What physiotherapy practice management software in Australia has to do
Strip away the marketing and a clinic needs software to do eight jobs well:
- Run the diary for several practitioners and rooms without double booking.
- Take notes that are quick to write, hard to lose and properly locked once signed.
- Invoice correctly, with your ABN, the right GST on each line and an invoice number that follows a series.
- Handle funders: Medicare, DVA, WorkCover and ReturnToWorkSA, NDIS and private health funds.
- Remind and recall patients by text and email.
- Report on money, patients, referrers and each practitioner.
- Protect patient information in line with the Privacy Act and keep it onshore.
- Let you leave, by exporting your data when you choose.
Write these on a sheet and tick them against each product you try. A shiny extra is no substitute for any of the eight.
Test each job in your trial, not on a demo
A demo shows the best path. A trial shows your clinic. Use real data and real people, and run a normal week.
| Job | A realistic test | How Clinidiary handles it |
|---|---|---|
| Diary | Book, drag, lengthen and try to double book | One column per practitioner; it refuses double booking, closed time and overlap with the next patient |
| Notes | Write a follow-up on a phone, then lose your signal | Notes save as you type, with a device copy if the connection drops; draft until signed, then locked |
| Invoices | Raise one with a consult and a product | GST per line, your ABN, next number in your series; a total never changes once money is taken |
| Funders | Send one WorkCover and one NDIS invoice | Emailed to the payer from Clinidiary, which counts as lodging; moves to Waiting |
| Reminders | Send yourself one and reply YES | Two-way text and email; YES confirms; nothing sends between 8 pm and 8 am |
| Reports | Ask: what did we bill last month, by practitioner? | Reports by day to financial year, cut by practitioner or site |
| Privacy | Ask where data lives and who can see notes | Hosted in Australia; reception can never open clinical notes |
| Exit | Export patients, appointments, notes and invoices | You can export all four any time |
Ask the other products on your list to pass the same tests. If one cannot, you have learned something.
The Australian specifics that catch people out
Software built elsewhere often fumbles these:
- GST on allied health. Most consultations are GST-free and retail usually is not. One invoice should carry both, each line taxed properly. In Clinidiary a new service starts without GST and you set it where it applies. Check your own position with your accountant.
- Dates. A patient file says 03/04/1980. Is that March or April? Clinidiary reads dates the Australian way and holds ambiguous ones for you to confirm when you import.
- Credit notes. If an invoice needs correcting after payment, you want a credit note, which is what the ATO expects as an adjustment note, not an edit.
- Funder mix. Ask for the funding stream to sit on the patient, case and invoice, with a split between a funder's share and the patient's gap.
Be honest about claims
This is the question to press hardest on any product. Does it lodge Medicare, DVA and health fund claims directly?
Clinidiary does not, yet. Direct lodgement with HICAPS, Tyro, Medicare and DVA needs partner agreements and Services Australia registration that are not in place. Until then you lodge on your terminal as you do now and record the claim in Clinidiary, which still shows what is outstanding, what came back short and what was never answered. You can also paste a remittance advice and Clinidiary matches the lines to claims; you check before applying.
WorkCover insurers, NDIS plan managers and other payers are different: you email the invoice to them from Clinidiary, and that counts as lodging. More on this in physiotherapy invoicing and claims.
If a vendor claims everything, ask to watch it done on a live claim.
Privacy and where your data sits
Patient records are among the most sensitive data you hold. Ask any vendor where it is hosted, how people sign in, who can see what, and what happens after a breach.
Clinidiary hosts Australian clinics' data in Australia and keeps it there. Every connection is encrypted. You sign in with a passkey or a password plus a two-factor code, and screens lock when left alone. Every record keeps a trail of who did what, and nothing clinical is hard-deleted. There is a written breach-response procedure, including the Notifiable Data Breaches steps. Patient privacy and data security is an overview, not legal advice, so take your own advice about your obligations under the Privacy Act.
Price, trial and leaving
Compare the total, not the headline. Clinidiary charges A$30 a month for each practitioner, plus GST, or A$25 a month billed yearly at A$300 a year. Only practitioners who treat patients are charged. Owners, managers, reception and accounts staff are free, and every site is on the one account at no extra charge. The first six months are free, with just your email and no card, and you get every feature. Texts are 10 cents each; email is free. You can cancel by telling Clinidiary in writing.
Moving from another system? Export patients as a CSV and Clinidiary reads the headings first and shows you what it recognises before anything is created. Upcoming appointments are usually re-entered. Switching physiotherapy software lays out a weekend plan, and the appointment scheduling guide and reports guide show two areas worth testing early.
Frequently asked questions
What should physiotherapy practice management software include?
A diary, clinical notes, invoicing with GST and your ABN, funder claims, reminders, reports, strong privacy and a way to export your data. Everything else is a bonus.
Does Clinidiary lodge Medicare claims directly?
Not directly yet. You lodge Medicare, DVA and health fund claims on your terminal and record them in Clinidiary. WorkCover and NDIS invoices are emailed to the payer from Clinidiary.
Is my patient data kept in Australia?
Yes. Clinidiary hosts Australian clinics' data in Australia and it stays there.
How long can I try it before paying?
The first six months are free, with every feature, signing up with just your email and no card. The price starts only after the six months.