Get Peace of Mind and Avoid The ER With Snap.MD

As I was perusing HisTalkMobile.com today, the first article on the page caught my eye. A new start-up from LA aims to decrease ER visits from “worried” moms with telemedicine visits.

According to the article about Snap.md, on average, a new baby visits the doctor’s office about eight times in the first year, and when those visits are to the ER, they definitely could have been avoided. Snap.md plans to connect parents with someone in the Emergency Room for a consultation, within 10 minutes.

We’ve taken my son to the doctor many times in the past eight and half months. While many of those times were actually warranted (our son really is sick, all the time), I think this could be come in handy. Our average wait time at the doctor’s office is about 30-45 minutes, and the ER is even longer (we went a few months ago, and we were three for three hours…before we even saw someone.) This may not be the typical wait (or maybe it is!) but something like this really could cut down on the amount of time wasted going to the ER for things that may not be an emergency. Sometimes, just getting the reassurance from a health professional is all a new mother needs, and I think that is one of the goals behind this.

The article said the company is targeting three different “categories” of parents:

  1. Those without insurance
  2. Those with private insurance
  3. Medicaid families

So, it sounds like, just about anyone! The fee for those without any insurance will be around $60, which is a whole lot less than the going to the Emergency Room. From what I can tell, it looks like medicaid and private insurance companies may cover that cost, or at least, that is the hope I’m guessing. Dave Skibinski, the man behind the company, said the company isn’t trying to replace seeing a physician.

Our goal is not to direct the care. If the patient wants to see their own physician or go to a different ER, that’s fine. The point is to avoid an unnecessary visit to the ER.

In my opinion, that’s a great goal. Perhaps that would clear up the wait time at Emergency Rooms, so those that truly do have an emergency don’t have to wait quite as long.

I do think telemedicine is definitely going to play a prominent role in healthcare in the very near future, and be a significant part of mHealth. Snap.md doesn’t have a lot if information available yet, or even when it’s going to be released, but it looks like contracts have already been negotiated with a few different children’s hospitals in California, with plans to expand. I sure hope this comes to my town.

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November 23, 2012 I Written By

Katie Clark is originally from Colorado and currently lives in Utah with her husband and son. She writes primarily for Smart Phone Health Care, but contributes to several Health Care Scene blogs, including EMR Thoughts, EMR and EHR, and EMR and HIPAA. She enjoys learning about Health IT and mHealth, and finding ways to improve her own health along the way.

Filed Under: Health Care  Healthcare IT  Telemedicine
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Consult A Doctor Offers 24/7 Flu Hotline That Costs Less than $40

Flu season is generally miserable for everyone.  Even if you don’t actually get sick you spend half your time avoiding the people who are sick.  Then you start to get symptoms but you wait as long as humanly possible to actually see a doctor because it is so expensive and time-consuming.  Consult A Doctor is releasing a new service designed to change all of that.

Their new service, FLUHOTLINE24/7, provides round the clock access to board certified physicians that can diagnose your sickness, and even prescribe medication if they need to.  That means no more driving across town, waiting forever, and then being told to drink fluids and take some medicine.

The whole process is as simple as placing a call to 1-855-DOC-4FLU or logging on to www.FLUHOTLINE247.com.  The whole process only takes a matter of minutes, and costs less than $40 regardless of your insurance status.

I’m not the kind of person to go to the doctor unless I am about to cough up or lung or have an appendage fall off.  That being said, it would be nice to get a simple illness taken care of so easily and at such a low-cost.

According to Consult A Doctor’s press release, the Center for Disease Control has reported that flu related complications lead to over 200,000 hospitalizations, many of which did not really need a hospital stay, which is simply wasteful and overcrowds an already overloaded system.

The ability to get help from home, not have to spend so much time at the hospital, and the exceptionally low-cost should make this incredibly appealing to just about anyone.  Now we just have to hope that people will actually use it.

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January 19, 2012 I Written By

Filed Under: Health Care  Telemedicine
Tags:At Home Flu Doctor  Board Certified Physicians    Consult A Doctor  Flu Hotline  Flu Season  FLUHOTLINE24/7

Consult A Doctor Expands Telemedicine Offerings to Travel Industry With the Help of Marriott Rewards

How often do we go on vacation and someone gets sick?  I know for me and my kids it is pretty much every time we go on vacation.  If you are visiting family who can get you in with their doctor it may not be too bad, but even that is not always possible.

The most frustrating thing is that oftentimes it is something incredibly simple, and a trip to urgent care or the emergency room is going to cost you a ton of money.  Consult A Doctor is working to help get you the care you need without having to take that trip to urgent care, or the emergency room.

Consult A Doctor offers 24/7/365 telemedicine services in all 50 states.  That means that anyone can have access to board certified physicians whenever they need them.  In furthering their offerings, they have made their services available to Marriott Rewards members who can now use their points to purchase the service through Marriott’s CSA Travel Protection offering.

This is an awesome offering for anyone who travels very often, and my family does its fair share of traveling.  We have spent more time and money going to random doctors when almost every single one of those trips could have just as easily been taken care of over the phone.

I can only imagine how much more beneficial this will be for business travelers who are gone more than they are home.  Not only the money that will be saved, but the time, which is even more important to most business travelers.

It remains to be seen how effective this particular initiative will be, but it is hard to argue with Consult A Doctor’s success up to this point.  I know I for one will definitely keep this in mind the next time one of my kids gets sick on vacation.

The full press release can be found here.

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January 5, 2012 I Written By

Filed Under: Health Care  Healthcare IT  mHealth  Mobile Health Care  Telemedicine

Could Telehealth Provide Savings for Medicare?

As we get into the heated debates of the upcoming presidential election, the biggest area of debate will be the same topic that breaks up businesses and marriages, and leads others to great success: Money.  Sure that is simplifying something that is far more complex than me paying my bills, but in reality is it that different?

When you don’t have money you don’t spend it, and when you want/need more money you come up with ways to earn more, or you cut spending in one area to pay for another.  A new study suggests that telehealth may be able to provide a 10%, or more, reduction in healthcare costs for chronically ill patients.

According to an article at CardiovascularBusiness.com doctors were able to reduce spending between 7.7% and 13.3% per person, per quarter using the Health Buddy Program.  While that only equates to about $300-500 per person, per quarter, when you consider the huge number of people using Medicare that could translate to massive savings.

According to the article 80% of US healthcare spending goes towards treating chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart failure, and COPD.  Now imagine lowering those costs by about 10% and you see the magnitude of influence this could have.

The Health Buddy Program involves giving patients a small handheld device that they use to input metrics such as weight, blood pressure, and other information tied to their diagnosis.  This allows doctors to respond more efficiently and effectively to changes in the patient’s health saving everyone time and money.

As I listen to news reports about the billions of dollars going to healthcare, and how in debt our country is I can’t help but wonder why we aren’t more actively pursuing ideas like this.  Americans are some of the most ingenious people on earth so why aren’t we taking advantage of that brilliance to solve these problems instead of leaving them with politicians who have lost touch with reality?

I can’t think of a single business on earth that would not gladly reduce spending by 10% while still operating at the same level.  The technology is out there if we will just take advantage of it.

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September 19, 2011 I Written By

Filed Under: Healthcare IT  Medical Devices  mHealth  Mobile Health Care  Telemedicine
Tags:Cardiovascular Business  Chonic Disease Spending  Diabetes Monitoring  Health Buddy Program  Heart Failure Monitoring  Medicare Spending Debate  Reducing Healthcare Costs  Telehealth Saving Money  US Healthcare Spending

ECHO Telehealth Project in New Mexico Could be a Pattern for Other Rural Areas

RT @: N.M. project could be national model, report says http://bit.ly/jkEZXO
via TweetDeck
Michael Spitz

Call me crazy, but I don’t often think of New Mexico as leading the way in much, with the exception of a few years back when they had a decent basketball team, but that really has nothing to do with healthcare.  However, they have developed a telehealth system that may prove to be a valuable asset to other less developed parts of the country.

The tweet above is in reference to an article describing the Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes or, ECHO.  It was originally designed as a pilot program to test the treatment of hepatitis C but has since been expanded to include other chronic conditions like asthma, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.

ECHO uses telehealth technology to allow doctors in more remote locations to treat more complex illnesses that they were not able to treat in the past.

I realize that New Mexico and Africa are not the same, but if you read this blog often then you know that I have written about similar technological use in Africa where it is less densely populated as well.  These articles can be found here and here.

It is so awesome to see technology being used to improve the health of everyone, and especially those who have not been so lucky in the past.  Having lived in less densely populated areas, it would have been really nice to know that I could still get the same level of healthcare despite not living near a hospital.

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May 24, 2011 I Written By

Filed Under: Health Care  Healthcare IT  mHealth  Mobile Health Care  Telemedicine
Tags:Chronic Condition Management  ECHO  New Mexico Telemedicine  Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes  Rural Healthcare  

Cell Phones are Literally Saving Lives in Africa

About a month ago we posted about how there were more mobile connections in Africa than in Europe.  This was not terribly surprising to me as it is much cheaper to establish cell networks than to develop regular hardline networks.

It should then not be too surprising that doctors in Africa are taking advantage of these networks much the way that doctors in more developed area are.  This article highlights the use of telemedicine and how it is literally saving lives.  Here are some of the most interesting points:

Working at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre better known by its acronym KCMC doctor Niemi travels variously to see patients in remote areas, he does not leave  behind his gadget.

As a clinical officer  his job is mainly treating  and advising people on clinical matters, but for complex medical cases he need   specialist advice  which could be at his finger tips since he uses iPath installed in his mobile handset.

With this system he  easily send x-rays, photos of skin conditions and tissue samples and patient information to specialist doctors for consultation online.

—

Although computers can also be used to upload cases, Niemi prefers his mobile phone. “Network coverage is often a problem with our office computer or laptop to upload telemedicine cases. With a camera phone with GPRS connection, it is very simple to upload cases from anywhere. We discovered that a mobile phone can open the web program needed for telemedicine quite easily and fast,” he says.

I found it extremely interesting that the cell networks are more reliable and efficient than even the computer network.  There are probably not many people who need improvements in healthcare more than they do in Africa so it is awesome to see that this technology is bringing that improvement.

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May 14, 2011 I Written By

Filed Under: Apple  Health Care  Healthcare IT  iPad  iPhone  mHealth  Mobile Health Care  Smart Phones  Telemedicine
Tags:Africa  Africa Telemedicine  GPRS    iPath    Kilimajaro Christian Medical Center  mHealth in Africa

InTouch Health Introduces RP-Xpress™

InTouch Health has announced its new RP-Xpress telemedicine device. The size of the RP-Xpress and Wi-Fi connectivity makes the device more portable than any of the previous InTouch offerings.  The company also announced plans to incorporate mobile broadband into the RP-Xpress, which will enable use of the device in non-hospital settings.

Portable Remote Presence Telemedicine Consults Now Available Beyond the Hospital

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–InTouch Health® unveiled today the RP-Xpress™ at the American Telemedicine Association’s 16th Annual International Meeting and Exposition in Tampa, FL. The RP-Xpress™ is a portable telemedicine device designed for use in clinical environments using standard 802.11 Wi-Fi, enabling physicians to deliver real-time patient consults into hospitals and clinics. InTouch Health and select health system partners are further developing ‘out of hospital’ telemedicine applications with RP-Xpress utilizing cellular broadband connectivity.

RP-Xpress is a lightweight, rugged, portable device that brings the physician to the point of care, enabling remote consultation and active patient monitoring. As with all InTouch Health Remote Presence telemedicine devices, the RP-Xpress is FDA-cleared Class II for the highest level of clinical acuity. The portability of the RP-Xpress enables the delivery of clinical services across the continuum of care, improving the quality, access and timeliness of care.

“I envision the RP-Xpress being used in a variety of clinical environments, where the portability of the device will lend to earlier subspecialist consultation with an extra set of eyes and ears on the patient. In the case of transport, the RP-Xpress will allow me to assess a patient and recommend treatment strategies hours earlier than I would otherwise. For a critically ill pediatric patient, the management during those first few hours clearly influence outcome,” stated Dr. Jason Knight, Medical Director of Emergency Transport Services at Children’s Hospital of Orange County, California.

InTouch Health provides complete telemedicine solutions that allow physicians to remotely perform real-time consults with hospital patients. The Company provides a secure cloud-based telemedicine platform, FDA-cleared Remote Presence devices, 24/7 network support and comprehensive planning and implementation services.

InTouch Health is showcasing its complete suite of telemedicine products and services at the American Telemedicine Association annual conference in Tampa, FL, May 1- 3, 2011. Please visit InTouch Health at Booth #1217.

About InTouch Health

InTouch Health provides comprehensive telemedicine solutions and expertise that enable physicians to perform remote active patient monitoring and consultations. Through a single portal, physicians can access a host of purpose-built, FDA-cleared telemedicine devices, to provide care anywhere across the continuum: homes, clinics, ambulances, procedure rooms, EDs, ICUs, and patient wards. The InTouch Health Remote Presence telemedicine network is powered through its SureConnect® cloud-based infrastructure providing unparalleled connection quality and reliability, interoperability, workflow imaging and documentation, and services and support. Wherever access to medical expertise is limited, InTouch Health’s Remote Presence telemedicine solutions can effectively extend the physician’s reach to manage patient care, thereby removing critical time and distance barriers.

The Company has more than 400 hospital locations on six continents enrolled in its Remote Presence network for the delivery of telemedicine services such as stroke, critical care, cardiology, trauma, pediatrics, neonatology, psychiatry, language translation, and clinical education and surgical/procedure mentoring.

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May 3, 2011 I Written By

Filed Under: Health Care  Medical Devices  mHealth  Mobile Health Care  Telemedicine
Tags:American Telemedicine Association  Dr. Jason Knight  InTouch Health  InTouch Health Remote Presence  RP-Xpress  Telemedicine Device

One of the biggest features that Android phones just could not compete with iPhones was the ability to video chat through the phone itself.  It appears that Google is making their move into the realm of video chat.

This is a move that could help slow down the trend of doctors moving to iPhones though it will likely take further development of even more apps.  The ability to video chat on the iPhone has allowed doctors to talk directly to their patients and even provide consultations in some cases.  One group in the UK has been using video chat for just that purpose.

Their is one major advantage the new Android video chat would have, and that is the ability to chat with someone that is on a computer, not just other Android users.  This would greatly broaden the scope of use for this product.  Google has a knack for working their way into any market, and this appears to be one more area that they are really going to make their mark.

A few articles about the topic can be found here.

 

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May 1, 2011 I Written By

Filed Under: Android  Apple  Health Care  Healthcare IT  iPad  iPhone  mHealth  Mobile Health Care  Smart Phones  Tablets  Telemedicine
Tags:  Android Video Chat        Video Consultation

Moving Holograms – Star Wars Technology in Health Care

That’s right, the 3D hologram image that was made popular on Star Wars is now closer to becoming a reality. Plus, it doesn’t even require 3D glasses to see it. Here’s a quote from the story:

Remember the Star Wars scene in which R2D2 projects a three-dimensional image of a troubled Princess Leia delivering a call for help to Luke Skywalker and his allies? What used to be science fiction is now close to becoming reality thanks to a breakthrough in 3D holographic imaging technology developed at the University of Arizona College of Optical Sciences.

A team led by optical sciences professor Nasser Peyghambarian developed a new type of holographic telepresence that allows the projection of a three-dimensional, moving image without the need for special eyewear such as 3D glasses or other auxiliary devices. The technology is likely to take applications ranging from telemedicine, advertising, updatable 3D maps and entertainment to a new level.
…
“Holographic telepresence means we can record a three-dimensional image in one location and show it in another location, in real-time, anywhere in the world,” said Peyghambarian, who led the research effort.

The obvious connection to healthcare is in Telemedicine. You could have a 3D doctor in your house or they could see a 3D patient. That’s pretty cool to consider. I can’t wait for this type of technology to be widespread.

It’s amazing how many scientific discoveries have already been emulated in movies and TV shows like Star Wars and Star Trek.

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March 10, 2011 I Written By

John Lynn is the Founder of the HealthcareScene.com blog network which currently consists of 15 blogs containing almost 6000 articles with John having written over 3000 of the articles himself. These EMR and Healthcare IT related articles have been viewed over 14 million times. John also manages Healthcare IT Central and Healthcare IT Today, the leading career Health IT job board and blog. John launched two new companies: InfluentialNetworks.com and Physia.com, and is an advisor to docBeat. John is highly involved in social media, and in addition to his blogs can also be found on Twitter: and and .

Filed Under: Health Care  Healthcare IT  mHealth  Mobile Health Care  Telemedicine
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