Improved health and aged care
Digital Economy Goal: by 2020, as identified in the National E-Health Strategy endorsed by the federal, state and territory governments, 90 per cent of high priority consumers such as older Australians, mothers and babies and those with a chronic disease, or their carers, can access individual electronic health records.
Through the government’s investments in telehealth, by July 2015, 495,000 telehealth consultations will have been delivered providing remote access to specialists for patients in rural, remote and outer metropolitan areas, and by 2020, 25 per cent of all specialists will be participating in delivering telehealth consultations to remote patients.
Increasing pressures on Australia’s health system from an ageing population, increased rates of chronic disease, and health workforce challenges mean it is critical to consider opportunities to deliver high-quality services more effectively and efficiently.
The NBN will provide a platform that allows homes, doctors’ surgeries, pharmacies, clinics, aged-care facilities and allied health professionals to connect to affordable, reliable, high-speed and high-capacity broadband. This is a major opportunity to improve the way healthcare is delivered in Australia.
A recent Access Economics report analysed the potential impacts of telehealth under the NBN and identified a range of benefits from telehealth to healthcare services, medical effectiveness, decreased travel and increased employment. Based on previous studies in the US and Australia, the report estimated that the on-going benefits to Australia from wide-scale implementation of telehealth may be between $2 billion and $4 billion a year.
To encourage a wider adoption of telehealth in Australia, from 1 July 2011, the Australian Government is undertaking a Medicare Benefits Schedule Expansion that will enable a wider range of telehealth-based medical consultations to attract a Medical Benefits Schedule rebate. In addition, the Australian Government will initiate a number of telehealth trials to better understand and address outstanding barriers to wider adoption of telehealth.
