Media Release, 01 April 2015

Telstra Health today announced it had entered an agreement with Medibank for the purchase of the business assets of Anywhere Healthcare, one of Australia’s leading specialist telemedicine solutions.

Anywhere Healthcare is an innovative product established by Medibank in 2013 to give people in regional and remote areas of Australia, or people with a physical constraint, access to specialist medical practitioners and allied health professionals over video conference. It has established a reputation for delivering high quality clinical care through a network of over 1,600 GP and aged care referral partners and a panel at present, of 26 specialists who provide services across a range of specialties.

The announcement means that when combined with their previously announced GP telemedicine service ReadyCare, Telstra Health will have the framework to enable it to provide Australians and their referring GPs a full spectrum of care options via telehealth when it is clinically appropriate, from GP care through to specialists and allied health professionals.

Telstra Group Executive of Retail, Gordon Ballantyne, said the integration of Anywhere Healthcare was a logical fit with Telstra Health and would allow for a more comprehensive approach to telemedicine.

“Medibank has developed a wonderful service and we are delighted to be able to assume responsibility for this going forward,” Mr Ballantyne said.

“We are keen to build the service and increase options for GPs, specialists and care providers in providing high quality care to their patients. It aligns perfectly with our aim to overcome the challenges of distance and availability to help provide greater levels of access to medicine, especially for those in regional and remote areas.

“We recognise the central role of GPs in managing the care of their patients. Anywhere Healthcare provides a patient’s regular GP the option of referring them to a specialist for a video conference, providing more convenient access to specialist care that can otherwise be difficult to reach because of distance or in circumstances such as for patients in nursing homes,’ Mr Ballantyne said.

Medibank Chief Operating Officer, David Koczkar, said that Medibank established Anywhere Healthcare as part of their commitment to providing better health solutions to the community and that this transaction would support further development and expansion of the service.

“We are really proud of the innovation we introduced with Anywhere Healthcare, and the solid foundation that we have built over the past few years. Telstra Health will provide the additional support, focus, and expertise required to expand this important service and we look forward to working together to develop further opportunities for Anywhere Healthcare,” Mr Koczkar said

The Anywhere Healthcare business will transfer to Telstra Health in early May 2015.

ReadyCare was announced as part of the formal launch of Telstra Health last October. The service will see patients talk directly to GPs over video or phone to receive advice, diagnosis, prescriptions, and referrals. ReadyCare is designed to complement regular GP consultations, with information from a telemedicine GP consultation provided back to the patient’s regular GP to ensure continuity of care.

About Telstra Health

Telstra Health is a provider of eHealth solutions with the ambition to create a better health system for patients, providers and health insurers. Telstra Health aims to be the partner of choice and is working with medical experts, the health sector, government, funders as well as the world’s best and most innovative eHealth companies to build a future where eHealth solutions are integrated together to create a brilliantly different health care system. Telstra Health is a business division of Telstra Corporation, Australia’s leading telecommunication company. For more information visit www.telstra.com/health


About Anywhere Healthcare
Anywhere Healthcare has been specifically designed to help overcome the obstacles many rural and regional residents face in getting timely and convenient access to a range of medical specialists. Anyone living in regional Australia can hold a live video consultation with a specialist from their local GP clinic with assistance from their own doctor or the practice nurse. Anywhere Healthcare uses a platform that is purpose built for medical consultations. It is easy to use, effective and can manage millions of online care consultations every year. For more information visit: www.anywherehealthcare.com.au