 The service, which operates out of a purpose-built telemedicine centre in the Sydney suburb of Alexandria, is designed to make accessing doctors easier, operating 24 hours a day.
It can be accessed by calling 1800 READYCARE or via the ReadyCare app. “We’ve seen what the digital revolution has meant for other sectors and we believe that healthcare in Australia will benefit from eHealth to better serve all Australians,” Shane Solomon, Telstra Health managing director, commented. “This will provide choice and convenience for people to access a GP regardless of their location or the time of day, particularly in circumstances when they find it hard to access a face-to-face doctor. Patients can talk with a GP using phone or video, upload images of their condition and receive comprehensive care.” Telstra envisages the service evolving, with its long-term aim to be available for any GP to use with their regular patients. “We’re introducing and operating ReadyCare in the first instance to demonstrate how telemedicine services can be provided safely and address issues such as timely access to care, but ultimately we want it to be a platform that will enable GPs to provide convenient and accessible telemedicine services for their own patients,” Solomon commented.“ReadyCare is intended to be a complementary service, not a replacement, for a regular face-to-face GP appointment. Telemedicine has proven very effective in delivering quality care for patients in other parts of the world, especially the USA and Europe, and we are confident Australians will embrace the service.” Telstra additionally announced that specialist travel insurance and medical assistance provider Cover-More Group has signed on as a foundation customer of the service. |
