Supporting Cardiac Care Services in Australia​

How connected cardiac care supports heart health

Heart conditions in Australia are widespread and rising, making managing heart health a lifelong reality for many.1 Cardiovascular disease is the 4th largest burden of disease in Australia, accounting for 1 in 4 annual deaths.2

Despite its prevalence, people struggle to recognise when something is wrong with their heart, and once they seek help, they often find it difficult to navigate the cardiac care system. This challenge is compounded by limited understanding of how modern cardiac care works in practice.

While Australians recognise the importance of medical technology in improving outcomes, many remain unclear on how innovations like connected cardiac care support diagnosis, monitoring and ongoing management.

Few Australians say they feel confident in recognising a serious heart-related symptom.

Many Australians are unaware that heart devices can be monitored remotely.

About cardiac care in Australia

Australians living with cardiovascular conditions may face incidents such as a heart attack or heart failure and may require medical intervention or the insertion of a cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED).

If someone undergoes a procedure to receive their CIED, they need ongoing care to monitor their condition and ensure the device continues to work as intended.

Follow-up care is typically led by a cardiologist, supported by a broader team of healthcare professionals, including nurses and cardiac technicians, across hospitals and specialist care settings.

This support is required for the lifetime of the device and usually involves regular check-ups, either in person or remotely. As Australia’s population ages, demand for CIEDs and the cardiac care that supports them is expected to grow.

Ongoing cardiac care plays a critical role in improving patient outcomes, enabling earlier intervention, reducing time in the hospital, and supporting a better quality of life.

Remote monitoring plays an especially important role for people living in regional and rural areas, where rates of cardiovascular disease are higher and access to specialist care can be limited.

By enabling care to be delivered closer to home, it can reduce the need for travel, ease pressure on healthcare services, and help patients stay connected to their care team.

Learn more about some of our patients and their stories here

Barry was diagnosed with Bradycardia in 2012 and fitted with a pacemaker to help manage this condition. The device requires regular checking every six months, and usually gets adjusted at every check.
He worries that if his device could not be checked by a technician it could be fatal. “I need to have my device tuned perfectly. My cardiac condition changes regularly. Recently my device was checked and the information from my device indicated I needed heart surgery. I had an episode of Pacemaker Mediated Tachycardia which required urgent adjustment by the technician. I’ve also had three MRIs where a technician has to be present to adjust the Pacemaker.”

Barry is on his pension, so extra costs would mean he would struggle with buying enough food as well as paying utility bills on time. “If I had to pay to get my device checked I would probably only get it done once a year instead of every six months”, he says.

Working on a strict budget, it would very much impact the value of his health cover. “I feel completely overwhelmed by the proposed changes to funding. It’s going to make me consider opting out of private health. I’ve paid taxes all my working life and now feel completely discarded if this proposal goes ahead. I’m not feeling valued at all as a contributor to making this country a better place.”
Read Barry's story
Warren was diagnosed with sick sinus syndrome and atrial fibrillation at the age of 49 and after unsuccessful drug therapy was fitted with an implantable cardiac device (ICD).
“My devices have been checked every 6 to 9 months for the past 12 years.” Warren’s pacemaker was checked following a suspected exercise induced collapse, which resulted in the discovery of a major VT event, and emergency surgery to repair his artery. Had the pacemaker not been checked by the technician at the time, the VT would not have been found. “I would most likely would have died from the damage to the major artery. If I were not able to have my device regularly checked, this would be life-threatening. I am reliant on the information from these checks to monitor any changes to my condition particularly with my very active lifestyle and work schedule.”

Currently paying the highest possible premiums for Private Health Care, Warren says extra costs for device checks would be a financial concern, particularly as he gets older. “If I had to pay to get my implanted device checked, I believe the costs would force me to have fewer regular checks and this would no doubt leave me in danger of a serious cardiac event.”

“My insurance gives me little return on regular visits with my cardiologist as it is for procedures like stress tests and ultrasounds. If I had to make further payment for device checks I don't think there would be justified value in health cover.”
Read Warren's story
Sonia was 29 years old when she found out she had Brugada Syndrome, a rare and life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia. Following a cardiac arrest, she was diagnosed in hospital and had an implanted cardioverter defibrillator/pacemaker fitted.
“My device is checked and read through the pacemaker clinic every 6 months (unless there are events/ concerns that require me in there sooner, which does happen). Since being implanted in 2012, I have had changes made to the parameters of the device as required, as well as attending hospital to have my device read by a technician confirming if I was having irregular arrhythmias.”

“Not having a cardiac technician would mean loss of security for me, knowing what is going on with my heart at that time when it happens, rather than being checked after the event is too late; it would mean a loss of confidence in my device as check-ups assure me my device is working properly and provide assurance that I would not run into inappropriate shocks.

I would no longer be able to monitor that my device is in line with my heart's current requirements, or if the device has been disabled due to being near a magnet - which would make my device useless if I had another cardiac event, risking death.”

Sonia is concerned about extra payments and costs due to her condition and treatment, and the current financial climate. “Having the additional pressure to find money for health-related issues in a life filled with ever growing financial pressures creates stress, which is detrimental to one's health. It means that I would have to consider what alternate health care services I could potentially cut in order to afford to pay for the additional cardiac expenses. I would feel very anxious at having yet another expense when it is already so difficult on an average income trying to run a house and family.”
Read Sonia's story
References:
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2023, Heart, stroke and vascular disease, 2022, ABS, Canberra (accessed 16 February 2026), https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/heart-stroke-and-vascular-disease/latest-release
  2. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) 2025, Heart, stroke and vascular disease: Australian facts, Australian Government, Canberra, viewed 15 February 2026 (accessed 15 February 2026), https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/heart-stroke-vascular-diseases/hsvd-facts/contents/impacts/burden-of-cvd 
  3. org.au/sites/default/files/uploaded-content/field_f_content_file/the_value_of_medtech_report.pdf
  4. Rural Doctors Foundation 2023, heart disease in rural Australia, Rural Doctors Foundation, (accessed 16 February 2026), https://ruraldoctorsfoundation.org.au/heart-disease/
  5. org.au/sites/default/files/uploaded-content/field_f_content_file/mtaa-submission_pl_reform.pdf