operating systems?

    • Can it be accessed securely from different locations if needed?‍

    • Where is data stored?

    • Is the system cloud-based, locally hosted, or both?

    • Is data stored in Australia or offshore?

    • Are there clear data backup and recovery processes?

    • Can data be accessed across multiple locations or sites?

    • Does the system support remote or mobile access where required?

    • Can information be exported if needed?

    • Does the system perform efficiently during day-to-day use?

    • Are there delays when loading records or switching between screens?

    • Can it handle multiple users without slowing down?

Clinical functionality

Supports delivery of safe, high-quality care

    • Does the system support structured clinical notes?

    • Can templates be customised for your profession?

    • Can outcomes be recorded and monitored over time?

    • Does it support consistent documentation across clients?

Practice management

Supports scheduling, billing and day-to-day operations

    • Does it support appointment scheduling and reminders?

    • Can it manage cancellations and rescheduling efficiently?

    • Does it support Medicare, NDIS and private billing?

    • Are reporting functions available for business and clinical insights?

Digital health and interoperability

Supports connected care and information sharing

    • Does the system connect using conformant software?

    • Can you view and upload information within your workflow?

    • If your current system is not conformant, consider the long-term implications — future participation in My Health Record, secure messaging and electronic prescribing will depend on it.

    • Can it send and receive information securely with other providers?

    • Does the system support electronic prescribing? (Relevant for professions with prescribing rights, such as podiatrists and optometrists.)

    • Is it integrated with the national Active Script List (ASL)?

    • Does the system support HI Service integration, including Individual Healthcare Identifier (IHI) verification and provider identifiers (HPI-I / HPI-O).

    • Does it integrate with other systems used in your practice?

Privacy & security

Supports safe and trusted handling of health information

    • Can access be managed by user role?

    • Are audit logs available?

    • How is data stored and protected?

    • Does it support your cyber security obligations?

Usability and support

Supports adoption and day-to-day use

    • Is the system intuitive for clinicians and admin staff?

    • Does it suit your practice size and structure?

    • What onboarding and training is provided?

    • Is ongoing support available when needed?

Choosing software that supports connected care

Not all clinical information systems support connection to national digital health products. The Australian Digital Health Agency maintains a register of conformant software that can connect to My Health Record and secure messaging.

Using conformant software supports safer information sharing and participation in connected care.

If your current software is not yet conformant, ask your vendor directly about their plans – this is a reasonable and important question when reviewing or selecting software. The Australian Digital Health Agency's Software Vendor Offer provides support for vendors seeking to build conformance.

Use the checklist alongside the conformance register to compare systems and support your decision-making.

view the conformance register
View the Industry offer list
Download the full Clinical Information Systems Selection Checklist
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