Understanding the Communicare Updater and central updates
January 28, 2026
As part of the Version 23.2, the Communicare Updater Tool was made available to customers.
The Updater tool is a built-in utility that updates centrally managed clinical content and related data in your Communicare database, not the core application version itself. We often refer to this as ‘Central’.
With the updater tool, your Communicare System administrator can update ‘Central’ independently whenever new data, report or GRT updates are released between version upgrades. Commencing January 2026, ‘Central’ updates are planned for every second month, and Communicare Administrators will receive an email when central updates are available.
The Communicare Data Updater makes the following components available for download:
- Central Clinical items, qualifiers and recalls. E.g. standard chronic disease items, child health checks.
- Central Datasets that support reporting / funding / KPIs, e.g. ICPC2Plus, ANFPP, HACC/CHSP, PMHC MDS, ITC.
- Centrally maintained code sets and rules, e.g. AIR vaccines, AIR codes and LOINC matching additions.
- Centrally maintained reports and templates, e.g. Letter templates and Central Reports (not bespoke, site based).
- Government Reporting Tool (GRT), i.e., the National Key Performance Indicator reporting tool used to upload NKPI data to the government portal.
To access the Communicare Updater Tool
The ‘Updater’ tool is accessed via Menu: File > Reference Tables > Update Clinical Data.
When new data is made available via the tool, it is published in the Knowledge Centre under: Central Data changes. You can also review new clinical items and reports introduced after you run the ‘Updater’ using these reports:
- Menu: Report > Reference tables > Clinical Item Types Added – enter the days since updated and choose ‘Central’
- Menu: Report > Database Consistency > Central Reports
The Communicare Data Updater checks for the last time and date that each type of data was changed in your Communicare database and sets an updated status for each (see Communicare Data Updater) so that you know when new data is available.
Please note, you must be a Communicare System Administrator user to run it.
In summary, the Communicare Data Updater
What is it
The Communicare Data Updater is a built-in utility (available from Communicare 23.2 onwards) that:
- Connects to Telstra Health’s content storage
- Downloads packaged clinical data updates
- Applies them into the sites’s Communicare database
What it updates
- Communicare Central Data (centrally governed clinical items, qualifiers)
- AIR rules (to support uploads to the Australian Immunisation Register)
- Centrally packaged reports and templates
- Government Reporting Tool (GRT)
How you can access it (from within Communicare)
- Menu: File > Reference Table > Update Clinical Data
- You must be a Communicare System Administrator user to run it.
How the content is delivered
- Telstra Health packages updates per major Communicare release.
- For each supported Communicare major version, there is a corresponding data package file in the Telstra Health content Storage.
- When new central data or AIR rules are released, new packages are built and made available for each supported Communicare version; the updater then pulls the correct package for the site’s version.
The Communicare Data Updater is distinct from
- Monthly MBS/MIMS/SNOMED downloads via the customer portal.
- Communicare upgrades, these are handled via the usual Service Desk upgrade/change process.
For further information
See the following articles in the Communicare Knowledge Centre:
- Communicare Data Updater for information on the Updater
- Central Data changes for changes made available for each Central data release
If you have any questions about the Communicare Data Updater, lodge a service desk ticket via Telstra Health Support Portal.