THE head of the Australian Medical Association has condemned a new Telstra eHealth service, saying it will undermine primary healthcare.
THE ReadyCare service, announced on Wednesday, will connect patients to random GPs via phone and video 24 hours a day, providing advice, diagnosis, referrals and prescriptions.
Telstra says the service will deliver better healthcare to rural and remote Australians who live a long way from their doctor. But AMA chief Dr Brian Owler says it’s a recipe for bad medicine. “We want people to maintain a regular contact with their GP, not just ring someone out of the blue,” he told AAP. “They can just ring up a number, and get a doctor on the other end that they have no knowledge of or relationship with, and get scripts and other treatments prescribed. “This is not the sort of vision we have for general practice and primary care.” Dr Owler said the AMA supports telemedicine, but only where a patient already has a relationship with the doctor on the other end of the line. ReadyCare would undermine doctor-patient relationships and threaten existing medical workforce initiatives, he said, adding that he’d expressed his concerns when Telstra briefed him on the service two weeks ago. “This is a really cynical and inappropriate way for Telstra to be engaged in healthcare. “It’s a commercial solution dressed up as a health solution.” Shane Solomon, the head of Telstra’s newly-established health arm, said the program is designed to complement rather than replace regular GP consultations. “With the patient’s consent we will provide information back to the patient’s regular GP to ensure continuity of care.” Dr Owler said that won’t solve the problem. “It’s not a substitute for going to see that doctor or maintaining a relationship with that doctor.” Mr Solomon said an independent advisory panel would assess ReadyCare’s clinical protocols to ensure the service is safe and clinically appropriate. He said Telstra is also working with GP leaders to establish a platform for doctors to deliver phone and video consultations to their regular patients. Telstra has offered to brief the AMA further.