An app a day keeps work injuries at bay
A new real-time video platform, developed by CSIRO’s Data61, is helping hundreds of Australians recover quicker from work injuries through virtual appointments.
Coviu is being used across the country and has connected 20,000 Aussies to healthcare practitioners through partnerships with organisations including Health Team Australia, HealthKit and Ramsay Healthcare. Coviu has also been commercialised in China.
Pronounced co-view, the real-time video platform quickly connects patients with health professionals. The platform is ideal for people in rural and regional Australia who cannot travel for treatment.
Physiotherapy network Biosymm is an early adopter of the platform. By improving accessibility to professional physiotherapists, Biosymm’s early intervention treatments have reduced claim numbers by half compared to the same period the year prior.
Biosymm has conducted more than 1400 consultations on Coviu since implementing the platform. The company works with major retail, industrial, mining, rail and pharmaceutical clients, many of whom operate in isolated areas across Australia.
In the past 12 months Coviu has grown its base of paying users by 470 per cent and was last month named a winner at SingularityU Summit’s pitch fest.
Biosymm CEO Greg Borman said good injury management came down to expert advice at the right time.
“The majority of work injuries are musculoskeletal in nature, and by using Coviu to connect patients with our physiotherapy team, we can triage them on the spot and provide the right advice at the right time, wherever they’re based,” Mr Borman said.
“The real-time video feature also allows us to guide employers at the end of the consult on what the worker can safely perform at work during their recovery and how best to prevent a recurrence or aggravation.
“We’ve been able to deliver significant returns in workers compensation savings and productivity by ensuring employees receive the timely expert treatment and guidance they need to make a full and swift recovery.”
Biosymm is expecting to assist more than 7000 workers in the 2018/19 financial year, supported by a network of over 300 preferred local providers.
Coviu CEO Dr Silvia Pfeiffer said the real-time video consultations platform developed by Data61 worked particularly well because of its flexibility to integrate with existing workflows in healthcare.
“Our platform can be accessed through web browsers, a custom mobile app and even through an iPod,” Dr Pfeiffer said.
“We’ve integrated video consultation scheduling into Biosymm’s existing practice management software. It means that no matter whether they’re at work or at home, patients can have access to the treatment and expert advice they need.”
Coviu is continuing to evolve and has added a number of features to the platform including online appointment booking, a patient portal, online payments, consent forms, patient waiting rooms, and integrations into practice management software.
Data61 looks to transform existing industries and create new ones through the application of science and technology. As an applied R&D partner, Data61’s capabilities range from cybersecurity, confidential computing, IoT, robotics, machine learning and analytics, software and programming to a range of behavioural sciences.
