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Two peak cardiology bodies in Australia and New Zealand are calling for telehealth to be embedded as a permanent component of cardiovascular care.
The Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ) and the Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Association (ACRA) have released a position statement that outlines guidance for general practitioners and other clinicians on when and how virtual consultations should be used safely, equitably, and alongside in-person services across hybrid care models.
WHY IT MATTERS
To make cardiac telehealth permanent across Australia and New Zealand, the peak bodies say it must be embedded as a complementary component of cardiovascular service delivery rather than a temporary pandemic-era substitute for in-person care.
Telehealth, their position statement stresses, must be implemented using evidence-based, practical guidance across all disciplines of adult cardiovascular care to support routine, system-level service delivery.
Long-term integration will depend on patient-centred, multidisciplinary care models covering general practice, specialist cardiology, nursing, and allied health services.
According to CSANZ and ACRA, clinicians must assess patient circumstances and care needs to determine the most appropriate delivery models while adhering to professional and regulatory obligations governing the safe use of telehealth.
Delivering sustainable virtual care, they said, will require fit-for-purpose consultation infrastructure, including video-enabled platforms, secure clinical environments, and adequate connectivity for patients and providers.
Making telehealth permanent will also require its integration across secondary prevention and chronic disease management, including cardiac rehabilitation, education, and psychosocial support programs.
The position statement also highlights the growing role of remote physiological monitoring and telecardiology diagnostics, such as wearable devices, ECG monitoring, and home-based vital sign tracking, to support ongoing cardiovascular management.
Meanwhile, ensuring equity of access and experience, including culturally safe, inclusive, and digitally supported services, has been identified as a core principle underpinning sustainable telehealth expansion.
The statement authors emphasise the need for telehealth models co-designed and developed with patients, carers, clinicians, and community stakeholders to improve accessibility and service responsiveness.
Critical enablers of effective telehealth delivery, they noted, include workforce capability, digital literacy, training, and organisational readiness, including integration into existing systems and workflows.
Moreover, their statement underscores the importance of sustained infrastructure investment and ongoing evaluation frameworks measuring outcomes, utilisation, patient experience, and cost to sustain telehealth as a viable cardiovascular care model.
THE LARGER CONTEXT
CSANZ and ACRA's call to make cardiac telehealth permanent comes as the utilisation of telehealth and similar virtual care models has stabilised after a rapid uptake during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, with clinicians and health systems now wondering about long-term funding, clinical governance, and appropriate integration of virtual care into routine cardiovascular service delivery across ANZ.
The position statement was published in Heart Lung Circulation, and involved 38 authors from the region.
Over the years, the Australian government has worked to make telehealth permanent, while the New Zealand government has expanded access to primary care services, including setting up a 24/7 telehealth service.
