Telstra Health has begun work on the 'discovery' phase in the development of the National Cancer Screening Register (NCSR) and is on track to be up and running for the national bowel cancer screening program from March 20 next year, although federal legislation allowing for register operation and data migration from existing state-based registers still needs to be passed by the federal government.

The build is being led by Telstra Health's head of integrated solutions, pathologist Ruth Salom, with the medical record and integration aspects led by Telstra Health's wholly owned subsidiary Emerging Systems, which has vast experience in dealing with sensitive patient data through the use of its clinical information system in hospitals around the country, including St Vincent's in Sydney.