New telehealth feature on MedAdvisor patient app

Pharmacy-focused MedAdvisor has announced the launch of a new telehealth functionality on its mobile patient application.

The telehealth feature allows patients to book virtual consultations with providers, receive e-prescriptions, and pre-order medications and receive purchase renewal reminders from preferred pharmacies. 

Early this year, the ASX-listed company said it is working to introduce a conversational AI assistant for its partner pharmacies. The feature will be rolled out as part of its new Medication Advisor platform.

Direct messaging access to Rheumatology clinics enabled

Gold Coast Health in Queensland has enabled patients to connect directly with Rheumatology clinics.

Based on a media release, Rheumatology outpatients receiving ongoing treatments can now contact their medical teams for non-urgent queries via the Foxo digital messaging platform. 

This enablement for Rheumatology services follows an initial adoption of the Foxo platform for the newly established General Medicine Rapid Access Service, an alternative digital pathway for chronic disease patients.

The digital front door is also being planned to be implemented for Renal, Cancer, and Child Health services, according to Gold Coast Health. 

Spark Health signs hospital comms, telehealth deals

Spark Health, the digital health service arm of telecommunications and digital services provider Spark Business Group, has recently signed two separate deals to promote telehealth and hospital communications in New Zealand.

It signed an agreement to offer Celo's healthcare communications and collaboration application to its partner healthcare providers. Celo was chosen for its healthcare-grade encryption and flexibility to securely incorporate external patient chat, among other capabilities.

Another deal with Visionflex, a telehealth technology provider in Australia, was signed. It was chosen for its "diagnostic capabilities and seamless integration with medical peripherals," according to Spark Health CEO John Macaskill-Smith.

BESTMED releases new meds management module

BESTMED has rolled out a new module on its medical management platform that notifies the families of aged care residents about the adjustments in their medications.

The module, developed as part of a federal government-funded project, provides near real-time notifications on medications that are newly prescribed, adjusted, or discontinued. It also automates the confirmation of their families' consent for prescribing psychotropic medications – a process that was previously done manually. 

BESTMED expects the new module to help avoid medication errors that cause permanent disability or death for nearly one in five hospitalised residents.