The Medical Research Future Fund has announced $20 million in new health AI projects in Australia, awarding grants to 10 major university-based initiatives. Among these projects is research from the University of Queensland that uses AI and 3D total skin imaging for early melanoma detection, as well as a project from the University of Melbourne focused on addressing mental health problems among young people with AI-powered services. These grants are part of the National Critical Research Infrastructure Initiative.
Meanwhile, a fake app posing as The Doctors app from Green Cross Health in New Zealand has been reported. The IT team at The Doctors Medical Centres took immediate action upon learning of the fake app, informing the National Cyber Security Centre NZ to blacklist it and reporting to Google to have it removed from the Play Store. The authentic Doctors app allows patients to book appointments, order repeat prescriptions, access medical records, and receive health reminders. Green Cross Health advises those who have not yet transitioned to the latest app to download it directly from their website.
PenCS has also 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 offers practice and provider incentives of A$430 per eligible patient each year. The new module, MyMedicare – Aged Care Incentive, helps practices identify eligible patients, generate reminder and recall lists, visualize claimed and unclaimed MBS items, identify revenue opportunities for eligible patients, and understand patient lists based on various parameters. This new module comes with the addition of Dashboards and Reports with actionable patient lists to Practice Cloud.