Opinion

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What does practice technology look like in 2025?

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One of the great benefits of getting involved with the RACGP is the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the college’s broad advocacy agenda.
 
Members might not be aware that the RACGP has various Expert Committees for particular interest areas that inform the work of the college.
 
I’m honoured to Chair the RACGP Expert Committee – Practice Technology and Management (REC-PTM), the college’s specialist group in a range of areas related to the digital technology realm, practice management matters, disaster management for general practices, and more.
 
Our committee develops educational and practical resources for GPs and practice managers, and through the wider network of the RACGP, it lobbies Government and other groups.
 
Some of the REC-PTM’s recent work that I’m proud to showcase includes our fact sheet on artificial intelligence (AI) scribes, our evacuation centre resources, and the inclusion of Q fever vaccines into the Australian Immunisation Register.
 
We have also successfully collaborated with the Australian Digital Health Agency, resulting in changes to the online Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) authorities system to make it easier to use.
 
We have had representatives from the committee participate in more than 60 different consultations and working groups over the course of the committee term, so a big thank you to everyone who has contributed to these and given up their time to participate. 
 
I have held the position of Chair for six years, alongside Deputy Chair Dr Steven Kaye, and this year, we welcome five new members, each bringing a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to their roles: Dr Jawad Abidi, Dr David Glendinning, Dr Janice Tan, Dr Toni Weller, and Dr Megan Young.
 
They join existing members Dr David Adam, Dr Oliver Frank, Associate Professor Glynn Kelly, and Dr Sean Stevens, who continue to support us with their considerable knowledge in the various domains of PTM.
 
In 2025, we will be working on:

• encouraging the effective use and uptake of digital tools
• protecting general practices’ health and business data
• implementing standards for safe and effective information-sharing across the healthcare system
• integrating online PBS authorities into GP software through our collaboration with various government stakeholders
• working with GP software developers to move towards standards for GP software
• supporting general practice to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters
• supporting the business of general practice.

If you have ideas for our work plan, we would love to hear them – our agenda has room for suggestions from members about specific advocacy work in the technology or practice management space.
 
The team at the RACGP is also interested in hearing about education or resources you’d like for your practice, or perhaps for junior colleagues. These might be fact sheets, webinars, videos, or something else entirely.
 
Email us at practicemanagement@racgp.org.au with your thoughts, or sign up for our monthly newsletter at our website.
 
There’s plenty of work to be done, with new opportunities (and threats) in the form of AI, cloud computing, and improving interoperability across the health sector.
 
It’s not all glamorous, but I think it’s important to acknowledge the breadth of tasks GPs do, and the difficulties they face while doing them.
 
I’m privileged to be able to contribute to the college and to the profession through the REC-PTM.
 
Here’s to another term.
 
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AI artificial intelligence practice management practice technology

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