Post by Dr Marcus Tan, HealthEngine Founder, CEO and Medical Director
As Australia’s largest consumer healthcare platform, we’re in a unique position to support and help consumers/patients and GP providers stay informed. Through the years, more than 7 million Australians have made more than 30 million bookings on the platform. We have over 6500 practices across Australia actively engaged on the HealthEngine Network, including GPs, dentists, specialists and allied providers. Currently, we have more than 3.6 million people visit the site per month to read articles, browse health content and check our health network. In addition, over 1.1 million healthcare appointments are booked per month.
Our customer service teams are hearing growing concerns from both our GP customers and patients about Coronavirus preparedness and the unknowns ahead. As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) issue unfolds and evolves globally and across Australia, HealthEngine is launching a COVID-19 Information Portal and tools to help people stay informed and assist GP providers as they deal with an influx of cases over the next few months.
Our COVID-19 response is in motion and by the end of the week, HealthEngine will launch:
COVID-19 Information Portal: COVID-19 Information Portal: A dedicated space on the HealthEngine website and app to provide timely, accurate and relevant information to both GP providers and the general public. The portal brings together COVID-19 content and guidance from Government sources, articles and resource documents, so the latest information is easily accessible in one go-to location.
COVID-19 Triage: Available via HealthEngine site and app, this guided, online survey allows people/patients experiencing symptoms or who have been at risk of exposure, to complete a self-assessment and receive guidance on next steps for care.
Booking Form Public Service Announcement: To support an initial screening prior to booking appointments, there is a dedicated information box with guidance related to COVID-19. This information will evolve with the latest government updates.
Telehealth Solution for Practices: HealthEngine will provide a telehealth infrastructure at no or low cost for all GP providers to serve their patients. This will enable practice based phone and video consultations using Facetime, Skype and Whatsapp or other participating Australian telehealth vendors. This is designed to be used with or without the MBS rebate, with the intention it will be compatible with future changes to telehealth funding.
We will provide updates in the coming days as we roll out our patient and provider-centric solutions to support the COVID-19 response. In addition, given the reach of our network with both GP customers and patients, and our position to directly engage these audiences, we’d welcome the opportunity to support the public health community by activating and opening up our communications channels to support efforts during this critical time.
