Marketing Director

Healthdirect Australia, Infermedica and partners collaborate on ChatGPT health service pilot. Healthdirect Australia is collaborating with Infermedica, Skin Analytics, AWS and DEPT(R) to bring trusted AI-powered health guidance into ChatGPT DENVER, CO, UNITED STATES, June 18, 2026 / EINPresswire.com / - When an Australian opens ChatGPT late at night to ask about a child's fever, a sudden pain, or a mole that has changed, they are usually on their own with their smartphone. Healthdirect Australia is setting out to change that. Today Healthdirect announced it is working with clinical AI company Infermedica, skin cancer screening company Skin Analytics, and technology partners AWS and DEPT (R) to bring Healthdirect directly into ChatGPT. "Australians are reaching for AI because it's instant, it's personal, and it speaks their language," said Bettina McMahon, Chief Executive Officer, Healthdirect Australia. "Our job isn't to talk them out of that, but to make it as safe and reliable as possible. For an Australian who opens ChatGPT with a worry at 11pm, we want them to get guidance grounded in trusted Australian health information, and to know a nurse is just one tap away if they need one." Australians are already using AI for their health: ChatGPT is already used by around half of Australia's adult population. OpenAI research found that 55% of Australians had used ChatGPT to check symptoms before seeing a doctor, while 40% had used it to understand treatment options. The right questions matter as well as the right answers: General-purpose AI assistants are powerful tools for health information and education, but healthcare outcomes depend not only on answers, but also on asking the right questions. When Healthdirect is invoked in ChatGPT, consumers are guided through clinically validated questions, allowing clinical logic to lead the conversation. Its vision of what Australians will get: - AI asks you the right questions. Infermedica's clinically validated triage technology guides the conversation and recommends next steps. - Talking to a nurse, any time. Consumers can switch to an Australian Healthdirect nurse at any point, with a seamless handover from the chat. - Answers grounded in trusted Australian content. Guidance draws on Healthdirect's clinically assured content and trusted partners. - A way to act on the advice. Consumers can find nearby services, available appointments and booking options through Healthdirect. - Quality watched by Healthdirect. The experience is evaluated against clinical benchmarks and safeguards. - No cost to consumers. Available through the free version of ChatGPT, with access to Healthdirect nurses and doctors when needed. If they tagged Healthdirect, ChatGPT would first ask a few short questions drawn from Infermedica's triage technology to check for warning signs of something more serious, before advising whether it's safe to manage at home. It would then provide self-care advice and offer the option to speak with a nurse. Infermedica's clinically validated triage technology has supported more than 27 million patient interactions globally and is trusted by over 100 healthcare organisations across 35 countries. The platform is certified as a Class IIb medical device under European MDR. "Large language models have changed how people access health information, but healthcare requires a higher standard of safety, transparency and clinical oversight," said Piotr Orzechowski, Chief Executive Officer, Infermedica. "By combining Healthdirect's trusted services, ChatGPT's conversational capabilities and Infermedica's triage technology built on more than 150,000 hours of physician expertise, we can help ensure Australians receive guidance that is both easy to access and grounded in proven clinical methodology." A world-first skin cancer check in your pocket: As part of the collaboration, autonomous skin cancer screening will be integrated into the experience. Using technology from Skin Analytics, Australians will be able to photograph a skin spot with their phone and learn whether it could be benign, pre-malignant or malignant. If required, the assistant will provide a referral letter and help arrange follow-up care. DERM is the world's first AI medical device cleared to autonomously assess skin cancer. It has assessed more than 230,000 patients across 25 NHS hospitals in England and identified more than 20,000 skin cancers. A consumer phone-only version has recently been certified, with Australian TGA registration underway. "Our mission is a world where no one dies of skin cancer, and that means meeting people where they are. After six years and 20,000 cancers found in the UK's NHS, we are partnering with Healthdirect, OpenAI and AWS to put a clinically validated skin cancer check where Australians are looking for health information. This is exactly the kind of partnership that turns our mission into something real for millions of people." said Neil Daly, Chief Executive Officer, Skin Analytics. Built to plug in: The collaboration uses open standards so it can expand to other AI assistants over time, not just ChatGPT. Healthdirect retains the clinical logic, content and data governance within its secure AWS cloud environment. AWS is providing infrastructure and technical support, while DEPT (R), Healthdirect's digital product partner, is designing and building the ChatGPT experience. Access to free health advice: The collaboration supports governments' commitment to provide free health advice and services to Australians, wherever and whenever they need it. Alongside the Healthdirect phone line and app, it explores how the service can meet people where they are, with Australian localisation and access to an Australian nurse or doctor. Starting with the opportunity while understanding the risks: The proof of concept starts with an invited group of consumers, whose experience will help shape governance, monitoring and safeguards before any wider release. Generative AI can present inaccurate information confidently. The collaboration will explore these risks while ensuring consumers understand the limits of health advice delivered through an AI interface. "This new technology has the potential to help millions of Australians make better choices about their health every day, and to connect with the right services", said Bettina McMahon. "We are clear-eyed about what can go wrong, and we are designing safeguards built to scale nationally. But we are even clearer about our mission of a healthier Australia, and our duty to use every tool we have to reach it. The greater risk lies in standing still." Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. Healthcareindustrytoday do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.

Skin Analytics launches DERM Zero at HLTH Europe 2026. The AI that caught 20,000 cancers in the UK is now certified for use on a standard smartphone DERM Zero is a world-first - using Class III regulated medical device[1] technology to deliver autonomous clinical grade skin cancer assessments from a standard smartphone[2] DERM Zero delivers an autonomous clinical decision directly from a standard smartphone, built on the same Class III regulated AI that has been deployed across NHS skin cancer pathways for six years. DERM, the AI platform that powers DERM Zero, is used across 24 NHS hospitals, has assessed more than 230,000 patients and detected more than 20,000 cancers HLTH, Amsterdam, 16th June 2026 The world's first regulated medical device technology approved to autonomously assess skin cancer from a smartphone will be unveiled today at HLTH Europe. DERM Zero is the only smartphone-compatible solution CE marked to Class III[1], the EU's highest medical device classification - the same classification required for devices such as pacemakers. For patients, that means a clinical-grade skin cancer check can now be delivered through their healthcare provider in seconds, in primary care, in a pharmacy, or in community settings, all without requiring a hospital appointment or specialist equipment. Developed by Skin Analytics, DERM Zero builds on six years of use in clinical pathways across 24 NHS hospitals, where DERM has assessed more than 230,000 patients, identified over 20,000 cancers and has been independently proven to perform at least as well as a face-to-face dermatologist assessment[3]. Unlike existing skin check apps, DERM Zero provides dermatologist-level reassurance without the need for a second review by a clinician. Skin lesions with no concern are definitively marked as such, while suspect lesions are flagged for medical assessment. Trusted to conduct one in nine urgent skin cancer assessments in England[4], Skin Analytics has built a large body of evidence operating inside clinical practice where every cancer detected is validated against histopathology - the diagnostic gold standard for cancer. With the new Class III regulatory clearance[1], DERM Zero brings autonomous clinical decisions to a standard smartphone. In practice that means the same autonomous decisions DERM makes inside the NHS are now available without a dermoscope or hospital appointment. For patients, that removes the biggest barrier to early detection, and early detection is what most often determines survival from skin cancer. For most people, getting their skin checked has meant time off work, a GP visit, and weeks of waiting for a specialist appointment. DERM Zero is the first Class III technology cleared to deliver clinical-standard assessment from a standard smartphone[1] in the time it takes to take a photograph. It gives Skin Analytics and its partners the foundation to design new models of care built around the patient, not the equipment, the clinic or the wait. Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers in Europe and one of the fastest growing. Non-melanoma skin cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer, with more than a million new cases recorded across Europe each year. Melanoma, the deadlier form, affects more than 100,000 Europeans annually and is rising in nearly every age group[5]. It is aggressive but highly survivable when caught early. Until now, getting a clinical assessment has meant waiting for a specialist appointment, often at a hospital, often after weeks or months of delay. DERM Zero removes most of those barriers. A skin cancer assessment that previously required a specialist instrument and a clinic visit can now be done in seconds. Neil Daly, Founder and CEO of Skin Analytics, said: "Over six years, hundreds of thousands of patients and tens of thousands of cancers, Skin Analytics has supported its partners in delivering better skin cancer care. DERM Zero builds on those achievements and allows Skin Analytics Ltd to reimagine how patients access care with its partners. By enabling hundreds of millions of smartphones across the EU to conduct clinical quality skin cancer assessments Skin Analytics Ltd can fundamentally change patient access and Skin Analytics Ltd believe dramatically improve early detection "We're building new models of care with partners across Europe. This is the turning point when a skin cancer assessment will become as everyday as getting an ECG for AFib detection on a smartwatch. We see a world where no one dies of skin cancer, and this is how we get there." Dr Alexandra Kemp, Consultant Dermatologist and Trust Cancer Clinical Director at Amersham Hospital, part of Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust said: "As a consultant dermatologist, I've assessed thousands of skin lesions for potential skin cancer. Since we first employed DERM in our skin cancer pathway, there has been a great impact on our clinical capacity, and it has made a real difference to the efficiency of the care we can provide. When it comes to skin cancer, we know early diagnosis means better outcomes. To see this technology available on a smartphone, with no specialist equipment required, creates huge possibilities for expanding patient access and enabling earlier diagnosis." Skin Analytics is working with European partners to make DERM Zero available from June 2026. DERM Zero was unveiled at HLTH Europe in Amsterdam on 16th June 2026.