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Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in Australia despite decades of advancements in medicine and health education campaigns.

More than 400 Australians are hospitalised daily because of heart disease. That’s an astounding figure, but it paints a clear picture of how dangerous heart diseases are.

Telehealth could help the Australian health sector mitigate those numbers. It could be the key to helping Australians manage their heart conditions better.

Why every Australian Needs Heart Health Check

Australian Minister for Health and Ageing Mark Butler recently announced a three-year extension of Medicare funding for the Heart Health Check. 

That was in response to the trend of heart disease in Australia, which is increasing at an alarming rate. Nearly 870,000 Australians have been checked since the movement got off the ground six years ago, but there are still millions who don’t even have the slightest clue that they are at risk.

According to Lloyd, there could be up to eight million Australians who are already walking around with an undiagnosed heart disease or present significant risk factors.

Detecting heart diseases early is the key to saving lives, and scheduling a face-to-face appointment with a doctor is the ideal way to go.

Accessing timely heart care could depend on how well Australia brings telehealth into the mix. It is in their best interests to make virtual care a key part of their prevention strategy.

There’s a reason why heart disease is called the ‘silent killer’. Symptoms usually don’t pop up until it's too late. That’s why a heart health check is non-negotiable.

Butler has already noted that around 2.5 million Australians are at risk of a heart attack or a stroke over the next five years, and many of those people are not aware of that risk.

By getting a Heart Health Check, people are able to learn about their risk and discuss with their general practitioner (GP) changes to their lifestyle or perhaps even starting medicine.

The check takes less than 30 minutes. But in a country as vast as Australia, it could be a challenge, particularly in rural and remote areas where accessing health services has always been difficult.

But that’s where telehealth’s life-saving potential comes in.

Telehealth Could Support Better Heart Health in Australia

The COVID-19 pandemic brought telehealth firmly under the spotlight. Virtual care has since become a cornerstone of the Australian health sector.

But whether telehealth services can be used to proactively combat chronic conditions such as heart disease is a different question entirely.

Telehealth services haven't been universally accepted, with the jury still out on whether it can deliver the high quality of care Australians demand.

While the people who have reservations may be on to something, reputable platforms such as Medicompare help them easily compare providers and find trusted, affordable care.

Telehealth isn’t a replacement for GPs or face-to-face visits. It’s more about reaching people who may not have access to high-quality care and bridging the distance between doctor and patient.

Australians no longer have to travel for hours just for basic medical assistance. 

With a smart device and electronic records, a GP could easily perform a Heart Health Check, guide patients through the steps, and even prescribe necessary medication from a distance.

David Lloyd, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Heart Foundation of Australia, has stressed that many at-risk people simply don’t realise they’re in danger.

“The silent risk factors that are there,” he said. “The GP using the risk calculator and the risk assessment tools that we've developed can identify.

“And because they've had it assessed, they know what their risk factors are, and they can manage it.”

Telehealth can make that assessment faster, more frequent, and more convenient.

Prevention is Cheaper Than the Cure

From an economic standpoint, bringing telehealth into the mix early on makes a lot of sense. It can help prevent some of the prevalent issues before they get out of hand.

Hospital admissions for heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular issues are already placing a massive burden on Australia's health system. 

According to the Heart Foundation, the Heart Health Check has the potential to significantly delay or even prevent life-threatening cardiac events for hundreds of thousands of Australians.

As Butler pointed out, Australia has tools that allow the country to get right ahead of that curve, identify risk very early on before heart disease actually starts to develop. 

If even a fraction of those 2.5m at-risk Australians could be identified and treated early through virtual care, the impact could be truly transformative for the health sector.