Kestral provides role-based training structured around the specific functions each staff member performs in Karisma. Reception staff, imaging technologists, radiologists, billing staff and practice managers each receive training tailored to their workflows rather than a generic system overview. Sessions are hands-on and interactive, with the goal of having every team member operating Karisma competently from day one.

How does Kestral support staff training after go-live?

Kestral provides access to a library of online training videos that staff can revisit at any time. This gives practice managers a practical resource for onboarding new staff, supporting role changes and refreshing knowledge without scheduling a formal training session. Individual staff members can work through relevant modules at their own pace, building confidence in the areas most relevant to their role.

What does ongoing technical support look like for Karisma customers?

Kestral’s support team is available to assist with technical issues as they arise, with a focus on prompt resolution and minimal disruption to practice workflow. The team takes a proactive approach to identifying and addressing potential issues before they affect operations. As Karisma evolves and new features are released, Kestral keeps customers informed and supported through changes.

What experience does the Kestral support team bring to practice operations?

Kestral’s support team combines clinical science backgrounds with deep radiology domain knowledge and extensive experience in practice operations across Australia and New Zealand. Support conversations are grounded in an understanding of how radiology practices actually work, not just how the software is built. When a practice manager raises a workflow question or operational issue, the response reflects genuine familiarity with the clinical and administrative context behind it.

What should practice managers look for in a RIS vendor’s support model?

A support model worth investing in goes beyond a helpdesk that responds to technical faults. Practice managers should look for a vendor whose support team understands the clinical and operational environment the software operates in, who takes a proactive approach to potential issues rather than waiting for problems to surface, and who provides resources that reduce the internal training burden over time. The quality of support a practice receives after go-live is as important as the quality of the implementation itself.

About the Author

Jan Sebire is Support Manager at Kestral Computing, with a clinical science background and more than 25 years of experience in diagnostic healthcare. Jan leads Kestral’s customer support function, working directly with radiology practices across Australia and New Zealand to ensure they get the most out of Karisma throughout the full implementation lifecycle and beyond.

The post Frequently Asked Questions: Karisma Training and Support appeared first on Kestral Computing.

Interoperability in healthcare is the ability for multiple clinical systems to exchange and use information in a consistent format, in a way that adds value at every stage of the patient journey. When systems cannot share data reliably, the gaps appear as delayed results, duplicated data entry and clinicians making decisions without a complete picture. For radiology and pathology practices across Australia and New Zealand, a connected data environment reduces administrative burden, improves accuracy and supports better patient outcomes across every workflow.

What is the difference between HL7 and FHIR?

HL7 (Health Level 7) is the long-established standard for data exchange between clinical systems including RIS, LIS, PAS and EMR platforms. It underpins most healthcare integrations operating in Australia and New Zealand today. FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is the next generation of that standard, using a modern API-based approach that is better suited to digital-first care environments. FHIR enables more flexible, structured data exchange and is the direction Australian and New Zealand healthcare is actively moving toward. See https://kestral.vandalist.io/how-kestral-is-leading-fhir-erequesting-for-australian-radiology/ for a full breakdown.

Does Karisma support FHIR eRequesting?

Yes. FHIR eRequesting is live in Karisma through an integration with Magentus. Practices ready to move to structured electronic requesting should contact Magentus to initiate the process. Kestral manages the technical integration from there. Structured eRequests deliver referral information in a consistent, machine-readable format, reducing manual handling for booking staff and ensuring clinicians receive the clinical context they need in a usable form.

What is the KMG+ gateway and what does it do?

KMG+ is Kestral’s advanced messaging gateway, built on HL7 standards. It connects health information systems including RIS, LIS, PAS and EMR platforms for secure, reliable data exchange. KMG+ adds SSL security capabilities, advanced alerting on messaging events and compatibility with emerging standards including FHIR. For practices managing complex integration environments, it provides the visibility and security controls needed to maintain a stable, connected workflow.

What is the K-Link API Gateway?

K-Link is Kestral’s interoperability API, designed for practices that need integration beyond the core clinical environment. Where HL7 connects clinical systems, K-Link enables connection to ancillary workflow systems, giving practices the flexibility to build data flows that suit their specific operational needs. For full detail, see https://kestral.vandalist.io/which-karisma-api-best-suits-your-business/ and https://kestral.vandalist.io/online-bookings/.

Is Kestral involved in FHIR standards development in Australia?

Yes. Kestral is an active participant in the adoption and implementation of FHIR standards across both radiology and pathology in the Australian market. This work goes beyond building to the standard. Kestral is engaged in how FHIR is being shaped and applied in real clinical environments, contributing to an approach that delivers practical value for practices and patients rather than compliance for its own sake.

What are the operational benefits of interoperability for practice managers?

A well-integrated practice environment reduces the manual handling that comes from systems that cannot communicate. Staff spend less time re-entering data, chasing referral details or managing errors that stem from unstructured information. Results return in formats that receiving systems can use directly. Referrals arrive with clinical context intact. For practice managers, the day-to-day impact is fewer administrative workarounds, more reliable data and a workflow that keeps pace with the expectations of referrers and patients alike.

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Karisma covers the full radiology workflow through a suite of connected modules.

For patient intake and scheduling:

the Approvals Module For digital protocolling, the Waitlist Module for request prioritisation and Kestral Online Bookings and eRequests for a connected referral-to-appointment workflow.

For clinical intake: Kestral eForms for digital patient forms and pre-appointment data collection.

For imaging: the Imaging Tablet Screen for point-of-care clinical checks.

For results: Karisma Report Distribution for formatted HTML delivery to referrers.

For payment: Kestral Pay for integrated payment processing.

For patient movement in hospital environments: the Transport Module.

See the individual module articles for full detail on each.

What is the Karisma Approvals Module and how does it work?

The Karisma Approvals Module replaces paper-based protocolling with a structured digital workflow. Patient services are protocolled before scheduling using customisable questionnaires that capture the clinical and logistical detail needed to book accurately. The module supports five configurable workflow stages, giving practices precise control over how each examination type moves from referral through to confirmed appointment.

For full detail, see Karisma Approvals Module.

What is the Karisma Transport Module and who uses it?

The Karisma Transport Module is designed for hospital radiology departments that need to manage patient movement through the imaging environment. It combines reception and imaging workflows into a single view, giving staff real-time visibility of where each patient is in the transport and imaging process. For practices managing inpatient volumes across multiple departments, this removes the coordination overhead that comes from managing transport and imaging separately. For full detail, see Karisma Transport Module.

How does Karisma Report Distribution work and why does it matter?

Karisma Report Distribution delivers finalised radiology reports to referring clinicians in HTML format, preserving the tables, subscripts, superscripts and structured layout that HL7 strips from plain-text delivery. Reports arrive branded, consistently formatted and with a URL link option for associated imaging access. This means referrers receive a clinically useful, professionally presented document rather than unformatted text.

For full detail, see Karisma Report Distribution.

What is Kestral eForms and how does it connect to Karisma?

Kestral eForms is a digital patient forms platform that integrates directly with Karisma, allowing practices to create any form they need across consent, clinical history, modality-specific questionnaires and financial agreements. Patients receive a secure link via SMS or email after booking and complete their forms on any device before arriving. Completed submissions feed directly into the correct patient record in Karisma, so staff have everything they need before the appointment without manual data entry or paper handling.

Coming in 2026.

How does Kestral Pay integrate with Karisma?

Kestral Pay is an integrated payment solution built on VostroPay, a Jonas Software platform, that connects directly inside Karisma V3 and V4. Patient records, invoices and payment transactions are linked within the same system, so every payment is automatically recorded and reconciled without manual steps between the terminal and Karisma. Practices across Australia and New Zealand can offer patients flexible payment options including upfront, post-appointment and instalment payments.

For full detail, see How does Kestral Pay Transform Payment Workflows in Radiology Practices.

How does Karisma’s reporting workflow support high-volume radiology environments?

Karisma’s reporting pools let practices configure workload distribution across the reporting team based on subspecialty, urgency and availability, rather than assigning reports to named individuals or leaving radiologists to self-select from an undifferentiated queue. Urgent and due cases are surfaced prominently so they are addressed first. Request Search and Report Search give users precise retrieval capability across the full patient and report database using demographic filters, clinical parameters and complex report-level criteria.

How does Karisma’s K-Link gateway connect to third-party systems?

K-Link is Kestral’s API integration gateway, managing the connections between Karisma and the third-party systems radiology practices depend on. It adds security controls, throttle management and configurable access permissions to every integration, keeping connections stable and secure as the practice’s technology environment grows. For practices running booking platforms, billing systems, PACS and specialist clinical applications alongside Karisma, K-Link is what keeps that environment connected and manageable.

For full detail, see How Does Kestral’s API and K-Link Gateway Enable Smarter Integration for Radiology Practices?

What automated patient communication does Karisma support?

Karisma supports automated SMS and email notifications for appointment confirmations, preparation instructions and booking reminders, all triggered within the Karisma workflow without requiring a separate communication platform. Ad hoc SMS allows staff to send personalised messages to individual patients when a specific situation needs direct communication outside the automated workflow. For practices managing high examination volumes across Australia and New Zealand, automated communication reduces no-shows and preparation errors without adding to front desk workload.

How does automated Medicare claim processing work in Karisma?

Karisma’s automated Medicare claim processing handles fully paid claims without manual intervention, allowing finance staff to focus on exceptional cases and complex billing situations rather than routine processing. The billing rules engine covers Medicare, DVA, AMA, ACC/HT and MSB requirements, with item numbers configurable at the exam type level so the correct code is applied automatically based on the referral and examination data already in Karisma. This reduces manual selection errors and improves revenue accuracy across all examination types.

What business intelligence and reporting does Karisma provide?

Karisma’s Business Reporting module and Data Explorer give practices the tools to generate operational reports based on the specific metrics relevant to their environment. Reports connect directly to external BI tools without manual data extraction. For practice owners and managers across Australia and New Zealand using data to drive operational decisions, this means current, accurate performance data is available in the format their decision-making tools require, rather than requiring a separate export and reconciliation process.

The post Frequently Asked Questions: Karisma Modules appeared first on Kestral Computing.

What is an Assignment of Benefit?

Assignment of benefit is the process by which a patient formally agrees to transfer their Medicare benefit to their healthcare provider as full payment for a bulk-billed service. It is a legal requirement for every bulk-billed Medicare claim.

What is changing on 1 July 2026?

Verbal assignment of benefit will no longer be accepted. Every bulk-billed service will require a written or electronic patient signature on a compliant assignment of benefit agreement. The existing DB4e and DB020 approved forms will be retired. Practices can use any form that captures the required ‘data set’, and the signature of the patient or authorised person.

Does the practitioner need to sign the agreement?

No. Under the new rules, only the patient or an authorised person is required to sign. Practitioners no longer need to countersign.

Can assignment be captured before the examination?

Yes. Pre-service episodic assignment allows the patient to sign before the examination takes place. The form can reference a basic service description rather than a specific MBS item number. This is expected to be the most common approach for radiology practices, as it fits naturally into the check-in workflow.

Can assignment be captured after the examination?

Yes. Post-service episodic assignment allows the patient to sign after the examination is complete, provided the agreement is in place before the Medicare claim is lodged. Post-service agreements must reference the specific MBS item numbers for the services rendered.

What counts as a valid electronic signature?

An electronic signature must meet the requirements of the Electronic Transactions Act 1999. It must reliably identify the person, indicate their consent through a deliberate action, and be auditable. A touchscreen signature at check-in, a checkbox in a patient portal, or a typed name in a digital form are all likely to qualify. A staff member verbally noting consent in the record does not.

Who can sign if the patient cannot sign for themselves?

A parent, carer, partner, relative, friend, or someone holding Power of Attorney can act as the authorised assignor. Practice staff cannot act as the assignor due to conflict of interest, unless they are also the patient’s parent or carer in a non-professional capacity.

How long do practices need to retain completed agreements?

Every completed assignment of benefit agreement must be retained for two years from the date the Medicare claim is made. Practices must be able to produce a copy for the patient on request and make agreements available to Services Australia in the event of a compliance audit.

Is there a transition period for imaging practices?

No. Unlike pathology, which has a 12-month transition period for old referral forms, there is no transition period for imaging services. From 1 July 2026, all bulk-billed imaging services require a compliant agreement, including resubmissions and adjustments for services rendered before that date.

Does Karisma support the new assignment of benefit requirements?

Yes. Kestral is delivering the required changes across the K3 and K4, with all work scheduled to be completed before 1 July 2026. Practices using Karisma will not need to make separate arrangements to remain compliant.

Where can I find more information about the assignment of benefit changes?

The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has published a frequently asked questions document covering the regulatory changes in full. The full regulatory detail is in the Health Insurance Amendment (Assignment of Medicare Benefits and Other Measures) Regulations 2025. Services Australia will publish example agreement templates on its website before 1 July 2026. For direct enquiries, contact the Department at AssignmentofBenefit@health.gov.au. 

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What Is an Assignment of Benefit?

An Assignment of Benefit is the formal process by which a patient agrees to assign their Medicare benefit directly to a healthcare provider, allowing the provider to claim that benefit as full payment for a bulk-billed service. Without a valid assignment, a bulk bill claim cannot be lodged.

What Is Changing from 1 July 2026?

The Australian Government is changing the Assignment of Benefit process under amendments to the Health Insurance Act 1973.

The key changes are:

• Verbal Assignment of Benefit is no longer valid. Every bulk-billed service requires a written or electronic patient signature.
• The DB4e and DB020 approved forms are no longer required.
• Practices can use any form that captures the required ‘data set’, including a Services Australia template or their own design.
• Patients can assign benefit before the service (pre-service episodic assignment) or after the service (post-service episodic assignment), as long as the agreement is in place before the Medicare claim is lodged.
• Completed agreements must be retained for two years from the date of the Medicare claim and provided to the patient on request. 

For pre-service assignment, the form can reference a basic service description rather than a specific MBS item number.

For post-service assignment, the specific MBS item numbers must be referenced. Most practices will use pre-service assignment captured at check-in.

What Does a Valid Signature Look Like?

A physical handwritten signature or an electronic signature meeting the Electronic Transactions Act 1999 are both acceptable.

The signature needs to reliably identify the person, indicate their consent through a deliberate action, and be auditable.

A touchscreen signature at check-in, a patient portal checkbox, or a typed name in a digital form are all likely to qualify. A staff member noting verbal consent in the record does not.

Who Can Sign on Behalf of a Patient?

Not all patients can sign for themselves. Parents, carers, partners, relatives, friends, and individuals with Power of Attorney can all act as the authorised assignor for a patient who is unable to sign. Practice staff cannot act as the assignor due to conflict of interest, unless they are also the patient’s carer or parent in a non-professional capacity.

Reception teams will need to be briefed on this before the July deadline.

What this means for Kestral customers

Kestral is working to support customers through these changes and will align system capabilities with the updated compliance requirements. Further information will be provided directly to our customers. Templates from Services Australia are expected to be made available and may assist with formatting, although their use is not mandatory. 

For more details see Assignment of Benefit Reform: Frequently Asked Questions

The post What is an Assignment of Benefit and What Is Changing for Radiology Practices? appeared first on Kestral Computing.

This article covers how templates are linked to service types, what happens with multi-service reports, how the sonographer reporting workflow fits in, and how to set it up in Karisma. 

What Changed in Karisma’s Reporting Workflow? 

Template selection is one of those steps that introduces variability as much as friction. Some reporters always use a template. Some pick the wrong one under time pressure. Some, when the list is long and the queue is longer, skip it. 

From the latest Karisma build, templates are linked directly to service types in their configuration. When a reporter opens a new report with no existing content, Karisma reads the service types and inserts the appropriate template into the correct section of the report document automatically. The reporter sees the right structure in place when they start, not a blank document and a template list. 

How Are Report Templates Linked to Service Types in Karisma? 

Each service type configuration in Karisma now includes a Reporting column with three configuration fields. 

Report Template sets the default template for that service type. Report Template Insert Field specifies the section of the report document where the content should be placed and is mandatory when any default or user override is configured. Report Template User Override is a grid for assigning a different default template per individual reporter for that service type. 

When a new report opens, Karisma checks the service types and resolves the right template in order: user-level override first, then the service definition default. The template is inserted automatically. There is no prompt, no manual selection step. 

What Happens When a Report Has Multiple Service Types? 

When all services on a report resolve to the same template, Karisma inserts it automatically. Single service, same result. 

Where the configuration does more work is multi-service reports where different service types point to different templates for the same report section. Karisma checks for a saved Default Template Insertion Rule, a preference set in a prior session when the reporter made a deliberate choice about template order and inclusion. User-specific rules are checked first, then global rules. If a match exists, it applies automatically and the reporter sees nothing. 

If no saved rule exists yet, a Template Selection dialog appears once. The reporter orders the templates, includes or excludes as needed, and saves the result as a default. That combination is handled silently from that point on. 

How Does This Support a Sonographer Reporting Workflow? 

For practices running structured sonographer reporting ahead of radiologist sign-off, this is the configuration worth prioritising. 

Karisma’s Service Perform Rules can be set so the report opens automatically when a sonographer completes or verifies a study. With default template insertion active, the report opens in edit mode with the structured template already loaded. The sonographer fills in the clinical findings, uses configured dropdown fields to keep report language consistent, and sends it to the radiologist’s authorisation worklist. 

For practice managers, this creates a defined pathway that does not depend on each team member following a manual process. The template is there. The route to the radiologist is set. Because configuration sits at the service type level, it applies specifically to ultrasound services without touching other modalities. 

What Happens to Saved Rules When a Service Types Default Template Changes? 

When a service type’s template configuration is updated (the default template, the insert field, or any user overrides), Karisma automatically identifies and clears any saved Default Template Insertion Rules that are no longer valid. Practices can update their templates without having to manually audit old rules or worry about stale preferences inserting outdated content. 

All active rules are visible in the new Report Default Template Insertion Rules page under Data Management, where they can be reviewed or edited directly. 

Where Should a Practice Start? 

Begin with the highest-volume service types: general X-ray, ultrasound, CT. Set the service-level defaults first, then build out user overrides for reporters whose preferences are already known. It does not need to be configured across every service type on day one to start delivering value. 

This feature is available from Karisma build 607 onwards. If you are not sure which build your practice is running, your Kestral account manager can confirm. For a full overview of what Karisma includes, visit the Karisma product page. 

Key Takeaways 

Automatic report template insertion by service type removes a manual step that recurs across every reporting session. For practices in Australia and New Zealand working toward structured reporting, or managing reporting workflows across sonographers and radiologists, having the correct template load automatically is one of those configurations that earns its setup time back quickly. 

To find out how to configure this for your service types, contact the Kestral team. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

How does Karisma link report templates to service types? 

Report templates are linked to service types through the Service Type configuration screen in Karisma. Each service definition includes a Reporting column where you set the default template for that service type, the report section where it should be inserted, and optional per-user overrides. When a reporter opens a new study, Karisma reads the service types on the report and inserts the matching template automatically. User-level overrides are checked first, then the service type default. 

Can different reporters have different default templates for the same service type? 

Yes. The Report Template User Override grid in each service type lets you assign a different default template per individual user. When that reporter opens a study for that service type, their personal template loads instead of the practice-wide default. Each user can appear only once per service type in the override list. This suits practices where reporting style varies between senior and junior staff, or between subspecialty reporters. 

What happens when a report covers multiple service types with different templates? 

Karisma checks for a saved Default Template Insertion Rule for that service combination. If a saved rule exists from a prior session, it applies automatically with no prompt. If not, a Template Selection dialog appears once. The reporter orders the templates, includes or excludes as needed, and can save the result as a default. That combination is then handled automatically on all subsequent reports. User-specific rules are checked before global rules. 

Does Karisma support automatic report opening for sonographers? 

Yes. Service Perform Rules in Karisma can be configured so the report opens automatically when a sonographer completes or verifies a study. This is set at the service type level, so it applies specifically to ultrasound services. Combined with default template insertion, the report opens in edit mode with the correct structured template already in place, ready for the sonographer to complete and send to the radiologist’s authorisation worklist. 

What happens to saved template rules when a service type is updated? 

Karisma automatically identifies and discards any saved Default Template Insertion Rules that are no longer valid when a service type template, insert field, or user overrides are changed. Practices do not need to manually clean up old rules after a configuration update. This prevents outdated rules from inserting the wrong template into new reports. 

Which version of Karisma includes automatic report template insertion by service type? 

Automatic report template insertion by service type is available from Karisma build 607 onwards. Practices on an earlier build should speak with their Kestral account manager to confirm eligibility and next steps for upgrading. Kestral supports practices across Australia and New Zealand through the upgrade process. 

About the Author 

Thom Neligan is Business Development Manager at Kestral Computing, with a background in radiology software support and implementations across Australian and New Zealand diagnostic imaging. He works with practices to configure Karisma workflows that reduce manual steps without compromising clinical consistency. 

The post Does Karisma Automatically Insert Report Templates by Service Type? appeared first on Kestral Computing.

The signs are typically operational: staff working around the system rather than through it, manual steps in workflows that should be automated, billing exceptions that stem from system limitations rather than data errors, and analytics that require manual extraction rather than connecting to the tools your practice already uses. If any of these are familiar, it is worth evaluating whether a modern RIS would close that gap.

What makes Karisma’s role-based design different from other RIS platforms?

Karisma launches each user directly into the workflow view relevant to their role. There is no generic interface that every user navigates differently. Reception, imaging, reporting and management staff each see the screens and functions relevant to their daily work from the moment they log in. This reduces training time, daily friction and the errors that come from staff working in parts of the system they are not familiar with.

For more on how Karisma can optimise your operations visit What Does Karisma Offer Radiology Practices Across Clinical, Operational and Financial Workflows?

How does Karisma’s reporting workflow handle high volumes and subspecialty needs?

Reporting pools allow intelligent workload distribution based on subspecialty, urgency and availability rather than manual assignment or undifferentiated queues. Urgent cases are surfaced prominently. Deck layout management keeps reporting structured and consistent across the team. For practices managing diverse radiologist groups across Australia and New Zealand, this level of workflow intelligence is a meaningful upgrade from a system that treats all reports and all radiologists as equivalent.

What is Kestral’s implementation approach?

Kestral’s deployment methodology follows a structured, phased and iterative approach comprising the following stages: Initiation & Planning; Data Review, Mapping & Cleansing; Non- Production (Test) Migration; Application Configuration; Training; Production Migration (Cutover); and Post Go-Live Hypercare. This framework ensures each phase is validated before progression, reducing the risk of downstream issues and providing a clear, governed path to go-live.

For more about Karisma visit kestral.com.au/karisma

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Kestral’s 2026 Roadmap offers a clear answer to both questions. Spanning radiology and pathology, cloud-native architecture, interoperability, workflow optimisation and patient experience, it reflects a vendor that is accelerating rather than consolidating and doing so on the basis of what its customers have told it they need.

A roadmap built with customers, not just for them

What distinguishes Kestral’s development approach is the role that customers play in shaping it. Kestral runs structured pilot programs that place new capabilities in the hands of real practices before they are finalised. Feedback from those pilots is used to triage the roadmap, determining not just what gets built, but what gets built first.

For radiology managers, this matters because it means the features reaching the product are the ones that address real operational friction, not hypothetical use cases. The development priorities visible in Kestral’s Innovation Vision reflect years of accumulated feedback from the more than 180 ANZ imaging sites running Karisma RIS, spanning eForms, split billing, patient self-check-in, provider directory integration, and smart reporting worklists.

Karisma workflow improvements landing now

Kestral’s 2026 Roadmap is focused on the operational pressure points that practice managers encounter daily. eForms digitise and streamline the referral and booking process. Split billing reduces the administrative burden of complex billing scenarios. Integration with provider directories ensures patient and referrer data is accurate and current without manual maintenance.

National Lung Cancer Screening Registry upload addresses a specific and growing compliance obligation for Australian practices participating in the national screening program, a capability that reflects Kestral’s active engagement with the Australian digital health agenda rather than reactive catch-up. 

The My Health Record integration allows both the upload of results for compliance but also the retrieval of relevant information such as previous radiology and pathology reports from other providers giving your team all the information they need to provide the best patient care at their fingertips. 

Interoperability as a foundation, not a feature

Kestral’s K-Link API gateway represents one of the most significant platform investments in the 2026 roadmap. Rather than treating interoperability as a point-to-point integration problem, K-Link provides a centralised authentication and routing layer that decouples Karisma from the complexity of individual system connections.

For CIOs and RIS managers, this architecture matters. It means Karisma can participate in a broader health IT ecosystem, connecting with PACS, patient engagement platforms, billing systems, and national infrastructure, giving practices the level of connectivity appropriate to their environment.

FHIR eRequesting capability, further positions Kestral at the forefront of Australian radiology interoperability, enabling structured, standards-compliant electronic requesting that reduces friction between referrers and imaging practices.

Patient experience as a clinical and commercial priority

The patient experience layer in Kestral’s roadmap is not a cosmetic addition. Patient self check-in, online booking integration, and intelligent assignment directly affect throughput, staff workload, and patient satisfaction, all of which have operational and commercial consequences for a practice.

As patient expectations in healthcare continue to shift toward the consumer experiences they have in other parts of their lives, imaging practices that offer friction-free booking, arrival, and communication processes will have a meaningful advantage. Kestral’s focus on patient experience positions Karisma to support that shift rather than lag behind it.

A new way to deploy Kestral, cloud-native and built for independent practices

One of the most significant announcements in Kestral’s 2026 Roadmap is the exploration of a new cloud-native RIS designed specifically for single-site and independent practices. Built on a modern data architecture optimised for structured, query-ready data, the new platform is set to be faster to deploy and easier to operate than traditional on-premise RIS installations, while carrying the clinical capability and vendor reliability of the Karisma ecosystem.

Critically, existing Karisma K3 and K4 customers have a will have a defined, supported migration path to the new platform. This is a controlled, phased transition designed to protect the investment practices have made in their current systems, not a disruptive replacement.

For smaller and independent practices that have historically found enterprise RIS solutions over-engineered for their needs, this represents a significant shift in what is available to them from a vendor with Kestral’s depth of experience.

AI where it earns its place

Kestral’s approach to AI is pragmatic. The focus is on applying it where it produces tangible improvements rather than adopting it as a positioning statement. In the near term, that means AI-assisted development that accelerates the delivery of roadmap features, producing faster releases without compromising quality or increasing technical debt.

On the product horizon, Kestral is developing AI-driven capabilities targeted at specific high-friction points: OCR and automatic population of patient details from request forms, billing accuracy improvements, and smart reporting worklists that surface the right study to the right radiologist at the right time. Each of these addresses a real operational problem. None of them is AI for its own sake.

Pathology, a reinvigorated focus

Kestral’s 2026 roadmap marks a significant recommitment to pathology. The company is developing new modules within its Laboratory Information System, extending functionality and building toward a next-generation pathology workflow platform. The full scope of Kestral’s pathology direction will be announced at its live webinar on 2 June, and the investment signals a vendor expanding its diagnostic platform ambition rather than narrowing it.

For pathology operations leaders evaluating their software landscape, Kestral’s renewed focus represents a meaningful development in the ANZ market.

The ownership context

Kestral is owned by Jonas Software, a division of Constellation Software. Jonas Software’s model is explicitly buy-and-hold, acquiring specialist vertical market software businesses with the intention of developing them indefinitely. For practices weighing the risk of vendor acquisition or product discontinuation, this ownership structure provides a level of assurance that is uncommon in the diagnostic software market. Kestral is not being managed toward an exit. It is being invested in for the long term.

About Kestral Computing

Kestral Computing has more than 30 years of experience building software for radiology and pathology practices across Australia and New Zealand. Karisma RIS supports more than 180 ANZ imaging sites. Kestral’s 2026 roadmap spans cloud-native architecture, interoperability, patient experience, workflow improvements, and a reinvigorated pathology platform, built in close collaboration with the practices that depend on its software every day.

The post How Kestral’s 2026 Roadmap is shaping the future of diagnostic technology in Australia and New Zealand appeared first on Kestral Computing.

The quality of a radiology report gets a practice in the door. The quality of the experience around that report determines whether the referrals keep coming.

The Referral Relationship No One Talks About

Ask most practice managers what drives referrals and they’ll talk about clinical quality, location, and turnaround time. They’re right. But there’s a fourth factor that rarely gets named: the experience of receiving results from you.

A GP who receives a professional, well-formatted report with instant image access has a better experience of your practice than one who receives plain text that renders differently in their system, with no way to view the images without calling. The first GP refers more. The second drifts, often without ever articulating why.

This is the gap that modern report distribution is designed to close.

What Are Referrers Actually Asking For?

When we listen to what referring practitioners want from a radiology practice, three things come up consistently:

• Results that are fast and easy to read
• Images they can access without jumping through hoops
• A practice that respects that their time is limited

None of these are asks about technology. They are asks about experience. And they are entirely within a practice’s control to deliver.

Where Most Practices Are Losing Referrer Goodwill

The phone call that shouldn’t happen

When a GP receives a report and needs to view the images, they have a choice: navigate a portal they may not have credentials for, or call your front desk. Most call. That call, brief as it is, is a moment of friction. Your team has to stop what they’re doing. The GP has to wait. Neither experience is the one you want associated with your practice.

The report that looks unprofessional

Plain-text HL7 reports render inconsistently across practice management systems. What looks structured inside your RIS arrives as a wall of unformatted text in many GP inboxes. The radiologist’s careful work is invisible. The impression that creates, however unfair, reflects on your practice.

The manual task that eats your team’s day

Report distribution that requires human intervention is a workflow tax. Every step that isn’t automated is a step that costs time, introduces risk, and scales poorly as your practice grows.

What Changes When You Get This Right

Practices that invest in how results are delivered, not just the quality of the reporting, see concrete changes in their referrer relationships:

“Clickable links for our referrers have been a game changer. They streamline workflow by providing direct access to critical imaging data, enhancing diagnostic precision and communication with their patients. Our referrers no longer have to call us to sign up or ask for their log in details — this link leads them directly to their patient’s images. Referrers can view their images in the comfort of their own system. Thank you Kestral!” 

— Timothy Scott, South West Radiology 

Timothy Scott’s experience at South West Radiology captures it well. The value isn’t the technology. It’s what the technology removes. Phone calls. Friction. The small moments where a referrer’s confidence in your practice is quietly tested.

How Karisma Report Distribution Addresses This

Karisma Report Distribution is built around a simple idea: every result you send should make the referring practitioner’s day easier, not harder.

Reports are distributed automatically the moment they’re approved, in clean, branded HTML that renders consistently in every practice management system, with your logo included. Pre-authenticated image links give referrers one-click access to PACS images without a portal login or a call to your team.

The result is a referrer experience that reflects the quality of your clinical work. One that builds loyalty without your team having to do anything extra. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does report distribution affect referrer relationships? 

Because referrers experience your practice through every interaction, including how results arrive and how easy they are to act on. Consistent, professional, fast report delivery signals that you respect their time. Poor delivery, even if the clinical content is excellent, creates friction that erodes the relationship over time.

What is the best way to send radiology reports to GPs in Australia? 

The most effective approach combines automated HTML report delivery with pre-authenticated PACS image links. This ensures referrers receive well-formatted reports with instant, one-click image access, regardless of which practice management system they use, and removes the phone calls and manual steps that create friction.

Do I need PACS image URLs to use HTML report distribution?

No. You can upgrade to HTML format reports with or without image links. URL functionality can be added at any point, so you’re not locked into a specific configuration from day one.

Which PACS providers are supported? 

Kestral connects with all major PACS providers and information-sharing platforms. If a specific provider isn’t currently a Kestral partner, we’d be happy to explore options with you.

Read more about Karisma Report Distribution or download the factsheet

The post Why the Best Radiology Practices Treat Report Distribution as a Referrer Relationship Tool appeared first on Kestral Computing.

How Kestral develops with its customers

Kestral’s approach to customer led development is grounded in direct collaboration with the practices using its software. Rather than building features in isolation and releasing them to the market, Kestral runs structured pilot programs that place new capabilities in the hands of real customers before they are finalised. Feedback from those pilots shapes what gets built, what gets refined, and critically, what gets prioritised.

This is not a passive process. Kestral uses customer input to triage its development roadmap, meaning the improvements that matter most to the people running radiology practices are the ones that move to the front of the queue. Practice managers and radiology directors who work with Kestral have a direct line into what comes next.

Why triage-driven development matters for radiology practices

Radiology practices operate under significant operational pressure. Workflow bottlenecks, billing complexity, reporting demands, and interoperability gaps all compete for attention, and not every problem has equal impact. A vendor that builds based on genuine customer triage understands which problems are costing practices time and revenue today, rather than which features look impressive in a product demonstration.

Kestral’s customer led development model reflects this. Features like eForms, split billing, provider directory integration, and patient self check-in have all been shaped by input from the practices that depend on Karisma RIS daily. The roadmap is not a list of hypothetical capabilities. It is a reflection of what Kestral’s customers have said they need.

Click here to learn more about the 2026 Kestral Roadmap

Co-design as a competitive advantage

For practices evaluating long-term RIS partnerships, a vendor’s responsiveness to customer feedback is a proxy for how well the product will serve them five or ten years from now. A vendor that listens and acts will continue to evolve with the needs of its customers. One that does not will accumulate the kind of gap between product capability and clinical reality that creates frustration and, eventually, migration.

Kestral’s pilot program model and triage-based prioritisation mean that customers are not passive recipients of a product roadmap. They are contributors to it. That relationship is particularly valuable for radiology managers who need a system that adapts to changing workflows, regulatory requirements, and patient expectations over time.

For more about how Kestral’s long term commitment read Which radiology systems are most likely to be supported and developed a decade from now?

About Kestral and Karisma RIS

Kestral Computing has more than 30 years of experience building software for radiology and pathology practices across Australia and New Zealand. Karisma RIS is used by more than 180 imaging sites across the ANZ region. Kestral’s development approach combines deep domain expertise with direct customer collaboration, producing a system that is shaped by the people who use it every day.

The post The RIS vendor that listens: how customer led development shapes the Karisma roadmap appeared first on Kestral Computing.