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Telehealth

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MyIdealDoctor

Adrian Davis of MyIdealDoctor talks telehealth

Telehealth

This week we sat down with Adrian Davis, CEO of MyIdealDoctor, a telehealth company.  Adrian shared how he had spent the early years of his career in health technology and equipment sales and distribution.  With the passage of the ACA he and several of his associates saw an opportunity to help meet a need for access to medical care, taking advantage of technology.

They launched the company to begin to help patients to be able to speak directly with a physician from wherever they are using phone, smart phone/mobile device, or via a computer connection.  Their initial focus has been upon episodic patient needs centered around non-emergent complaints such as respiratory infections, minor cuts, sore throats, etc.

In many cases the physician is able to use the camera on the device, along with interview, to make a diagnosis and prescribe medication to treat the problem.  Additionally, if the patient’s complaint is too severe or worrisome to be able to handle the problem remotely, they make recommendations to seek care in a nearby urgent care center or emergency department.

In this way MyIdealDoctor is able to have an impact on the volume of patients being seen in the urgent care and more importantly, in the emergency rooms, allowing them to focus on more acutely-ill patients.

The company has focused their initial service model on corporate health, providing their care model to businesses offering the service as a component of their employee health plans.  MyIdealDoctor will be providing their service to the general population soon.

Special Guest:

Adrian Davis, CEO/ Co-founder of MyIdealDoctor  twitter_logo_small  linkedin_small1  facebook_logo_small3

MyIdealDoctor

  • BS, Microbiology, University of Georgia
  • Co-founder/Partner, United Medical Enterprises
  • Previous GI/Ultrasound Territory Manager, Philips
  • Former IV Therapy Territory Manager, Baxter Healthcare

Alii Healthcare

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Alii Healthcare

On this week’s show we hosted experts from the telehealth platform, Alii Healthcare.  Dr. Sylvan Waller, Founder/CEO of Alii Healthcare, Dr. Reginald Nesbitt, Christie Sherman, RN, and Alii client, Jennifer Smith joined us to talk about how the technology solution works.  They have created a mobile app called, “Bond”, which uses a mobile device’s camera to allow a patient to engage face-to-face with an ER physician to determine best course of action with minor, but time-sensitive complaints.

Sylvan shared how today, the average wait time for patients to be seen by a doctor from time of request for appointment is as much as 18 days.  We also talked about the fact that it is not uncommon for less acute complaints such as respiratory infections, minor cuts, sprains, etc, to wait in an ER for 2-4 hours (or more).

Having been an ER physician for a number of years, he saw first hand how these patients can become dissatisfied with their experience due to the fact that they’ve had to wait so long before being seen.  He felt there must be a better way.

He and his partners set out to take advantage of telehealth technology to create an application that uses a mobile device’s camera to allow a patient to request to speak with a physician, and within seconds or a few minutes at most, they can “Facetime” with a qualified ER physician.  Using the mobile device’s camera, the doctor can view a patient’s throat, swollen ankle, minor cut, etc.  From there he/she can make recommendations for medical prescriptions or treatments, or recommend the patient is seen in an urgent care or ER.

The team brought with them, Alii Healthcare client, Jennifer Smith.  She talked about her experiences using the Bond app to get diagnosis and prescriptions for minor injuries suffered while running and a respiratory infection.

Jennifer talked about how intuitive the application’s interface is and how quickly she was able to speak directly with a physician without having to leave her home.

Special guests:

Dr. Sylvan Waller, MD, CEO/Founder of Alii Healthcare

Alii Healthcare

  • Doctor of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine
  • Residency, Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine
  • Former Assistant Professor, Emory University School of Medicine
  • Previous Entrepreneur-in-Residence, ATDC

Dr. Reginald Nesbitt, MD, President, Bond House

Alii Healthcare

  • Doctor of Medicine, University of Texas, Galvaston
  • Residency, ER, University of Chicago Hospitals
  • Board Certified, Emergency Medicine

Christie Sherman, RN, Director of Physician Engagement, Alii Healthcare

Alii Healthcare

  • RN Diploma, George Brown College
  • BSN, University of Phoenix
  • MSN, Nursing Science, University of Phoenix
  • Previous VP of Client Operations, Schumacher Group

Jennifer Smith, Alii Healthcare client

Ken David & Associates

  • Juris Doctor, Georgia State University College of Law
  • Previous Director of Reimbursement, Resurgens Orthopedics
  • Senior Associate, Ken David & Associates LLP

 

SkyTherapist

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SkyTherapist

SkyTherapist

This week we sat down with the co-founders of SkyTherapist.  Sky Therapist, Inc is a virtual platform for mental health support addressing the major complaints of patients in their course of treatment. They offer integrative solutions for intelligent patient-therapist matching, quick initial assessment, and continuity of care.

CEO, Afshan Ali, and CFO, Keith Jones, shared their story about how they decided there must be a better way to provide patients in need with access to a mental health professional such as a psychologist or psychiatrist.

Keith talked about how as a teenager, he was present when his father died, causing him to experience great anxiety and emotional pain.  He was hospitalized for a few weeks but felt he did not receive very effective mental health care while he was there.

Afshan discussed how she developed an interest in neurology and mental health during her years in medical school before changing career paths.  The two of them looked at the landscape of how mental health is delivered and felt there was an opportunity to create a new platform that could help people in need find the therapist best suited for them.

As they got to work on building their virtual platform that incorporates telemedicine technology, they felt that a key element that would set them apart was going to be a matching algorithm, paired with carefully-chosen intake questions for the patient-to-be.  The purpose of this design is intended to make the process of linking up with a professional that is experientially suited and a fit personality-wise.

We talked about the fact that for persons in crisis, the process of trying to find that personal fit that allows them to be able to be open and get the most of their therapy can be overwhelming.  Having to go through talking about what the reason is for seeking help over and over to professional after professional, trying to find a fit can often cause patients in need to give up on finding help.

SkyTherapist is able to quickly provide several professionals for the patient to talk to who are much more likely to be a good fit for the patient.  The platform also provides for some communication through correspondence with their provider between sessions.  It also has a component that allows provider and patient to agree upon self-care activities such as exercise or others and actually track their compliance.

The company will be focusing much of its early launch (July 2015) on providing services to businesses with Employee Assistance Programs.  This will give them ability to scale more quickly while providing their client companies with much more effective and cost-efficient care to employees who need access to a mental health pro.

When you have the chance to hear how/why these experts built this healthcare platform it’s clear they are dedicated to insuring patients in need of professional mental health care, SkyTherapist is clearly providing a promising solution.

Special Guests:

Afshan Ali, CEO/Co-founder of SkyTherapist  linkedin_small1  Pinterest LOGO  facebook_logo_small3  twitter_logo_small  youtube-logo1

SkyTherapist

  • BBA, Management Information Services, Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business
  • Former Senior Consultant, Deloitt Consulting
  • Active Healthcare Consultant
  • Speaks English, Hindi, Urdu

Keith Jones, CFO/Co-founder of SkyTherapist  linkedin_small1

Keith

  • Managing Partner, HarCap Commercial Funding
  • Former Owner, Eclipse Investment Group
  • Multiple Successful Entrepreneurial Ventures

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Telemedicine

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MedZed

Telemedicine

This week I sat down with the founder of MedZed, a hybrid telemedicine platform that enables parents with sick children to receive care for their child with an in-home RN who establishes a remote link with a physician.  Today, there are a growing number of urgent care centers available, along with after-hours pediatric care centers.  These care centers are typically better options than being seen in an emergency room where wait times and exposure to very ill patients are a concern.

However, urgent care centers also frequently come with a long wait and exposure to numerous sick persons in the waiting room as well.  Telemedicine is a health care delivery model where patients interface with a provider via phone and/or face-to-face video conferencing platform that allows patient and doctor to see each other.  This week’s guests joined us to talk about how they are innovating with this technology to deliver quality health care in a patient’s home.

With the MedZed platform (and soon a mobile app) parents with sick children can request an in-home examination of their children.  After a phone triage conversation, a registered nurse or nurse specialist is dispatched to the home to conduct the exam.  The in-home clinician links up with the patient’s physician (when that practice is a MedZed participant) or a thoroughly-vetted, experienced pediatrician on the MedZed medical staff (when the patient’s physician office is NOT a MedZed participant).

Once in the home the nurse establishes an internet connection using either the family’s connection if available or by cellular wi-fi if in-home internet is absent or inadequate.  Via the communications link, the physician is able to view the results of otoscopic exams, listen to their stethoscope, and see vitals all in real time.  This portal also gives the patient and family the ability to also see what is being visualized by the exam, offering educational opportunities and a decreased measure of anxiety.

We talked about the fact that as more diagnostic equipment such as radiographic devices become more mobile, the scope of care that will be able to be delivered in the home will expand dramatically.  This will serve to reduce use of ER and urgent care for more acute, complex complaints.  The service is offered as fee-for-service—patients pay using credit cards when the care is delivered.  In some cases third party insurors will reimburse for part or all of the visit, depending on plan.

Special Guests:

Scott Schnell, CEO, Co-founder of MedZed  Pinterest-logo  linkedin_small1  twitter_logo_small  instagram-logo-transparent-png-i11-16x16

MedZed

  • BGS, Accounting & History, University of Michigan
  • Former CPA
  • Previous SVP/ CFO of Simply Floored
  • Previous Chairman/CEO of Pike Family Nursing

Tiffany Holland, RN at MedZed

MedZed

Katarina Quinterno, Parent, MedZed client

Katerina