Telemedicine

Today’s technology, particularly internet, communications, and mobile platforms, is empowering disruption in the traditional healthcare delivery model. Telemedicine is an emerging trend that shows no sign of slowing and my guests on this episode focus on this platform for delivering high quality care.

In some ways, mobile technology is bringing us full circle. The “House Call” is back and being seen by a physician and/or other health professional in our home or other location outside of a doctor’s office, urgent care, or ER will likely be as common as it was decades ago, if not even more so.

Telemedicine is taking advantage of these technology capabilities to put patients together with healthcare professionals virtually and in some cases, through a combination of someone sitting with the patient facilitating an exam while another provider is connected to the interaction via video/telephony.

TeleHealth Solutions is a consultancy that works with healthcare organizations and practices seeking to add telemedicine to their delivery model. The company is able to evaluate the client’s goals and determine (hopefully prior to any expenditures on equipment/platforms) the best platform for achieving those objectives.

In some cases they may even advise the client to hold off on adding such a platform, depending on what they were expecting it to do, avoiding large costs for something that will ultimately not be used. Turner Smith explained how there are often unseen pitfalls around launching such a delivery model, so working with experts such as himself and his team can insure desired patient outcomes are achieved while making financial investments in the right technology/service.

Glenn Pearson spent nearly 20 years leading the Georgia Hospital Association. As such, he’s well-versed in the in’s and out’s of how hospitals do business, make decisions regarding technologies they will deploy (or NOT deploy), and factors that can make what seems to be a great idea for a solution that will ultimately fail to be adopted.

He’s leveraging that experience at Pearson Health Tech Insights, providing consulting services for tech companies who are developing (or plan to develop) technology solutions that will serve the hospital/health system space. He and his team can help the tech developer potentially pivot their solution if needed, or in some cases do some redesign before going to market. In this way, just as Turner’s firm helps tech buyers purchase wisely, Glenn’s company helps the developer have greater probability of success in getting their technology adopted.

I met Tanya Mack a couple of years ago on her show Doctors Roundtable here on Business Radio X. She is now leading a company called, Women’s Telehealth, a virtual physician practice comprised of maternal-fetal specialists and high-risk pregnancy OB’s.

These healthcare experts are able to link up with a hospital or group’s existing telehealth technology to provide the medical expertise needed by moms in high-risk pregnancies. With value to both urban and rural areas, Women’s Telehealth is allowing organizations that do not have high-risk OB specialists on staff, to be able to handle many of these patient needs, allowing the organization to simultaneously meet a patient need, while keeping them in their delivery system rather than losing them to a competing hospital.

Special Guests:

Tanya Mack, President, Women’s Telehealth