In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Dr Monica Trujillo, Chief Health and Risk Officer, and Farhoud Salimi, Chief Technology Officer, both from Telstra Health.
The discussion covers the ongoing fragmentation of Australia's healthcare system, the challenge of integrating diverse legacy systems and the announcement of Telstra Health's new platform, Corus™, a unified care intelligence ecosystem built in partnership with Snowflake, Smile Digital Health and Salesforce.
Peter, Monica and Farhoud explore how modern cloud architecture, interoperability standards, cybersecurity and AI are being brought together to support seamless healthcare delivery, from the data spine that unifies patient records through to curated AI agents designed to ease clinical workflows.
They also unpack the shift in thinking from connected care to care connected, keeping the moment of care at the centre with the technology built around it.
The episode was recorded live at the Digital Health Festival 2026 in Melbourne, part of a series of episodes captured at the event, where more than 8,000 health leaders, clinicians and innovators gathered to explore what's next for the sector, and brings together perspectives from both technology and clinical leadership on what meaningful digital change in health really takes.
Key Takeaways
🩺 Healthcare in Australia is made up of multiple independent, legacy systems, rather than a single integrated system
🕸️ Integration challenges stem from varied data standards, terminology, and the need for high data reliability
🌐 The new Corus™ platform combines modern interoperability standards (FHIR), a robust data spine, and partnerships with technology providers like Snowflake, Smile Digital Health, and Salesforce
🔒 Cybersecurity and clinical governance are crucial in developing safe, secure, and trusted digital health solutions
👩⚕️ Corus™ aims to empower both patients and clinicians by enabling more efficient workflows, seamless data access, and self-management, supporting a shift toward preventative and proactive healthcare
Timestamps
00:00 — Episode introduction and guest intros
01:48 — Why healthcare remains fragmented
03:47 — Technology challenges integrating systems
04:15 — Modernisation and standards aligning
05:12 — Corus™ platform announcement
07:09 — What Corus™ enables and its architecture
10:00 — The "data spine" explained
11:06 — AI integration and customisation
13:17 — Managing cybersecurity and clinical governance
15:04 — What success looks like for Corus™
Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.
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Learn more about THT+ Company Partnership options for start-ups, scale-ups and enterprise digital health companies looking for visibility, content, community access and industry connection: talkinghealthtech.com/partners.
THT+ Company Partnership
Learn more about THT+ Company Partnership options for start-ups, scale-ups and enterprise digital health companies looking for visibility, content, community access and industry connection: talkinghealthtech.com/partners.
