Australian operator Telstra has acquired new telemedicine operations as part of plans to expand its telehealth operations.
Telstra subsidiary Telstra Health has arranged to acquire the business assets of Anywhere Healthcare, a telehealth solution provided by health insurance company Medibank.
Anywhere Healthcare is a service to provide healthcare to people in regional and remote areas through a network of over 1,600 GP and aged care referral partners and a panel of 26 specialists .
Telstra will now combine the operations with its recently-announced GP telemedicine service ReadyCare to allow a more comprehensive delivery of telemedicine services.
“We are keen to build the service and increase options for GPs, specialists and care providers in providing high quality care to their patients,” Telstra group executive of retail Gordon Ballantyne said.
“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.”
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition is expected to be completed in early May.
Telstra launched its Telstra Health division in October, and announced its planned ReadyCare service at this time. ReadyCare will see patients communicate with GPs over video or phone to receive advice, diagnosis, prescriptions and referrals.