Frequently asked questions

Maree-CareFlow is a self-hosted practice management platform built from the ground up for Australian allied health and NDIS service providers. It handles NDIS billing, multi-funder claim management (Medicare, DVA, WorkCover, CTP, Home Care), clinical documentation, AI report generation, staff rostering, SDA compliance, and client management - all in a single platform. Unlike general scheduling tools, every feature was designed around Australian regulatory requirements including NDIS PACE, AHPRA, Privacy Act 1988, and the SCHADS Award.

Yes. Maree-CareFlow includes a free, self-service Data Migration & Import tool with a guided wizard - included for every organisation for a limited introductory period. Export your data from Cliniko, Halaxy, Power Diary, Splose, ShiftCare, Nookal or a spreadsheet as CSV, Excel, JSON or a ZIP bundle, upload it, and the importer auto-maps the columns, validates every field (NDIS numbers, dates, emails, phones), and de-duplicates against your existing records. You get a full reconciliation report to review before anything is written; you sign off; and the import commits to your live data - with one-click rollback available until you go live. It brings across participants, staff, sites, contacts, NDIS plans, funding pools, goals, appointments, clinical / progress notes and billing history - and you choose exactly which aspects to import, so you can keep everything or leave out anything you would rather not bring across (for example historical invoicing).

Maree-CareFlow was built from the ground up specifically for the Australian NDIS and multi-funder environment, rather than adapted from a general-purpose scheduling tool. Key differentiators: (1) True NDIS period-by-period budget tracking - not just lifetime totals; (2) All 13 motor accident and WorkCover schemes tracked and billed natively in a single platform; (3) AI clinical report generation that runs on your own server via built-in local AI with mandatory AHPRA consent checkpoints - clinical text stays on your infrastructure by default (you may optionally connect your own cloud AI provider); (4) Australian data sovereignty - self-hosted on infrastructure you control, so PHI never leaves Australian soil without your explicit configuration.

Yes. Maree-CareFlow supports a broad range of Australian healthcare funding types: NDIS (agency-managed, plan-managed, and self-managed), Medicare MBS, Medicare Better Access MHTP, Medicare Eating Disorder Program, DVA, Home Care Package (HCP), Private Insurance, WorkCover (all states), and all 13 motor accident and WorkCover schemes (CTP in every state and territory, WorkCover NSW/VIC/QLD/SA/WA, and TAC VIC). You can assign multiple funding sources to a single client and track each independently.

Each NDIS participant's funding pool can be configured with a period type (annual, quarterly, monthly, or fortnightly) and a budget amount per period. As you create and approve time entries, Maree-CareFlow deducts from the current period's budget - not the lifetime total. You can see exactly how much is remaining in the current period, the weekly burn rate ($/week), and a projected date when the budget will be exhausted. Automated alerts notify you (and optionally the plan manager) when the balance reaches your configured threshold. This prevents the common compliance issue of accidentally overspending a period's budget.

Your data is stored on infrastructure you control. Maree-CareFlow is a self-hosted application - you install it on your own cPanel server, Docker VPS, or bare-metal server in Australia. No participant data is ever transmitted to Maree-CareFlow's servers or any third-party cloud service without your explicit configuration. The built-in AI also runs locally on your server, so by default clinical text never leaves your infrastructure; connecting your own external cloud AI provider is optional and your own choice. Enterprise customers can receive a written Australian data residency commitment on request.

Because Maree-CareFlow is self-hosted, your practice is the data controller for all health information. The software is designed to support your obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles: data minimisation, purpose limitation, participant access/correction rights, and breach notification. Our Privacy Policy sets out how we handle the limited data we collect from our marketing website. See Privacy Policy for full details.

Yes. Maree-CareFlow is built to help you meet the key Australian frameworks for AI in clinical settings: (1) AHPRA Good Practice Guidance (2024) - a mandatory client consent checkbox must be confirmed before any report is generated; generation is blocked if consent is not confirmed; (2) Privacy Act 1988 APP 3/6/8/11 - the built-in AI runs on-premises on your server, so by default health data never leaves it; if you connect your own external cloud AI provider that cross-border choice is yours and remains consent-gated; (3) NDIS Commission Position Statement (Feb 2026) - Behaviour Support Plan report types are hard-blocked at the API level, so the application will not generate them; (4) ACSQHC AI Clinical Use Guide - a written practitioner attestation is required before any AI-drafted report can be approved. Every AI report generation is logged in the immutable audit trail.

Yes. Maree-CareFlow includes a cPanel deployment package specifically designed for shared hosting. Download the release zip from the Downloads page, upload it to your cPanel File Manager, extract it into public_html, and run the 5-screen setup wizard. The wizard guides you through database configuration, admin account creation, and email setup. Full step-by-step instructions are in the Install Guide. Note: AI features require a VPS or bare-metal server, as shared hosting cannot run local AI models.

cPanel (no AI features): Shared hosting with PHP 7.4+, Python 3.11+, PostgreSQL with PDO driver, and at least 512 MB RAM. Docker or Ubuntu VPS (with AI features): 4 vCPU, 16 GB RAM, 100 GB SSD - or 8 vCPU, 32 GB RAM, 200 GB SSD for larger practices. Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or 24.04 LTS recommended. Full requirements are on the Downloads page.

Every upgrade path preserves your existing encryption keys, secrets and data - the installers reuse the keys already on the server rather than regenerating them, so stored records stay readable. Always back up your database and .env first. cPanel: Download the new release zip, upload to public_html, extract (overwrite - your .env is preserved), then open the setup wizard and click "Update an existing installation" to refresh config and run migrations. Docker: Run the new installer script with the --upgrade flag - it pulls the new images, runs database migrations, and restarts services. Ubuntu bare-metal: Run the new installer script with --upgrade. Full upgrade instructions are provided with each release on the Downloads page.

Yes - the Starter tier is free forever, with no credit card required. It supports up to 10 active clients, includes core scheduling, NDIS billing, and client management. It's designed for sole practitioners just starting out, or for practices evaluating the platform before committing. Upgrade to Practitioner or Practice at any time without losing your data.

Free (Starter) tier: email support with a 72-hour response SLA. Practitioner tier: email + chat support with a 24-hour SLA during business hours (AEST). Practice tier: email support with a 12-hour SLA + live chat. Enterprise: dedicated account manager, 4-hour response SLA, and an optional direct channel with the engineering team. Add-on Priority Support (AUD $75/month) upgrades any tier to a 2-hour response SLA.

Subscription fees are quoted and charged in Australian Dollars (AUD). This is shown clearly on the Pricing page. Prices are exclusive of GST unless stated otherwise.

Yes. Monthly subscriptions can be cancelled at any time with effect from the end of the current billing period. Annual subscriptions can be cancelled with effect from the end of the annual period; no partial-year refunds are available except where required under the Australian Consumer Law. Because your data is self-hosted, cancelling your subscription does not delete your data - it remains on your server for you to export or archive as you choose.

Connecting your own external accounts using our setup guides is free. However, if you ask Maree-CareFlow staff to set up a third-party service that connects via API on your behalf - for example an SMS gateway account, an external AI provider, or an accounting connection such as Xero or MYOB - a once-off API setup fee applies, from AUD $149 per external service, quoted before work begins. The fee covers creating or configuring the account, installing the credentials into your instance, and running a verified end-to-end test. Ongoing usage charges (SMS credits, AI tokens, accounting subscriptions) remain payable to the third-party provider directly.

Enterprise includes everything in the Practice plan plus: unlimited seats, white-label option (your branding, your domain), SSO integration (SAML/OIDC with Azure AD, Okta, and others), dedicated onboarding with a live install session, SLA-backed support with a 4-hour response time, a written Australian data residency commitment, custom API integration assistance, and volume licensing. Contact our enterprise team for a custom quote.

Yes. Maree-CareFlow's multi-organisation architecture supports NDIS Plan Management (PM) organisations managing funding on behalf of multiple participants and service providers. The platform supports PM-specific workflows including provider payment processing, budget oversight across participant portfolios, and the NDIS PACE API for direct portal submission. Contact our enterprise team to discuss your PM workflow requirements.