636 - From Trial to Mainstream: Remote Patient Monitoring's Rise in Australian Healthcare

In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Craig Simmonds, CEO & Founder of Propell, about the growth and acceptance of remote patient monitoring devices in Australian healthcare.

Together, they cover the mainstreaming of virtual care, future directions for device technology, and the practical challenges and opportunities in rolling out devices like iHealth across hospital and home care.

They discuss what's driving hospitals to move beyond pilot programmes and treat remote monitoring as a core part of everyday care, including how NSW Health's rollout of iHealth devices is shaping the way patients with chronic disease or post-acute needs are supported at home.

The conversation also covers the shift from episodic, patient-initiated checks toward continuous physiological monitoring, along with the importance of integrating patient data with hospital systems for real-time clinical intervention.

It also looks at how services are working to close the digital divide by providing patients with fully set-up devices and tablets.

Craig shares insights from his experience navigating TGA approval, funding models across different states, and what it takes to keep programmes focused on genuine clinical outcomes rather than technology for its own sake.

Key Takeaways

🩺 NSW Health's large-scale adoption of iHealth devices is a major shift towards mainstream remote patient monitoring in hospital-in-the-home programs

💡 Clinical accuracy and integration with hospital systems are critical for monitoring devices, distinguishing them from general consumer wearables

📱 Simplicity, usability, and clinical reliability are fundamental criteria when selecting and deploying health monitoring devices

🔋 New devices such as Vital Patch are enabling continuous, real-time monitoring of key vitals like ECG and respiration rate

🌏 The adoption of virtual care and remote monitoring is accelerating nationwide, not just in rural/remote locations but also in metropolitan settings

Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction to Craig Simmonds and Propell

05:45 - NSW Health iHealth device rollout

07:37 - Core measurements: vital signs at home

10:43 - Data integration and real-time hospital alerts

13:30 - Funding and logistics for device programs

16:27 - Usability and support for patients

21:08 - Future: continuous devices and the Vital Patch

Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.

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