CP2.3 is retiring: what PMS vendors must do before 30 September 2026

The Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) is retiring the CP2.3 electronic prescribing conformance profile on 30 September 2026. Any prescribing software still conformant only to CP2.3 after that date falls out of conformance, and a related transition retires legacy SOAP integrations with the prescription delivery services shortly after. If you build or maintain a practice management system (PMS) that prescribes, this deadline is yours.

What is actually changing?

Electronic prescribing software in Australia must conform to an ADHA conformance profile and appear on the public Electronic Prescribing Conformance Register. CP2.3, the profile most established systems certified against, sunsets on 30 September 2026. Its replacement, CPv3.0.x, is already in force — new registrations have been made against it since 2024 — and the prescription exchange services are retiring their legacy SOAP APIs in favour of REST at the same time.

Two dates matter:

• 30 September 2026 — CP2.3 conformance ends. Software must be conformant to CPv3.0.x to keep issuing electronic prescriptions.

• 30 November 2026 — legacy SOAP integrations to the prescription delivery services are retired; REST integration is required.

What does re-conformance involve?

Re-conformance is not a paperwork exercise. Moving from CP2.3 to CPv3.0.x typically means: updating your HI Service and identifier handling, rebuilding your integration against the new REST APIs, completing observed NPDS testing, and registering the result with the ADHA. Vendors who have been through it budget roughly nine to eighteen months and several hundred thousand dollars of engineering effort — and conformance is not one-off: every future profile revision restarts the cycle.

What are the options for a PMS vendor?

Rebuild in-house. Right for the largest platforms with dedicated integration teams and prescribing volume that justifies owning the pipeline. Budget for the full testing and registration cycle before the deadline, and for the permanent re-conformance treadmill after it.

Embed a conformant provider. The alternative is to integrate an already-conformant ePrescribing platform behind your own interface, so conformance obligations sit with the provider rather than your codebase. Parchment is registered against CPv3.0.1 (since August 2024) and exists to do exactly this: PMS platforms embed Parchment via API and ship compliant electronic prescriptions without carrying the conformance burden themselves. Integrations typically go live in weeks, not months.

How do I check where my software stands?

Look up your product on the ADHA's Electronic Prescribing Conformance Register. If your entry lists CP2.3 only, you need a plan that lands before 30 September 2026 — whichever path you choose, the observed-testing queues get busier as deadlines approach.

Talk to us

If you are weighing a rebuild against embedding, we are happy to walk through the API and the conformance detail with your engineering team. See the Parchment API or book a conversation.

Published 30 August 2026. Regulatory details reflect ADHA guidance current at publication; verify dates against the ADHA register before making planning decisions.