Telstra Health offloads e-referral business

The Argus customer database is the likely attraction for HealthLink.

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Telstra Health is stepping out of the secure healthcare messaging and eReferrals game with the sale of its Argus and ConnectingCare businesses. 

The announcement, made last wek, signals a strategic move by Telstra Health to focus on “expanding its clinical solutions services within Australia and international markets,” according to a statement by the new owners, HealthLink. 

“As a result of Australia adopting the global Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard for data management and transmission, our strategic focus is on clinical operating solutions that are messaging provider agnostic and interoperable, ensuring seamless collaboration across various systems and platforms,” said Chris Norton, Telstra Health’s hospital care executive. 

“This decision is consistent with Telstra Health’s domestic and international growth strategy…and partnering where it makes the most sense to deliver the best solutions for our customers,” he told TMR. 

Buying Argus and ConnectingCare lines up the ducks for HealthLink’s growth strategy in the Australian market. However, the Argus acquisition is possibly more for the customer database rather than the software, which according to Matthew Galetto, managing director of Medirecords, is “very old technology”. 

HealthLink was established in New Zealand three decades ago in direct response to the New Zealand government’s health reforms. Its core game is facilitating the secure electronic delivery of healthcare data such as pathology and radiology results, referrals, clinical documents, and discharge summaries.  

With a healthy client base of over 15,000 medical organisations in New Zealand and Australia, HealthLink was acquired by Irish conglomerate Clanwilliam in 2017. Last year HealthLink nabbed the electronic referral market in South Australia with a statewide rollout for SA Health. 

David Young, managing director of Clanwilliam Australia, said that the landscape of e-health was evolving and that increasing interoperability marked an exciting future.  

“We are currently investing substantially in our technology platforms, particularly in API and FHIR based messaging solutions, strategically aligning ourselves with national digital health strategies,” he said. 

Telstra Health and HealthLink “ are working to ensure a smooth transition for customers”, according to a statement.