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Heart tech on the pulse of mine workers

CardioScan’s services and technology are enabling remote mining operations to access state-of-the-art cardiology solutions. 

Mine workers are required to operate in some of the most remote parts of Australia. 

Thousands of mine employees work in isolated areas such as the Pilbara, which means mine sites are generally on their own to provide facilities for their workforce.

With safety as a key priority for the industry, on-site medical services are vital to ensuring workers are cared for. 

Many of Australia’s mining operations are hours away from the nearest medical clinic.

This means miners operating on a fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) basis can work remotely for weeks or months at a time without access to healthcare services. 

CardioScan’s technology and solutions provide fast and accurate cardiac reporting services that can be used directly on site. 

This includes Cardioscan’s devices, reporting software, technical set up, training, clinical resources and support, which are all provided at no upfront cost. You only pay for the service when you complete a test.

“CardioScan is a technology-enabled healthcare company focusing on cardiac diagnostics,” CardioScan chief operating officer Josh Casey tells Safe to Work.

“We use a range of medical devices, proprietary software and cardiac specialists to provide customers and patients an outcome that is efficient, accurate and of high quality.”

Its services come in the form of ECG (electrocardiogram) reporting, extended (ambulatory) blood pressure monitoring, 24-hour Holter testing and BeatBox cloud technology, which can be deployed straight to mine sites.

CardioScan’s services are securely cloud-based, meaning that workers can receive accurate cardiac reports in under 24 hours from the time of their test via CardioScan’s portal, called BeatBox.

The company has implemented its technology across Australian pathology companies, general practitioner clinics and private hospitals.

It has also delivered its services to offshore drill rigs in Australia and New Zealand, demonstrating its remote capabilities. 

“The technology we’ve built over the past five years has allowed us to give the same level of healthcare to all patients, whether they are in a remote mining location in Western Australia or the CBD in Melbourne,” Casey says.

“Cardiac disease is prevalent amongst all societies, but even more so amongst those who complete physical manual labour consistently,” he continues. “Often in areas of remote operations, their access to care is limited. 

“Our solution helps to overcome those barriers by providing regular access to the latest technology and keeping patients informed of their health.”

Casey says mining companies should consider CardioScan’s services due to their affordability, focus on patient outcomes and deployment of the best technology to ensure workers have access to life-saving technology.

By having ECG, Holter and blood pressure services on site, mine sites will not experience time-delay related impacts that could hinder production. It also provides immediate care for those showing symptoms of illness.

“The mine experiences no upfront capital expenditure and the test can be paid for by Medicare if certain parameters are met,” Casey says. 

CardioScan also allows for mine worker health standards to be managed more effectively by ensuring all workers receive annual cardio-related check-ups. 

CardioScan provides fast and accurate cardiac reports on mine sites.

The company offers free trials of its services and technologies Australia wide and operates across 10 different countries.

“Having check-ups on site at a single location allows the health obligations of the mine operator to be completed in a consistent manner,” Casey says.

“It comes down to meeting regulatory requirements on measuring and managing the workers’ health and wellbeing.

“Doing so with no upfront capital costs and full access to a suite of technology not previously available is a real benefit.”

Other key advantages to the on-site testing platform includes its ease of access. This prevents workers from driving hours away to the closest clinic, while also streamlining data to CardioScan rather than multiple health providers.

“We maintain a quality procedure when people are on site such that there is no variance in reporting standard,” Casey says.

“Most importantly, it’s the consistency of our service and availability that’s 24 hours, seven days a week.” 

CardioScan’s services are set up remotely through a plug-and-play approach.

“All of our tools are plug and play,” Casey says. “We have account managers available and if further assistance is needed someone can be organised to come to site.”

CardioScan’s vision to provide timely healthcare services is backed by its fast turnaround of results. 

“We don’t think that in a time of need where a patient is having a cardiac diagnostic or blood pressure diagnostic that time delay should be of concern,” Casey says.

“No matter where you are or what you’re doing if you have a requirement for a health check-up, we can ensure it will be with you within 24 hours.” 

This story also appears in the July issue of Safe To Work.

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