Teladoc and Philips partner with Mater to deliver neonatal virtual care program

SECTOR UPDATE - Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology and Teladoc (NYSE: TDOC), a global leader in whole-person virtual care have partnered to deliver an innovative virtual care program to Mater in Queensland. As a first of its kind in Australia, the Neonatal Virtual Care program provides patients, parents and bedside clinicians in Central Queensland with 24/7 access to senior neonatologist support.

Australia's health system, particularly in regional communities, continues to experience challenges when it comes to delivering health equity. Access to healthcare services is critical to population health, yet regional communities face a variety of barriers when attempting to access high-quality healthcare services, including preventative costs, limited access to specialist services and declining regional health system capacity. The pandemic has only intensified these challenges by leaving healthcare facilities with fewer resources to meet increasing patient demand.



The Mater Neonatal Virtual Care program is designed to support bedside clinicians in the event of an unexpected neonatal resuscitation, while reducing avoidable complications for newborns and providing a better patient experience for mothers.

The solution was recently used during an urgent delivery of preterm twins at Rockhampton Hospital. Upon detecting abnormalities with one of the babies stemming from a slow heart rate, the onsite team connected with experienced neonatal nurses and neonatologists at Mater’s tertiary centre in Brisbane.

“This allowed us to be virtually present in the room, supporting and guiding staff.”
Dr. Pita Birch
Director of Neonatology at Mater Queensland



Using the solution, Dr. Birch was able to virtually assess the patient: “We identified and diagnosed a heart condition that affected the baby’s heart rate. This allowed us to guide the team in Rockhampton and also to provide real time clinical updates to the Queensland Neonatal Retrieval Service (NeoRESQ) prior to their arrival. The babies were safely retrieved to a tertiary centre in Brisbane. The solution was effective in providing an added layer of care and confidence to both our clinicians and families, helping us deliver the best care possible and I’m glad to report that both mother and babies are happy and healthy.” Said Dr. Pita Birch.

“This technology, co-designed by the Mayo Clinic and enabled by the partnership between Teladoc and Philips, aims to drive positive clinical outcomes for mothers and newborns in large regional cities across Queensland, starting with Mater’s Mackay and Rockhampton Hospitals. We are proud to bring this life saving solution to Queensland regional communities and to help Mater to continue to deliver world class care to Australian mums and babies.”, said Darren Reynolds, Managing Director for Teladoc in Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

"Programs like this demonstrate how virtual care delivery models can strengthen health systems and foster equitable access to health care. Technology is only one part of the equation to addressing some of the challenges in our health system. Making meaningful progress requires collaborative partnerships driving towards a shared goal of improving health outcomes for all Australians and we’re proud of the outcome this partnership has achieved.” said Matt Moran, Managing Director of Philips in Australia and New Zealand.

Outcomes and scalability of this program will be regularly measured and reported from a clinical, operational and experience of care point of view as part of the overarching Mater Virtual Care framework.

Source: Philips media release

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