Science & Tech · AI · 3 hrs ago
Agentic AI could help Australian GPs coordinate patient care
Australian GPs face fragmented systems and communication problems that make it harder to coordinate patient care.
The proposal is to use agentic AI to connect the clinical, referral, pathology and patient-engagement systems practices already use, rather than replace them.
AI agents could track tasks such as open referrals and check whether specialists have acknowledged them.
This could reduce administrative work as practices face pressure: one in three GPs plans to stop practising within five years, and nearly seven in 10 report burnout.
The goal is to free up time for patient care by automating some coordination work across systems that often do not share information well.
Clinicians would retain control of medical decisions, while agents’ actions would be logged and governed by existing privacy, health-record and medical-device rules.
Agentic AI could help Australian general practices coordinate patient care by connecting the systems they already use.
The article says practices still spend time chasing referrals, managing follow-ups and sharing information across systems that do not work together.
It argues that AI should initially act as an orchestration layer rather than replace existing systems.
The RACGP’s 2025 report found that one in three GPs intends to stop practising within five years, while 63 per cent are considering reducing their hours.
The article says agents could handle tasks such as checking whether referrals have been acknowledged, while clinical decisions remain with clinicians.
- Who
- Australian general practices and GPs. FPT and Foundry Health describe the proposed approach.
- What
- Agentic AI could connect existing healthcare systems and coordinate tasks such as referrals and follow-ups.
- When
- The article was published on 19 October 2026. The RACGP report cited is from 2025.
- Where
- Australian primary care and general practices.
- Why
- To reduce fragmented communication and administrative work, and help address pressure on practice capacity.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The RACGP’s Health of the Nation report identified fragmentation and communication issues among GPs’ leading concerns for the future.
iTnews published an article arguing that agentic AI could coordinate care across existing systems.
- GPs planning to stop practising
- One in three intends to stop within five years, according to the 2025 RACGP report.
- GPs considering fewer hours
- 63 per cent, according to the 2025 RACGP report.
- Potential automation
- Up to 30 per cent of healthcare workforce tasks, according to research cited by the Productivity Commission.
- Consultation length
- Almost 20 minutes.
- AI governance
- Agents’ actions should be logged to the patient record with a timestamp and source system.