Your Account

Q. How can I access healthdirect Video Call?
You can sign in via Single Sign On (SSO) using your NSW Health email address. You will be added to the relevant clinics during set up. If you need access to additional clinics, your organisation contacts can be found here.

Q. Can I amend my display name even when using single sign-on for privacy reasons for high-risk services? 
Yes, you can set a display name based on each clinic. If you want to use an alias or pseudonym, you can do so, and this will appear in reporting while still correlating with the email address you signed in with.

Q. Can the clinician portal login be linked to Stafflink (LDAP)?
NSW Health staff can login via Single Sign On (SSO). Access login page here.

Using Video Call Apps & Tools

Q. Are all the apps part of the contract?
Yes, they are part of the video call contract and are configurable, allowing each clinic to decide whether to enable them. For more information, visit this page.
Note, there are apps such as Realtime Remote Patient Monitoring and Patient Care Summary that are funded by Victoria Health and NSW Health can seek approval from Victoria Health to use.

Q. Is there a whiteboard function available?
Yes. The tools available in Video Call include a whiteboard, screenshare, document and image sharing, YouTube player and the option to add additional cameras if available on the device used in the consult.

Q. Can you send links and attachments in the chat?
You can send links in the Video Call chat during the consult. The Apps and Tools section allows you to send a downloadable document through share a file under apps and tools.

Q. Are the any clinical assessment tools and what is the cost?
Clinics can subscribe to Pearson add-ons via the Coviu Marketplace available for healthdirect Video Call users, allowing the subscribed apps to be enabled in the selected clinics. The Maketplace terms of use and costings will apply to the subscribed add-ons.

Q. Is there a list of devices being integrated for real time monitoring?
This page lists the types of compatible devices supported under each section.

Q. Are the remote patient monitoring devices BYO devices or specific devices integrated into Video Call?
The electrocardiogram, pulse oximeter, and spirometer are not classified as software as a medical device. The premise of the realtime monitoring application developed by HDA is that the health organisations have TGA approved devices, and data is captured through its Bluetooth interface via the app integration development. This data is relayed to the clinician in real time without being stored in the Video Call platform. In the integration work done with Victoria Health, all devices were recommended by Safer Care Victoria and Victoria Department of Health clinical user group.

Q. Is the range of motion feature available?
No, the range of motion application is still undergoing TGA approval (software as a medical device), and we recommend using only TGA-approved tools.

Q. When using cameras for wound reviews or digital otoscopes, can the patient see the clinician, or can you have one camera source only?
Additional cameras can be added into the call, leaving the clinician's camera feed still visible. There is also an option where you can control the secondary video feed as a participant.

Q. Do shared files disappear after the call?
Yes, all exchanged information is purged after the call. Shared files will disappear the moment you close the call and should be downloaded before the call ends if needed.

Q. Can you download the call Chat?
Yes, you can download the chat history before the end of the Video Call.

Q. Is there an opportunity to ask/record patient consent regarding Medicare billing?
Yes, clinics can customise options for capturing consent for billing. Or use the Medicare Bulk Billing Consent app. The Healthdirect Waiting Area consent page can also be configured to convey the necessary information before the start of the Video Call consult.

Q. Where does the bulk billing consent go? Is the 'signed' consent sent via email? 
In each clinic the app can be configured with an email address, and once consent is confirmed, an email is sent to that address. The patient can also request an email copy from within the application. You can configure multiple email addresses. This information is not stored within the Video Call platform once the consent is sent.

Q. Is there an app for Informed Financial Consent?
The process for Informed Financial Consent is being finalised between Healthdirect and NSW Health, where it will be in the important information before the start of the consult and use of the Medicare Bulk Billing app during the consult.

Q. Is the Closed Caption app health approved?
Yes, the Closed Caption feature has been tested for medical terminology by Healthdirect clinical staff. This app can be disabled by the clinic administrator if preferred. Additionally, clinicians have the opportunity to review the transcript in real time and repeat or clarify anything that is incorrectly captured. The Closed Caption application has been live in healthdirect Video Call since July 2023.

Q. Is there an in-built recording functionality?
Yes, devolved local recording is available, but recordings must be downloaded before the call ends and stored in the org/clinical system as it will not persist in Video Call post the end of the Video Call.

The clinic waiting area

Q. Can the link be sent to consumers (via text/email) from the platform?
Yes, the link can be sent directly from the platform via SMS or Email.

Q. Can the link be sent well in advance, and can it be added to the Outlook Calendar?
Links can be sent at any time. You can send directly from the Waiting Area, or copy the link and paste it into a communication such as a calendar invite or booking system template

Q. Are there any patient feedback/evaluation/PROM opportunities in the system?
Yes, clinics can configure their own surveys to be sent at the end of each call. All feedback will be captured by the clinic's survey not by Healthdirect.

Q. Does the link change for each appointment?
Each Waiting Area has a static link that does not change between appointments.

Q. Are the links customisable?
Each clinic can customise up to ten email or five SMS invitation templates. The text accompanying the link can be changed on an individual basis if needed.

Q. Can the details entered by incoming callers be customised?
Yes, you can configure the entry fields to suit the information you require, e.g. Medicare number, name of doctor, date of birth, age, address, etc.

Q. Do calls in process appear in a different colour or are they identified differently than waiting calls?
Yes, calls appear in different colours depending on their status. Waiting callers are displayed in orange, callers On Hold are seen in red and callers Being Seen appear in green.

Q. Can you see which clinicians have joined a call?
Yes, the call activity section in the Waiting Area details all participants activities.

Q. Can you embed hyperlinks in the Waiting Area Notifications to prompt consumers to complete a pre-assessment survey, etc?
Links can be sent in the notifications for waiting consumers but are not active. A feature enhancement has been requested to enable this.

Q. How many callers can be in the Waiting Area at one time?
There is no limit on the number of callers waiting in the queue in the clinic for their consults to commence. In a group call initiated from the waiting area, up to 20 concurrent participants can join the same call.

Q. Can you start an ad hoc/unscheduled call?
Yes, you can use the New Video Call button at the top of the Waiting Area to create either a group call or a video call and invite participants directly via Email and/or SMS.

Video Call organisation and clinic structure

Q. With the setup and customisation, who manages that? Can virtual care managers from Local Health Districts/Specialty Health Networks be given access to customise, or is this done by Healthdirect?
healthdirect Video Call operates in a devolved local service model so once your organisation is created, your administrators have the ability to manage and configure every aspect. The Video Call team will provide training for this and will be available to assist you in your BAU if needed.

Q. Can you have as many clinics as you like, or is there a cost for additional clinics?
You can create as many clinics as needed without a cost per clinic.

Q. How many team members can be added to a clinic?
There is no limit to the number of team members that can be added to a clinic. However, we recommend clinics have a manageable number of team members and that these are updated when people leave and join your clinic.

Q. How do other health services use Video Call?
This page contains information on how health services across Australia are using healthdirect Video Call.

Information for administrators

Q. Can the clinic dashboard be an LHD or hospital dashboard so the virtual care manager can have full visibility of activity across the organisation?
Yes, the virtual care managers have a My Clinics summary page, allowing full visibility of every call and the number of callers in each clinic.

Q. Can the logos be changed, and are they customisable to LHD or clinic level?
Logos are completely customisable. If added at the organisation level, they will flow to all Waiting Areas clinics. Clinics can add their own logo if applicable, which will override the organisation setting.
 

Joining calls and call screen functionality

Q. Can calls be locked by default?
Call locking can be enabled in clinics and hosts can manually lock calls if required.

Q. Is it possible to view the waiting room participants while also being in a call?
You can tab back to view the Waiting Area while in a call. Future functionality will have a Waiting Area view within the Call Manager from the Video Call screen.

Q. Is it possible to blur/change the background? Can patients also change their background?
Yes, all users can change their backgrounds, choosing from blur, select from the available backgrounds or upload clinics/orgs custom backgrounds.

Q. Does a warm transfer send both the clinician and the patient over to the new waiting area?
Yes, a warm transfer will keep everyone on the call to move between clinics.

Q. Do interpreters just enter the waiting area when booked?
There are varied workflows for adding interpreters to your call. Interpreters can be sent the Waiting Area link and be added to a call from there or invited to join from within a call. HDA developed Services On Demand application that can also support interpreters use case.

Q. For other languages, what information is translated? Is it the screen content that patients can read? What about in chat?
The screen controls will appear in the selected language, but the chat will remain in the language it is entered in.

Q. Can another clinician join the call?
Yes, additional clinicians can join the same consult at any time, as long as the call has not been locked by the first clinician that joins.

Q. Can a second clinician join the meeting audio-only via a standard mobile phone call?
Additional participants can be dialled to connect their phone to the consult.

Q. Is there a function in Video Call to hide participants from each other but enable the clinician to see all participants while all participants see the clinician?
Participants can turn off their own cameras, but this cannot be managed by the host.

Q. If you invite someone into the call, can the patient see their details?
Participants can only see each other's names, not the details they entered to join the consult.

Reporting

Q. How do we capture the call activity (patient name/clinician name/date/time)?
Consultation reports include all information related to the hosts. You can see calls in specific clinics at the exact time, but please note that patient information does not correlate to this data, as it is de-identified after the call is completed.

Q. Are separate reports available for group meetings and team meetings?
Yes, when you run a Video Call report, it will separate the data into different room types.

Support

Q. What support does healthdirect provide?
Support is provided by a dedicated Healthdirect Video Call team through a service desk and 1800 580 771 number for Level 3 support, Monday – Friday 08:00 – 18:00 local time. Clinic administrators handle Level 1 support, while any network-related issues are escalated to the IT of the health district/eHealth.

Q. What about patient support?
Patients can contact Healthdirect for device issues (e.g. camera/microphone) or help with accessing their Video Call appointment. We will assist or refer them back to the health service if necessary (e.g. missing clinic link in their appointment).

Q. Is there any support available on weekends?
Yes, support is available 24/7 for critical incident management, including weekends.

Q. Is there a history of downtime issues?
Video Call experiences very minimal downtime, with an uptime of 99.98% last financial year. We provide 24/7 incident management support year-round and schedule maintenance during minimal use windows, notifying you at least all primary contacts two weeks in advance.

Training

Q. What training will Healthdirect provide?
Healthdirect will provide an agreed number of training sessions per LHD/health organisation. Sessions will be available for both administrators and clinicians. Healthdirect will also provide ‘train the trainer’ sessions so key staff can also facilitate Video Call training.

Q. What training resources are available for clinicians, admins, and virtual care managers? Are there both written and video training guides available?
This link shows examples of the training we provide, including both scheduled and recorded sessions. Our Video Call Resource Centre and the NSW Health Information Portal contain guides, videos and downloadable content covering all aspects of healthdirect Video Call.

Q. Who can LHDs/virtual care managers contact for training support?
LHDs can contact the Video Call Support Desk for training support.

Q. How long does it take a clinician to become familiar with the platform, including clinic setup and training?
During the pandemic, most health organisations were operational within weeks. The Video Call platform is designed to be very intuitive for patients/clinicians and admins. Clinicians quickly become comfortable using Video Call to join their patients.

Q. Is there a test environment for organisations to experiment with?
When your organisation is created, there is the ability to create test and training clinics as required.

Q. Will there be a module for clinicians in Health Education and Training Institute (HETI)?
HETI training modules will be explored as part of the training plan to be linked to HDA Video Call trainings.

Technology, Data and Security

Q. How much data is typically used at the patient end?
Healthdirect Video Call will use up to 1Mbps, e.g, for a 30 min call with 2 participants, the data usage will be = 30 [min] x 60 [sec] x 1 Mbps x 2 [users] / 8 [bytes] = 450 MB. Click here for more details.

Q. Can we add a physical room/call to the call, i.e., a SIP (session initiation protocol) endpoint or Teams room?
Yes, the platform can bridge through SIP, the traditional video conferencing protocol, to a conferencing unit or virtual meeting room with a SIP address. However, this capability is not commonly used for high-volume activity, mainly in areas like SA and NT where traditional legacy video equipment is used.

Q. Where is the data stored? Is it on an Australian cloud-based server?
Yes, the data is stored on Australian Amazon Web Services cloud servers. Note, healthdirect Video Call does not store any PII or PHI post the end of the Video Call consult.

Q. If the camera does not work, will the call proceed as an audio-only call?
Yes, if the camera fails, the call will continue as audio-only.

Q. Is there a Video Call app for mobile devices?
No, the platform is entirely web-based and accessible through any modern browser on mobile devices.

Q. What is the oldest device/operating system Video Call can be used on?
Video Call will work on devices with Android 5.1 and iOS 14.3 or later. Older devices may have limited functionality. See this page for further details.

Q. Is healthdirect Video Call compliant with privacy guidelines?
Yes, as a government-owned telehealth platform, we adhere to strict privacy and security guidelines, ensuring data is stored securely and not retained post-consult.

Coming Soon and Video Call Roadmap

Q. What can’t be done (yet), and what’s on the roadmap?
Our Coming Soon page details upcoming enhancements and the Video Call roadmap priorities are documented (please contact Healthdirect for the password for this page). All Video Call Releases are listed here. You can subscribe to Video Call bulletins or view past bulletins here.

Q. Can you just use the video functionality? Does this affect the bandwidth of the user's device?
Yes, video can be used independently, and users can mute audio to conserve bandwidth.

Q. What happens to the patient data that they enter?
All patient data is purged at the end of the call. Anything entered will not be available after the Video Call has ended. There is a short window where the information will be retained so a disconnected patient can reconnect if there are technical difficulties with user’s device/network.