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- Australian digital health group 1st Group (1ST) has today launched its telehealth solution as well as a national telehealth directory
- Telehealth provides a way of connecting patients with their health care providers while limiting both parties’ potential exposure to COVID-19
- As such, the federal government will significantly extend the scope of telehealth consultations supported by Medicare during the pandemic
- 1st Group will also waive all setup fees for its telehealth solution to assist with rapid rollout
- Further, 1st Group has launched a national telehealth directory through its existing MyHealth1st portal
- At the end of yesterday’s session, shares in 1st Group closed at 2.7 cents each
Australian digital health group 1st Group (1ST) has launched its telehealth solution as well as a national telehealth directory.
Telehealth offers a way of connecting patients with their health care providers while limiting both parties’ potential exposure to COVID-19.
This has prompted the federal government to significantly broaden the scope of telehealth consultations supported by Medicare during the COVID-19 crisis.
The scope of eligible consultations now includes, among others, all GP appointments, medical specialists, pregnancy support counselling and patients in aged care.
1st Group’s telehealth solution
Consultations using 1st Group’s telehealth solution are conducted in-browser, meaning no additional software or app is required. This is end-to-end encrypted for security, as Managing Director and Co-Founder Klaus Bartosch explained.
“Our platform already supports our customers taking telehealth appointments with their current system, such as Skype but many of these systems are not regarded as secure and are not customised for health consultations.”
“1st Group’s telehealth service allows our customers to use an end-to-end encrypted secure telehealth service that is fully integrated with our platforms and our customers’ practice management systems, simplifying the experience for our customers and their patients.”
The platform supports up to four people in one consultation, to accommodate for language interpreters or additional specialists. It also allows for documents, such as referrals or information sheets, to be shared.
Further, 1st Group has launched a national telehealth directory through MyHealth1st.com.au where patients can search for health care providers offering telehealth consultations.
As part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, 1st Group will waive all setup costs to assist with the rapid rollout of the telehealth solution. Thereafter, 1st Group will charge a standard per-consultation fee of $5.
At the end of yesterday’s session, shares in 1st Group closed at 2.7 cents each.
