Best Practice Software is an Australian GP practice management system. It has no loyalty program, membership tiers or branded patient app. Best Practice handles clinical records, Medicare billing and appointments. Retaining cosmetic patients between visits requires a separate retention layer that sits alongside it. In short: Best Practice manages the clinical record; it does not bring patients back.
Here is an honest look at what Best Practice actually does, where the retention gap opens for GP-run and doctor-led aesthetic clinics, and how to close it without replacing the system you already use. If your clinic runs Best Practice Software, the answer is a loyalty and membership layer on top of it, not a switch away from it.
What is Best Practice Software?
Best Practice Software is an Australian-built GP practice management system used by thousands of medical practices across Australia. It handles clinical records, Medicare and DVA billing, electronic prescriptions, appointment books, referral letters and pathology results. For a GP clinic, Best Practice is the backbone of clinical administration.
GP-run and doctor-led aesthetic clinics typically use Best Practice on the medical side of the practice because it was designed for that job. Many pair it with HotDoc for patient-facing online booking, which feeds appointments into the Best Practice appointment book. The result is a well-integrated clinical workflow that covers everything from booking to billing and record-keeping.
What Best Practice was not designed to do is give cosmetic patients a reason to return. There is no Best Practice loyalty feature, no membership tier, no branded app and no automated re-engagement tool. That gap is where the cosmetic retention problem starts.
Does Best Practice Software have a loyalty or rewards program?
No. Best Practice does not include a loyalty program, points system, membership tiers or any form of patient rewards. There is no feature in Best Practice that earns a patient points for attending, creates a membership that gives them a reason to keep returning, or sends a push notification from your clinic when they are overdue for a cosmetic appointment.
This is not a gap that Best Practice has been slow to fill; it reflects what the software was built for. Best Practice was designed for the clinical record and Medicare billing workflow of a general medical practice, where patients return based on health need, not on loyalty incentives. The cosmetic side of a GP-run aesthetic clinic operates on a different dynamic: patients need a reason to rebook, and that reason needs to be built deliberately.
The Best Practice patient loyalty gap is particularly acute for clinics that have built a large database through the medical side of the practice. Thousands of patients exist in the system, but without a retention layer, there is no mechanism to introduce them to the cosmetic program or reward their loyalty once they are in it.
Loyalty and rewards programs for clinics that offer prescription cosmetic treatments operate under TGA and AHPRA advertising rules. A generic loyalty layer that does not account for these requirements creates compliance risk. See our guide to TGA and AHPRA rules for clinic loyalty and rewards for a plain-English breakdown of what is and is not allowed.
What does Best Practice Software do well for GP aesthetic clinics?
For the clinical administration job, Best Practice is genuinely strong. GP-run and doctor-led aesthetic clinics use it because no other system handles Australian clinical records and Medicare billing as completely:
- Clinical records. Progress notes, consultation history, pathology and imaging results, treatment plans and consent forms are all stored and accessed within Best Practice, giving the practitioner a complete view of the patient's history.
- Medicare and DVA billing. Best Practice handles Australian billing requirements natively, including bulk billing, item numbers and claim management. For a hybrid practice with both medical and cosmetic patients, this is essential.
- Electronic prescriptions. Best Practice is integrated with Australian prescribing systems, which matters for GP-run clinics that prescribe within the scope of a medical practice.
- Appointment management. The appointment book handles multiple practitioners and locations, and integrates with HotDoc for patient-facing online booking on both the medical and cosmetic sides of the practice.
- Referral letters and correspondence. Outbound letters, referrals to specialists and incoming correspondence are managed within Best Practice, which keeps the clinical record complete.
These are real strengths for the medical side of a hybrid practice. The gap is everything that needs to happen after the appointment to bring the cosmetic patient back for their next visit.
Best Practice only vs Best Practice + Clinic App
| Best Practice only | Best Practice + Clinic App | |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical records | Yes | Yes (Best Practice handles this) |
| Medicare billing | Yes | Yes (Best Practice handles this) |
| Electronic prescriptions | Yes | Yes (Best Practice handles this) |
| Appointment management | Yes | Yes (Best Practice handles this) |
| Loyalty points program | No | Yes |
| Membership tiers | No | Yes |
| Branded patient app | No | Yes |
| Patient-visible loyalty balance | No | Yes, in the branded app |
| Treatment wallet | No | Yes |
| Automated cosmetic rebooking prompts | No | Yes |
| AU cosmetic compliance framework | Not designed for this | Yes, by design |
Best Practice manages the clinical record. Clinic App handles everything that needs to happen between visits to keep cosmetic patients coming back. They are designed for different jobs and they sit alongside each other.
How do I add a loyalty program to a Best Practice clinic?
You do not need to replace Best Practice. Clinic App is designed to sit on top of your existing clinical management system as a retention layer. Your Best Practice records, billing workflows and HotDoc booking integration stay exactly as they are. Clinic App adds the branded patient app, loyalty points, membership tiers, treatment wallet and automated rebooking prompts that Best Practice does not include.
For doctor-led and GP-run aesthetic clinics, the setup that works is: Best Practice handles clinical records, Medicare billing and prescriptions; HotDoc handles patient-facing booking; Clinic App handles cosmetic patient retention, loyalty and membership. Each system does the job it was built for, and none of them need to be replaced to make retention work.
One thing worth noting for the GP clinic context is that a loyalty program for this segment should feel premium, not transactional. The clinics we work with in this space run structures like a "skin membership" with priority booking access and exclusive treatment credits. That framing matters as much as the mechanics. If you are also comparing options across the broader market, our guide to the best loyalty program apps for Australian clinics covers how the main options compare. And if you are running on HotDoc as well as Best Practice, our overview of the HotDoc loyalty gap covers the same retention problem from the booking-system side.
Frequently asked questions
Does Best Practice Software have a loyalty program?
No. Best Practice is a GP practice management system for Australian medical practices. It does not include a loyalty program, membership tiers, treatment wallet or branded patient app. Best Practice handles clinical records, Medicare billing and appointments. Cosmetic patient retention requires a dedicated layer that Best Practice was never built to provide.
Can I use Best Practice Software with Clinic App?
Yes. Clinic App is designed to sit on top of your existing systems as a retention layer. If your GP-run or doctor-led aesthetic clinic uses Best Practice for clinical records and billing, Clinic App adds the branded loyalty app, membership tiers, treatment wallet and automated rebooking prompts alongside it. Best Practice and Clinic App handle different jobs.
What is Best Practice Software used for?
Best Practice Software is an Australian GP practice management system. Clinics use it for clinical records, Medicare billing, prescriptions, appointment scheduling and referral letters. It integrates with patient-facing booking tools including HotDoc. Best Practice handles the clinical and administrative side of a medical practice; it was not built for patient loyalty or retention marketing.
What loyalty options do GP cosmetic clinics have?
GP-run aesthetic clinics using Best Practice can add Clinic App as a retention layer on top of their existing systems. Clinic App provides the branded patient app, loyalty points, membership tiers and a treatment wallet that Best Practice does not include, without requiring the clinic to switch clinical management systems.
