Telstra today announced it was stepping up efforts to roll out new technology to help Australia cope with future demands for health and aged care.

Telstra Business Group Managing Director, Deena Shiff, said Telstra believed easy-to-use networked technology could help Australia meet the challenges faced by an ageing population and greater demand for scarce health resources, while at the same time improving outcomes for patients.

“Over the past six months Telstra has carried out an extensive survey and consultation process meeting people at every level of the health and aged care sector as well as technology providers around Australia and overseas.

“It has confirmed that the time is right to really kick start a technology revolution in the sector and Telstra is ready to deliver it over the Next G ™ and Next IP™ networks.

“Technology is now available to allow carers to manage patient health information more efficiently around the country using laptops or handheld devices.

“The challenge is to connect the front line health delivery people with people further up the health delivery supply chain.

“Telstra wants to work with frontline health providers to bring them in touch with the latest health technology and we stand ready to pilot or support commercial trials of our technology,” Ms Shiff said.

Telstra’s studies of the industry and the technology available has identified several key areas where there was potential to reduce costs and improve health outcomes:

• IT on demand - for medicine, patient record keeping and prescriptions.
• Regional health solutions - video collaboration between sites via high-speed broadband, providing rural areas with access to specialists.
• Community and domiciliary care - monitoring of patients for preventative health programs and chronic disease.
• Virtual clinics - “super clinics” spread over geographically diverse locations.

Ms Shiff said that as part of the next stage of our health initiative Telstra wants to hear from health providers willing to participate in deployments of new technology to support these key areas and provide innovative health solutions.

“Telstra is already working with private and not for profit aged care providers and health care workers in commercial pilots of technology around Australia to improve prevention of chronic disease and administration and patient care.

“We’re confident these can be extended across the sector in the near future, resulting in a substantial saving in costs and better health outcomes,” she said.