Program

Significant payroll tax changes due to recent court rulings, as well as the new Bulk Billing Incentive program are reshaping the financial landscape for healthcare practices. These shifts could directly affect your compliance obligations, profitability, and service delivery.

In this session, we will help you:

• Understand the latest payroll tax developments and what the recent Uber Court Ruling could mean for your practice.
• Identify your practice’s potential exposure and the strategies to manage it.
• Explore the new Bulk Billing Incentive and items you should consider.
• Prepare for future changes so your practice stays ahead of the curve.

Walk away with clear, practical actions you can take now to protect your bottom line and position your practice for long-term viability.

The Pou Ora | Pillars of Health model of care, launched in 2025 by Collaborative Aotearoa, reimagines primary care in Aotearoa with equity and whānau at its centre. Grounded by Pou, enduring markers of guidance and strength in te ao Māori, the model weaves together five pillars:

• Workforce
• Access to Acute Care
• Proactive and Preventative Care
• Innovation and Sustainability
• Collaboration

It strengthens urgent and proactive care, promotes workforce wellbeing and culturally safe care, harnesses technology for equity, and fosters cross-sector partnerships. This session will share the model’s design, implementation, and transformative potential offering a roadmap for better outcomes, sustainable workplaces, and meaningful change in general practice.

Hour by Hour: Anatomy of a Ransomware Attack on a Medical Centre” is a compelling, real-world walkthrough of a cyberattack targeting a local GP medical centre. This session guides the audience through each critical stage of the incident, from the initial phishing email and system lockout to the restoration of services and forensic investigation.

Attendees will see redacted ransom emails and forensic reports, gaining insight into the attackers’ tactics and the clinic’s response. The presentation highlights the exposure of sensitive patient data on the dark web, as revealed by forensic analysis, and discusses the uncertainty around the full extent of data exfiltration. It also addresses the clinic’s obligations under Australia’s Notifiable Data Breach legislation, including the requirement to notify all affected patients about the breach and the potential sale of their information.

By dissecting the attack in detail, this session delivers practical lessons on incident response, regulatory compliance, and the importance of cyber resilience in healthcare. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of the operational, legal, and reputational impacts of ransomware—and actionable strategies to strengthen their own defences.

Google and other platforms are shifting to AI-driven search results, which changes how patients find practices online. This session unpacks the new “rules of visibility” and offers a path to staying competitive.

Key Takeaways: 

• What AI-driven search results look like (and how they differ from traditional search)
• The risks of “set and forget” websites or SEO in the age of AI.
• Practical adjustments practices can be made to remain discoverable.
• Why ongoing measurement matters more than ever — and how to track the right metrics

Taimalelagi Mataio Faafetai (Matt) Brown, is a New Zealand born Samoan author and renowned communicator who works to eradicate domestic violence by supporting those who perpetrate violence, to heal. A survivor of family violence and childhood sexual abuse himself, he originally started his domestic violence advocacy work by sharing his story with the men who frequented his busy barbershops as a way to foster vulnerability, healing, and connection.

Matt and Sarah Brown MNZM, together founded She Is Not Your Rehab and launched the concept in Matt’s 2019 TEDx talk; The Barbershop where men go to heal.

She Is Not Your Rehab was founded from a barbershop as an invitation for men to acknowledge their own childhood trauma and to take responsibility for their healing so that they can transform their pain instead of transmitting it on those around them.

This session explores how medical practices can adapt to new government regulations and leverage emerging digital trends such as AI, mobile health, and interoperability.

Attendees will gain practical strategies for enhancing software, safeguarding data, and selecting solutions that support both compliance and patient care.

• Understanding Upcoming Government Regulations
  • How to prepare for change and ensure success
• Digital Trends Shaping Healthcare
  • AI and patient care
  • Mobile health applications and patient engagement
  • Interoperability standards
• Enhancement Strategies for Medical Software
  • Choosing the right solution for your Practice
  • Ensuring data security and cybersecurity measures
  • Keeping up to date

Implementing AI in healthcare comes with significant risks inherent in Generative and Agentic AI. Healthcare Practice Managers must use caution and due diligence when planning AI implementation by assessing practice readiness for compliant, responsible, transparent, fair, ethical, sustainable, and safe use of AI against recognised cyber security, privacy, and data protection guidelines and standards.

In this interactive workshop, Miroslav will guide you through the process of developing an AI Governance, Risk and Compliance Management policy framework so that the productivity benefits of Generative AI and Agentic AI are achieved while mitigating AI risks.

Bring your laptop to map out your practice AI Governance, Risk and Compliance policy framework.

Practice Managers are navigating a complex mix of financial pressure, compliance, workforce challenges, and rising patient expectations. Digital health is rapidly evolving to meet these needs, but what does that mean in practice today, and what’s coming next?

In this panel, hear from healthcare leaders and clinicians as we explore:

• National digital health initiatives including the ADHA contract, My Health Record, and FHIR standards
• eReferrals and the shift toward a connected, interoperable ecosystem
• AI in healthcare – an overview of how AI is emerging across the health sector and why it matters for practices. Exploring its growth and the importance of approaching it ethically, clinically and securely.
• eReferrals and the shift towards a connected, interoperable ecosystem.

You will walk away with clear, practical insights on how digital innovation can support your practice today, prepare you for upcoming changes, and give you the confidence to adopt new tools that save time, support your workforce and help to improve patient care.

As a practice manager, you play a vital role in ensuring your practice runs smoothly, safely, and in line with national standards. The Foundation Standard — developed and maintained by The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners — brings together all the essential clinical, legislative, and operational requirements that support safe, equitable, and high-quality care in general practice.

Regularly updated to reflect changes in national policy, health legislation, and clinical expectations, the Foundation Standard provides both a clear framework and practical tools to help your practice stay compliant and deliver excellent care. Achieving certification every three years is not only a mark of quality — it also enables access to publicly funded primary healthcare services.

The Foundation Standard, alongside Cornerstone Accreditation in Equity and Continuous Quality Improvement, also supports practices in meeting the requirements for GP training environments — helping build a stronger, more sustainable workforce. Join Sandy and Heidi as they guide you through the most recent updates to the Standard, share practical tips, and answer your questions about how RNZCGP’s quality programmes can support your team, your patients, and your practice.