Goulburn Valley Health leading in telemedicine innovation to enhance patient care

Regional health provider, GV Health is advancing emergency healthcare with access to additional senior emergency specialist support from Australia’s leading telemedicine service.

GV Health – which operates the Shepparton hospital as well as health clinics and community and aged care services in Shepparton, Rushworth and Tatura – has partnered with My Emergency Doctor to gain access to additional virtual emergency specialist physician support, strategically extending the scope of their onsite emergency department (ED) doctors and nurses.

GV Health’s executive director of clinical operations, Donna Sherringham, said the goal of this partnership is to enhance access to emergency health care for the community, better serve our patients and their family members, and at the same time, support our onsite ED doctors and nurses.

GV Health joins other health services across Australia accessing My Emergency Doctor virtual specialist services, adding to the organisation’s significant and growing presence in Victoria’s Urgent Care Centres and Hospitals.

Under the GV Health arrangement, My Emergency Doctor senior specialist physicians will be conducting board rounds during the overnight period with onsite ED doctors and nurses.

The board round role maintains efficient patient management through the ED and allows patients to return home as soon as it is medically safe to do so.

My Emergency Doctor founder, Dr Justin Bowra, said their specialists would supervise and support junior doctors and nurses to enhance patient care and ED workflows.

“Our emergency physicians are all Fellows of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (FACEMs). Their skills and training know how to help other doctors and patients when they need it. And we know that for some hospitals, that time is now.”

My Emergency Doctor uses video and phone services to provide acute care after hours in regional Australia. The easy-to-use platform can be accessed using any web-enabled device.

Established in 2016, My Emergency Doctor has partnerships with over 40 healthcare services including ambulance, primary health networks, residential aged care facilities, hospitals, urgent care centres and multi-purpose centres.