NSW Government announces eHealth strategy 

At last week’s CeBIT Australia conference NSW Minister for Health Jillian Skinner announced the state’s eHealth strategy for the next decade.

The strategy will see a digitally enabled and integrated health system, with a focus on delivering patient-centred health experiences with quality health outcomes, and builds on the government’s existing blueprint.

Ms Skinner said it was a 10-year program of innovation, investment and implementation, with identified goals in the short, medium and long-term.

“It’s a policy that outlines the direction that we will take using the latest advances in technology policy and also including integrated care and ongoing enhancements to performance, quality and safety in our health system,” she said.

“The strategy builds on the significant investment that the Government has made over the last five years, including funds in the current budget to further digitise our state wide health infrastructure and systems to deliver a suite of eHealth initiatives right across the state. We continue to build a high-speed broadband network, the NBN of Health we call it, which currently connects 150 hospitals and health centres across NSW including those in rural and remote locations. This enables our clinical and corporate systems to be used in hospitals across the state and in ambulatory care.”

South Australia’s Clevertar begins diabetes trials in the US

Health software company Clevertar, which specialises in virtual personal assistant programs, has begun trials of its new diabetes coach program in the United States.

The South Australian company will run the trials in Pennsylvania as it progresses its plan of reaching global markets with its “Anna Cares” software.

Anna Cares is a cloud-based solution that allows health care professionals to keep in contact with clients in their home, and to check that they are taking their medications and taking part in daily activities.

The company has also received a $600,000 investment from third-party partner Konica Minolta and $420,000 in funding from the Australian Government to help it expand.

Clevertar plans to use the diabetes prototype for other non-communicable chronic diseases in the future.

Australian startup CliniCloud partners with American telehealth provider

This week Australian health-tech startup CliniCloud announced it would be entering into a partnership with leading US telehealth provider Doctor On Demand.

CliniCloud, founded by two Australian physicians, Dr Andrew Lin and Dr Hon Weng Chong, is a home connected medical kit, with a digital stethoscope and non-contact themometer. It allows patients to record and their track temperature, heart and lung sounds at home, and share these via video consultations with doctors, psychiatrists and psychologists.

It is designed to allow for faster and cost-effectiveness diagnosis, and to prevent unnecessary in-person checkups or trips to hospital.

“CliniCloud is thrilled to be partnering with Doctor On Demand. The opportunities for smart technology to change how Americans access quality healthcare and improve the way we live are endless, and Doctor On Demand is at the forefront of innovation in this space,” said Dr Lin.

This article was originally sourced from the Australian Ageing online and was written by the Editorial Department, editorial@australianageingagenda.com.au