The mental health app provides 24/7 access to approved mental health practitioners.
An Australian-owned Medicare-integrated mental healthcare app has joined the Telstra Health group’s suite of MedicalDirector Clinical offerings.
Cyber Clinic provides online encrypted video mental health consultations via a patient’s smartphone – offering 24/7 access no matter where they are located and no waitlists.
The integration provides GPs with an efficient and secure way to refer patients to Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)-registered and vetted mental health practitioners.
Cyber Clinic founder, clinical and forensic psychologist Dr Qusai Hussain, said solving Australia’s mental health crisis required a two-part solution.
“We need to ease the pressure on GPs as demand for mental health support soars,” he said.
“Reports suggest 72% per cent of GPs report psychological issues in their top three reasons for patient presentations.
“Further compounding the burden of time-consuming referral paperwork, they’re finding that one in three psychologists aren’t taking new patients because they’re either full up or burned out. Cyber Clinic provides an invaluable alternative.”
Cyber Clinic passed a 200-point security check as part of the partner onboarding process.
The new SmartBar widget significantly reduces the time taken to do an entire mental healthcare plan referral process by GPs, ensuring highly confidential details are seamlessly submitted using the safest and most secure technology available.
Telstra Health general manager of ecosystem Louise Ryves, said the Cyber Clinic widget digitised the mental health referral process, streamlining the referral journey for both patient and practitioner.
“Patients can get quick access to mental health support through the convenience of online video sessions from the comfort of their home, while GPs can focus more on providing excellent patient care rather than getting bogged down in paperwork,” she said.
The system works using a free Cyber Clinic app, which patients can download on their smartphone. After taking a short quiz, patients are matched with the best-fit practitioner using an AI-driven matching algorithm and can then book an appointment.
Patients can automatically receive Medicare rebates once the session is completed, eliminating the need for manual claiming.
For the GP, patient information and Medicare details auto populate from the software requiring the GP to only enter remaining information, such as presenting symptoms, before submitting.
