It’s a Revolution! Trending with Teledentistry

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Independence Day is right around the corner and while the holiday serves as the best BBQ day of the year and the turning point of the American Revolution, DoseSpot is looking at another type of revolution: teledentistry. Some may have heard of it, read about it, maybe even adopted it, but what is it exactly? Simply put, teledentristy is an expansion of the traditional dental practice, where patients can have a virtual visit vs. a physical visit to exchange clinical information and images with their dentist. Of course face-to-face visits will never expire in the dental industry (it’s a bit difficult to receive a cleaning through a smartphone), but teledentistry also allows hygienists and dental assistants to perform procedures across the country while being supervised by a virtual dentist. It seems like a win-win.

In this digital age, everyone wants a faster means of communicating with one another. Taking the time out of work or driving to a dentist’s office for a quick appointment? No, thank you. It’s not only time spent, but more money spent as well. Teledentistry is a sophisticated means to provide affordable preventative care to the public, which in turn helps serve the low-income population and takes an easier hit on the country’s bottom line. Prevent vs. treat is a mantra that should be in everyone’s mind nowadays, especially in this ever-evolving and costly healthcare landscape. It costs a lot less to prevent a problem than to pay for a procedure down the line because of patient neglect or lack of financial means.

Some may argue that true dentistry is a direct encounter between a dentist and patient and they are absolutely right. Teledentistry is not meant to replace the dental chair, but simply serve as an extension. It holds enormous promise and will undoubtedly remain at the forefront of this tele-revolution. Stay tuned!

Sources: Workforce; Wall Street Journal

About DoseSpot

DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit http://www.DoseSpot.com.

Recently Funded Tyto Care Brings Handheld Telehealth Device to Light

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With a fresh Series B financing round of $11 million, Israeli-based telemedicine startup Tyto Care is putting its own unique spin on the diagnostic device market. Backed by strategic investors like Cambia Health Solutions and Walgreens, Tyto Care is discussing its innovative product–deemed the “Swiss Army knife of handheld diagnostic devices”–with a number of digital health news resources.

Tyto Care’s solution combines a handheld device and online communication platform that is designed to facilitate secure and seamless interactions between patient and provider. The diagnostic handheld device can aid non-medical individuals (namely parents) in examining a child’s mouth, throat, eyes, heart sounds, lung sounds, temperature, skin and ears when traveling to the doctor’s office for an in-person visit is not possible. Doctors can conveniently guide users in performing these tests in real time or a “store and forward” method can be applied, whereby a doctor receives the results collected by Tyto Care’s device for remote viewing.

Tyto Care was co-founded by Dedi Gilad and Ofer Tzadik in 2012, with the goal of providing “connected examination technology” beyond the scope of just phone or video conferencing to patients and providers alike. After this third round of funding, Tyto Care is believed to have raised $18.5 million to date and final device approval from the US Food and Drug Administration is expected to be granted within the calendar year.

To read more about Tyto Care’s company background and current product version, check out the official website here.

With more than 85 healthcare companies in our client base today, DoseSpot is avidly helping digital health companies stay at the forefront of care with unique and customizable e-Prescribing solutions. We encourage you to read our recent Case Study with Intellivisit for more information!

SOURCES: GeekTime, MedCity News and MobiHealthNews 

DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit http://www.DoseSpot.com.

“The Facebook Treatment:” Boston’s Latest Patient Engagement Study

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“Time to check Facebook, it’s good for your health.” Most of us have never heard these words uttered by a physician–and if we did, confusing looks would likely ensue. But in the heart of Boston, Partners HealthCare is showing us that social media–specifically, the ever-popular Facebook–may positively impact young adults with health issues.

At Partners HealthCare in Boston, preliminary results of a study involving asthmatic teenagers found significant improvement in engagement and symptom control when patients received reminders and encouragement from both clinicians and researchers via Facebook. Dr. Joseph Kvedar, Vice President of Connected Health at Partners HealthCare, presented these early stage findings at the mHealth + Telehealth World Conference in Boston this week and stated that a peer-reviewed publication for this study is in the works.

The Study

Partners Connected Health (formerly known as the Center for Connected Health) joined forces with Massachusetts General Hospital’s Department of Pulmonology to create a private Facebook group for pediatric asthma patients ages 14-17. Partners provided the private group, only viewable by invited users, with access to a password-protected website where study participants could take the Asthma Control Test (ACT), a survey measuring asthma control.

Clinicians and academic researchers sent monthly reminders–with links to the ACT–along with educational information to each study participant via Facebook. The alerts were displayed just like any other Facebook reminder, making them salient and easy to access. After a 12-month period, Partners Connected Health achieved a 79% engagement rate with approximately 125 teen participants in the Facebook group–compared to an average engagement rate of around 18% with the ACT alone.

Patient engagement is a vital component of the treatment process and DoseSpot strives to improve engagement for dental, medical and telehealth/digital health software companies alike! Contact us today to learn more about how DoseSpot’s e-Prescribing platform can lead to increased patient engagement and effective treatment plans.

SOURCE: MedCityNews

DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit http://www.DoseSpot.com.

DoseSpot Startup Spotlight: Pager

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Startup: Pager

Founders: Philip Eytan, Gaspard de Dreuzy and Oscar Salazar (he co-founded Uber!)

Website: https://pager.com

Fun Fact: Ashton Kutcher’s Sound Ventures has backed Pager

Funding: $24.4 Million

Located in: New York, NY

Overview: a Manhattan-based doctor-on-demand service, Pager gives patients the option to forgo a trip to the emergency room or urgent care center by offering the ability to order a doctor directly to the home. Currently available in all five boroughs, Pager is effectively used for the treatment of common infections and conditions such as bronchitis, ear infections, burns and sprains.

Having treated over 3,000 patients since its launch in 2014, Pager aims to connect patients with the right type of care in an immediate and convenient fashion. Moving beyond urgent care treatment scenarios, Pager’s slew of services also includes health checks for metrics such as blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels along with physical exams and tests required for camp, school and employment. A home visit for first-time users runs a rate of $50 and $200 thereafter. Patients can also consult a doctor by phone for $25 and exchange text messages with photos to address conditions such as rashes and insect bites.

Looking ahead to future plans, Pager hopes to expand to San Francisco within the next month or so. After that, it will consider Los Angeles and Chicago as probable sites for expansion. Keep an eye out for a full regional launch list come 2016!

Interested in learning about e-Prescribing and telehealth? Download our Telehealth Whitepaper today and become an expert!

To read more about Pager and the services this New York-based healthcare startup offers, check out the company website here.

SOURCE: Crain Communications Inc. and VentureBeat

About DoseSpot 
DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit http://www.DoseSpot.com.

We’ve done the research: Check out our top picks for telehealth video plug-ins!

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In building a viable telehealth solution, there are a number of key aspects that must seamlessly combine to create a robust clinical workflow. Among these crucial features are scheduling apps, virtual waiting rooms, clinical charting, audio recording and of course, video conferencing plug-ins. To provide you with some up-to-date and relevant information in the digital health space, we’ve gone ahead and reviewed some of the top telehealth video plug-ins on the market today. Take a look below and let us know what you think!

TokBox (San Francisco, CA)

Website: www.tokbox.com

Previously backed by Bain Capital Ventures and Sequoia Capital, TokBox develops and operates an API Platform, OpenTok, which enables users to add group video chat features to websites or mobile applications. TokBox’s industry leading Video API makes it easy to embed sophisticated and scalable video communications to facilitate consultations, team collaborations and more. From a telehealth standpoint, OpenTok helps healthcare professionals stay connected with patients in a timely fashion. The OpenTok platform can be directly integrated into a new or existing telehealth service and has been known to increase workflow efficiencies among customers. And speaking of customers, TokBox’s telehealth loyalty base includes personal health service Babylon, 2nd.MD and Net Medical Xpress.

Vidyo (Hackensack, NJ)

Website: www.vidyo.com

A venture funded company providing both software-based technology and product-based visual communication solutions, Vidyo offers a leading platform for high-definition video conferencing. Telehealth solutions powered by Vidyo have proven critical both in areas where doctors are in short supply and for routine checkups between healthcare professionals and patients. Expanding across specialties including primary care, teleneurology surgery and critical care, Vidyo’s video collaboration platform is currently integrated with REACH Health, American Well, HealthSpot and California Telehealth Network.

Polycom (San Jose, CA)

Website: www.polycom.com

With more than 400,000 clients nationwide, Polycom provides a unified video communication solution that increases productivity across the telehealth sector. Since 1990, Polycom has established its presence as a reliable video conferencing provider in the areas of education, financial services, government, entertainment, healthcare and more. Collaborative healthcare solutions via Polycom enable organizations to improve care, reduce cost and work together despite physical barriers. Armed with an impressive customer base in the healthcare realm, Polycom currently works with organizations including Clinicians Telemed–California’s largest multi-specialty telemedicine provider–, telepsychiatry-focused Gosnold on Cape Cod and Greater Midlands Cancer Network.

Tely Labs (Redwood City, CA)

Website: www.tely.com

Founded in 2010, Tely Labs has created telyHD, a video calling system that delivers high-definition Skype video-calling to the conference room, healthcare facility and more. With its ease-of-use and security features, telyHD is well-suited for healthcare providers in their endeavors to treat patients in cost-effective ways. The aging American population is currently a major target for Tely Labs–providers can utilize telyHD to remotely diagnose patients, provide ongoing outpatient care and subsequently reduce hospital readmission rates significantly. Current Tely Labs customers include Hospice of the Western Reserve, Cleveland Clinic and St. Croix Hospice.

For more information on each of these hip and happenin’ video consultation plug-ins, we recommend checking out the company websites listed above (case studies, industry news, etc.)!

And don’t forget–once you make your video plug-in selection, DoseSpot is here to tackle the e-Prescribing portion of your telehealth product. We provide a full e-Prescribing API that is easily integratable with any and all healthcare software applications and give you the ability to leverage valuable data including prescription history, medication lists, allergies and more! Download our Tool Kit today to get the full scoop.

About DoseSpot 
DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit http://www.DoseSpot.com.

Welcome to Beantown: CVS Health Digital Innovation Lab Finds Home in Boston

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Last week, CVS Health announced the official opening of its Digital Innovation Lab in Boston, a new and inventive facility that is focused on creating a digital, accessible and integrated personal experience across the pharmacy and health sectors. The Lab will serve as a hub for the rapidly growing digital team at CVS Health, which (as a whole) will remain headquartered in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

According to Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer for CVS Health, Brian Tilzer, “Digital technologies are ubiquitous and highly configurable”–a powerful motivator behind CVS Health’s decision to double its digital investment. CVS Health anticipates an increasing preference among customers to manage personal health via digital means and “the opening of [the] Innovation Lab is a significant step forward on this path.”

The launch of the Digital Innovation Lab marks CVS Health’s latest stride in prioritizing digital health endeavors. The new Lab is staffed with an array of team members from various backgrounds including developers, product managers, digital strategists and user-experience designers. The primary focus of the Lab will include the exploration of potential digital health breakthroughs via mobile, connected health, digital therapeutics and more. The Lab will embody CVS Health digital team’s mantra to run like a startup by rapidly testing, improving and implementing new programs with efficiency and accuracy.

To learn more about the Digital Innovation Lab and its new Boston home, check out CVS Health’s official press release here!

SOURCE: HIT Consultant 

About DoseSpot 
DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit http://www.DoseSpot.com.

Healthcare Startup Spotlight: Heal

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Startup: Heal

Founders: Nick Desai (CEO) and Renee Dua, MD (Chief Medical Officer)

Website: www.getheal.com                         Funding: $3.7 million

Funding Fun Fact: Lionel Richie is an investor!

Currently Operating In: Los Angeles and San Francisco

Overview: A new version of the housecall is taking shape and Heal is front and center in this innovative style of healthcare delivery. Described as “health care at a distance,” telemedicine and virtual housecalls typically require the use of telecommunications by physicians to diagnose, consult, treat and transfer medical data. A doctor and patient can conduct or schedule an appointment online–and that’s exactly where Heal comes in.

Coined “An Uber for Doctor Housecalls” by the New York Times, Heal is a smartphone app that mirrors the Uber workflow–but instead of a car showing up, a doctor arrives at one’s door for assessment and treatment. Patients can download the Heal app and then enter details such as home address and the reason for the visit. After adding in credit card information, a patient can then request a visit from a family doctor or pediatrician and within 20-60 minutes, the physician arrives for a flat fee of $99.

Heal physicians arrive equipped with a medical assistant and handy dandy kit filled with the latest high-tech gadgets such as tools for taking vitals and otoscopes (used to examine the ear). Heal officially kicked off in its first city, Los Angeles, this past February and recently expanded to San Francisco. High growth is expected over the next year, as Heal plans to roll out in 15 additional major cities.

Want to learn more about Heal and see if the housecall is right for you? Check out www.getheal.com now!

SOURCE: EmpowHER and NY Times 

About DoseSpot 
DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit http://www.DoseSpot.com.

Digital Health Clinic Maven Integrates DoseSpot e-Prescribing

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Needham Heights, MA (PRWEB) June 02, 2015

DoseSpot, an industry leader in e-Prescribing integration platforms for medical, dental and telehealth software, today announced that Maven, a digital health clinic designed exclusively for women, has completed Surescripts certification through DoseSpot.

Maven offers on demand video appointments directly to women seeking customized care for health and wellness, prenatal care, postpartum care and family care. Maven has hundreds of medical professionals available at the click of a button and through the DoseSpot integration, Maven’s prescribers can e-Prescribe to more than 65,000 pharmacies nationwide.

Maven opted to completely customize the look and feel of the DoseSpot user interface by tailoring the DoseSpot provided cascading style sheets (CSS). This allowed Maven to quickly match the DoseSpot and Maven user interfaces for a seamless e-Prescribing experience. “DoseSpot customers have the ability to completely white label our e-Prescribing solution”, said Greg Waldstreicher, CEO, DoseSpot. “And we have really enjoyed working with Maven to customize their DoseSpot CSS for mobile optimization as their patients and prescribers conduct video appointments on mobile devices.”

Through the DoseSpot integration, Maven prescribers are now able to route prescriptions electronically to the patient’s pharmacy of choice for the patient to then pick up. This workflow saves all parties involved a substantial amount of time as the patient does not need to travel to the prescriber’s office and the prescriber no longer needs to call the pharmacy. The telehealth care model is entirely focused around efficiency and the DoseSpot e-Prescribing integration further fuels increased efficiencies for the patient, prescriber and pharmacy.

“At Maven our mission is to support women by giving them instant access to healthcare. Sometimes this involves a prescription for medication. Our partnership with DoseSpot has enabled our network of doctors, midwives, and nurse practitioners to write prescriptions quickly, safely, and seamlessly,” said Katherine Ryder, Founder and CEO of Maven.

For more information on e-Prescribing Integration platforms and DoseSpot, please visit http://www.DoseSpot.com or contact Lindsay Walsh, Lindsay(at)dosespot(dot)com.

About Maven 
Maven is a digital clinic for women. Get your health questions answered by doctors, nurse practitioners, OB/GYNs, lactation consultants, doulas, mental health specialists, physical therapists and nutritionists via video appointments and free forums. For more information, please visit http://www.MavenClinic.com.

About DoseSpot 
DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit http://www.DoseSpot.com.

Read the full press release here: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2015/06/prweb12760396.htm

Grades Matter: State-by-State telemedicine performances and what they mean

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In the days of schooling that we all loved and miss dearly, report cards were used to denote “good” and “poor” students. Similarly, within the realm of U.S. telemedicine, standards to separate a “good” state for telemedicine and a “not-so-good” one have been put into motion. Earlier this month at its annual conference, the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) released two key reports: a state-by-state analysis of coverage and reimbursement policies for telemedicine services and a second on physician practice standards and licensure in each state.

So who made the grade? In terms of coverage and reimbursement, five states (six including the District of Columbia) received an A based on 13 criteria. New Mexico, one of the lucky “A” states, received its grade for a few key reasons worth sharing:

• New Mexico has distinguished telehealth parity for private insurance, Medicaid and its state employee health plans.
• New Mexico is one of just five states to specify that its Medicaid program must cover telemedicine services provided by substance-abuse or addiction specialists.
• New Mexico Medicaid also covers telemental health delivered by licensed clinical social workers and counselors (as do several others). However, only New Mexico, Oklahoma and Washington do so for behavioral analysts. This trend, according to the ATA, “is unique because these specialists are critical for the treatment of autism spectrum disorders.”

And then there were those who didn’t make the class. The only two states to earn failing grades on coverage policies are small New England neighbors, Connecticut and Rhode Island. These two states each failed the three major categories–parity for private insurance, Medicaid and state employee health plans–mainly due to their lack of Medicaid telemedicine coverage (according to the ATA). Both Connecticut and Rhode Island allow telemedicine services without a telepresenter or other healthcare professional present with the patient and neither got extra points for innovative service-delivery models.

Catch up on your telemedicine news and see how all 50 states fared here with the ATA’s official telemedicine report card!

SOURCE: MedCity News

About DoseSpot 
DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit http://www.DoseSpot.com.

All Aboard the Funding Train: ONC Backs 6 Digital Health Pilots!

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On Monday, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) awarded a hefty $300,000 to six winners of the inaugural ONC Market R&D Pilot Challenge. The Challenge, which launched in October 2014, finds early stage health care startups from across the U.S. and connects them with health care organizations for pilot partnerships and application testing. The six lucky entities, each receiving $50,000 for program funding, will live-test new health information technology applications in health care settings hosted by their challenge partners. Check out a few noteworthy winners below:

ClinicalBox and Lowell General Hospital

ClinicalBox develops software for care coordination and patient engagement across the surgical care continuum. ClinicalBox’s application, CoordinationBox, tracks a patient through the care delivery cycle and provides a visual overview of the stages of care. The pilot with Lowell General Hospital will test CoordinationBox’s efficacy in streamlining care during surgical episodes.

Gecko Health Innovations and Boston Children’s Hospital

Gecko Health Innovations’ product, CareTRx, uses medication sensors, mobile apps and savvy cloud computing to improve respiratory disease management for asthma patients. Gecko’s proprietary technology tracks medication use, sends reminders, records symptoms and shares reports with health professionals. The Gecko Health Innovations/Boston Children’s pilot will evaluate the effectiveness of CareTRx on asthma self-management among urban school children versus traditional disease self-management.

Optima Integrated Health and University of California, San Francisco, Cardiology Division

Optima-for-Blood Pressure (Optima4BP) is a cloud-based artificial intelligence solution that evaluates hypertensive patients’ status in real time to provide patient-specific recommendations for medication/treatment alterations. Hosted by UCSF’s Cardiology Division (and integrated with its EMR), the pilot will evaluate Optima4BP’s ability to improve care coordination for patients with uncontrolled hypertension.

Vital Care Telehealth Services and Dominican Sisters Family Health Service

Vital Care’s assisted telehealth program for seniors (called STATS) connects populations to caregivers for preventative care and chronic disease management programs. The pilot project will test STATS’ efficacy in increasing access to both primary and secondary prevention services on the Shinnecock Indian Health Services Clinic located in eastern Long Island.

For more information on the ONC Market R&D Challenge and the full list of winners, read Health2.0’s full blog post here—the pilot programs become operational in August!

About DoseSpot 
DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit www.DoseSpot.com.