The short version
- The difference is where the AI runs. Both incumbents offer an AI scribe processed in Australian data centres. Curaeon's runs on an appliance inside your practice, and keeps working when the internet does not.
- Curaeon is not a full replacement yet. ePrescribing, Medicare claiming and Healthcare Identifier lookups are still in conformance and certification.
- Moving across is built for both systems: one conversion run with a reconciliation report, rehearsed on your own data before cutover.
At a glance
| Bp Premier | MedicalDirector | Curaeon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the PMS runs | Installed in the practice | MedicalDirector Clinical is installed on-premises; Helix is cloud-based | Installed in the practice |
| AI scribe | Lyrebird Scribe, integrated with Bp Premier, with a free tier for Bp Premier customers | Telstra Health's Smart Scribe, integrated with MedicalDirector Clinical | Built in, running on a Curaeon appliance in the practice |
| Where the scribe processes the consult | Lyrebird's servers in Australia | Australian data centres | Inside the practice network |
| Scribe without internet | No. Lyrebird is web-based | Processing is off-site | Yes |
| Scribe writes a diagnosis or Assessment | Varies by scribe and settings; check with the vendor | No, by design. It drafts Subjective, Objective and Plan | |
| Online patient booking | Available through integrations | Built in | |
| Track record | Two decades; the most widely used GP system | More than two decades | New; in early access |
Where Curaeon is different
The scribe stays in the building
With Bp Premier or MedicalDirector, the AI scribe is a connected service: the consultation is sent to a data centre, processed and returned. Both vendors say that happens in Australia, and that audio is deleted after transcription. Curaeon takes a different route: speech recognition and the language model run on an appliance on your network, so the consultation never leaves the practice, and consults carry on through an internet outage. How the on-premises scribe works →
Some things it refuses to do
Curaeon's scribe does not write an Assessment or a diagnosis, and Curaeon does not suggest MBS items. You search the full schedule and choose; Curaeon flags consults that were not billed or priced. These are decisions, not missing features: a Medicare claim is the billing practitioner's legal statement, and a scribe that proposes diagnoses moves toward being a regulated medical device.
One system, including the parts usually bolted on
The scribe, online booking and the document store are part of Curaeon rather than separate products. Everything sits on the practice network with the records.
What Curaeon does not do yet
If your practice needs any of these on day one, Curaeon is not ready for you yet. We would rather say so here than in week three of a conversion.
| Capability | Where it stands |
|---|---|
| Electronic prescribing (eScripts, Active Script List) | In accreditation. Paper scripts print today |
| Medicare and DVA claiming | In development; payment partner certification to follow |
| IHI lookup and Medicare card verification (HI Service) | Registration with Services Australia under way; conformance follows |
| My Health Record | Deferred until HI Service conformance is complete |
| Secure messaging (referrals and letters) | Built; certification in progress. Password-protected PDF email works today |
| Drug interaction checking | Integration in progress |
| Automated AIR submission | A manual worklist today; direct submission follows HI Service access |
| PIP QI data for your PHN | No path yet |
| Multi-site practices, telehealth video, a patient app | Not in the first release |
What moving across involves
Conversion is built to receive data from either Bp Premier or MedicalDirector:
- Assessment. We look at your current database first. The extract is prepared from what is actually in it, not from guesses about the vendor's tables.
- One archive, one run. Patients and their clinical record, appointments and scanned documents come across in a single conversion. Any part of the record Curaeon cannot carry is listed, never dropped in silence. Every converted row records where it came from, so a run can resume or be repeated without duplicates.
- A reconciliation report. For each section it counts what was extracted, what landed and what was skipped, and names every skip.
- A rehearsal on your own data before cutover, clearly marked as a rehearsal on every screen.
- Cutover night with a checklist, a notice on the booking calendar, and the principal's sign-off.
Letter templates come too: a Bp or MedicalDirector template library imports with its merge fields translated wherever the vendor's documentation says the field inserts the same data. Fields without a reliable equivalent are listed for you to replace, not silently guessed.
Who should stay where they are
Stay with your current system, for now, if:
- you need ePrescribing, Medicare claiming or My Health Record from day one;
- you run several sites from one system;
- a cloud scribe processed in Australia already meets your privacy and reliability needs.
Curaeon is worth a conversation if the consultation leaving the building is a line you do not want to cross, if your internet connection cannot be relied on, or if you are opening a new practice and would rather start on the system than convert to it later.
Questions
Can Curaeon replace Best Practice or MedicalDirector today?
Not yet for most practices. Curaeon is in early access, and electronic prescribing, Medicare claiming and Healthcare Identifier lookups are still going through conformance and certification.
Can we move our data from Bp Premier or MedicalDirector?
Yes. The conversion is built to receive data from either system, with a reconciliation report. The extract is prepared after we assess your current database, so the timeline starts with that assessment.
Do Best Practice and MedicalDirector have AI scribes?
Yes. Best Practice integrates Lyrebird Scribe with Bp Premier, and MedicalDirector Clinical integrates Telstra Health's Smart Scribe. Both vendors say processing happens in Australia. Curaeon's scribe runs inside the practice instead.
Can we bring our letter templates across?
Yes. Template libraries from either system import with their merge fields translated where there is a documented equivalent; the rest are listed for you to replace.
Sources
- Best Practice Software, Lyrebird Free now available for all Bp Premier customers
- Best Practice Software Knowledge Base, Lyrebird Scribe frequently asked questions
- Medical Republic, BP Premier gives free access to Lyrebird scribe (Bp's share of the GP market)
- MedicalDirector, Smart Scribe
- MedicalDirector, Helix cloud-based practice management software