Touchstone Life Care signs up to the national giant’s Smart Marketplace suite of solutions.
Touchstone Life Care, Australia’s first fully digital advance care plan platform, has signed a partner agreement with Telstra Health to join the company’s Smart Marketplace single gateway for software and solutions.
Studies have shown less than 7% of Australians have an up-to-date advance care plan. Where ACPs do exist, they are typically in paper form, unavailable in an emergency or without meaningful instructions for clinicians to enact.
This often results in doctors prescribing end-of-life care that is not aligned with the patient’s wishes. It can also result in delayed or conflicted care if there is no clear direction for the clinician.
Touchstone Life Care’s platform provides a fully digital, cloud-based ACP management system for every state and territory.
The partnership with Telstra Health will mean Touchstone Life Care’s platform will be accessible as an integrated add-on available to residential facilities already using Telstra Health solutions.
Dr Merran Cooper, CEO of Touchstone Life Care, said the Touchstone platform specifically addressed a number of recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety that related to digital ACPs.
“With the strengthened Aged Care Act, new standards and an appointed regulator expected to be in place within 12 months, aged care providers will run the risk of being deregistered if they do not comply with standards for advance care planning,” said Dr Cooper.
“We look forward to being part of Telstra Health’s connected care ecosystem and ensuring that Australians are receiving the right care, at the time they need it most.”
Dr Monica Trujillo, Telstra Health’s chief health officer and enterprise growth executive, said the company was “delighted” with the new partnership.
“As the leading provider of software to residential aged care facilities, we are thrilled that our customers can now enjoy the benefits of our seamless and secure data transfer processes,” she said.
“This ensures that accessing new technology, such as Touchstone’s ACP platform, is as effortless as possible.
“Our mission is to support the dedicated clinical teams who work tirelessly to provide safe, high-quality care and positive experiences for residents.
“We are excited to continue delivering digital solutions that not only connect aged care to the health ecosystem but also prioritise the well-being and satisfaction of the people we serve.”
The Touchstone Life Care platform integrates with stakeholders across the healthcare system, making ACPs securely available at the point of need.
Currently, ACPs are drafted and shared via physical forms which is inefficient, lacking security and prone to mistakes.
This has resulted in low uptake, poor version control, and lost forms.
Touchstone Life Care addresses this issue at the core, providing a digital ACP created and shared ahead of need, and made accessible to clinicians and decision makers at the point of need to ensure an individual’s wishes are followed during end-of-life care.