From Startups to “Scaling Up:” U.S. Health Systems Find Value in Telemedicine

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As predicted for early 2015, telehealth developments are gaining a strong foothold in a number of healthcare arenas here in the U.S. One area of particular interest are major health systems, as recent initiatives to adopt and deploy innovative and large-scale telehealth plans have made it into the healthtech spotlight:

1. University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC)

As the only academic medical center in the state of Mississippi, UMMC looks forward to connecting with more than 165 hospitals, clinics, workplaces and schools via the creation of its new Center for Telehealth. Additionally, UMMC hopes that its new Center will help alleviate and address some of the major barriers to rural healthcare access within Mississippi State.

2. Avera Health

Based in South Dakota, Avera Health—clocking in with 31 hospitals total—is revamping and expanding its telemedicine program of already epic proportions. eCare is purported to be the biggest and most encompassing telemedicine operation in the world, covering an area the size of France and Germany combined. With 8 states involved (South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana) and telemedicine services for ICU, Emergency, Pharmacy, internal medicine, specialty care and long-term care, Avera Health remains a force to be reckoned with in the telehealth space.

3. Geisinger Health System

An early adopter of telehealth, this Pennsylvania-based entity has been pushing for solidified and widespread virtual health resources since 2012. This same year, Geisinger found that its own telehealth technology cut readmission rates by a shocking 44 percent. Focusing strongly on teleICU, Geisinger has seen strongly positive healthcare and financial outcomes in recent years and continues to refine telehealth initiatives as we speak.

4. Mercy Health

Got big telehealth plans? Then you might want to consult Mercy Health for advice…They have an entire facility devoted to virtual care. Operating out of St. Louis, Mercy Health constructed a telehealth facility in May of 2014, investing $50 million towards completion. The center hosts 300 physicians, nurses, specialists, researchers and support staff who are on call 24/7 for both video and audio services. Within the first 5 years that the center is up and running Mercy Health estimates that it will manage more than 3 million telehealth visits.

5. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC)

Much like Geisinger, UPMC has moved quickly to meet telemedicine demands and efficiently reduce readmission rates. Over a 23-month period in 2013, UPMC increased patient visits by 49 percent, totaling 10,000 telemedicine visits. Among these visits, UPMC saw marked progress with heart failure patients in particular. When paired with a visiting nurse and subsequent telemonitoring, readmission rates hovered around 5 percent—versus the 28 percent readmission rate with no monitoring whatsoever. A massive difference indeed!

SOURCES: Medcitynews and Avera Health

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.

Empowering Health in the Home: Meet CliniCloud

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For consumers looking to track and record personal health metrics away from the doctor’s office, life may have just gotten easier with the help of an Australia-based digital health company. CliniCloud, now making waves on the San Francisco healthtech scene, is showcasing its savvy and uber-compact connected medical kit that may help take patient-to-provider video visits to the next level here in the United States.

Now taking orders for its first product iteration, CliniCloud’s medical kit comprises two main items: a wireless non-contact thermometer and a digital stethoscope that conveniently plugs into a smartphone headphone jack. Patients can use these devices to track and record both stethoscope and temperature recordings or simply transmit them to a doctor during a video visit.

During an interview with mobihealthnews this week, CliniCloud Co-Founder and CEO Dr. Andrew Lin highlighted the importance of the stethoscope and thermometer within today’s realm of medicine, stating: “with the CliniCloud medical kit, we are putting these powerful tools into the hands of everyday users, allowing them to accurately record vital signs that can be shared with…a network of on-demand physicians to determine if a cough is just a cold—or something more serious, like pneumonia or asthma.”

The CliniCloud app is available for both Android and Apple devices and the medical kit is set to ship this coming July. Check out CliniCloud’s sleek and eye-catching website here for more information—maybe you’ll end up pre-ordering your own!

SOURCE: mobihealthnews

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.

XLDent Completes EPCS Certification with DoseSpot’s Dental e-Prescribing Platform

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Needham Heights, MA (PRWEB) February 19, 2015

DoseSpot, an industry leader in e-Prescribing integration platforms for medical, dental and telehealth software, today announced that Professional Economics Bureau of America’s XLDent has successfully integrated DoseSpot’s EPCS certified module for Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances (EPCS). In addition, XLDent successfully completed an EPCS integration review by Drummond Group and XLDent’s dental customers are now equipped to e-Prescribe controlled substances in 49 states.

“Following DoseSpot’s successful completion of EPCS certification last year, we are thrilled to be working with our existing customer base to provide EPCS capabilities within our easy-to-use prescribing interface” said Greg Waldstreicher, CEO, DoseSpot. The certification comes in advance of the New York state mandate whereby all prescriptions must be sent electronically including controlled substances. The mandate goes into effect March 27, 2015 and will have a major impact on the dental industry as dental providers are most frequently prescribing a combination of antibiotics and controlled substances.

The DoseSpot Dental platform integrated with XLDent offers dentists the ability to route e-Prescriptions to the patient’s pharmacy of choice after automatically checking for any drug-drug and drug-allergy interactions. “With the NY mandate on the horizon and recent reclassification of hydrocodone combination medications, it’s critical for dental providers to adopt an e-Prescribing solution capable of sending all prescriptions electronically” added Greg. “XLDent continues to be at the forefront of dental e-Prescribing and we’re excited to see what the future has in store for e-Prescribing in dentistry.”

“XLDent partnered with DoseSpot in 2011 to offer integrated e-Prescribing services when it was mandated by the state of Minnesota and now we’re excited to be one of the first dental software solutions to integrate EPCS capabilities into our Dental Practice Management and Electronic Dental Record offering” said Dawn Christodoulou, President, Professional Economics Bureau of America, Inc. “It continues to be a pleasure to work with DoseSpot, a company that shares in our vision to bring valuable, patient-centered solutions to the table.”

For more information on DoseSpot’s EPCS software, please visit http://www.DoseSpot.com or contact Lindsay Walsh, Lindsay(at)dosespot(dot)com.

About XLDent 
The XLDent dental practice management system takes advantage of the latest in software development and design tools to provide its clients with the most intuitive, robust, easy-to-use dental program available. XLDent is an electronic dental records system that automates key business processes and ensures dental teams have the tools they need to manage the practice more profitably. Key benefits include a comprehensive suite of products written for a mobile, wireless, tablet PC environment. Other key benefits include seamlessly integrated e-Prescribing through DoseSpot, flexible Progress Note system, efficient clinical workflows, and dentist and Patient Portals. XLDent supports general and specialty dental clinics and is used by single practitioners as well as large multi-dentist, multi-location clinics nationwide.

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/2015/02/prweb12528541.htm

Taking a Peek at Patient Engagement in Beantown: Beth Israel’s New Pilot Study

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Further initiatives to end incessant EMR entry during medical appointments may now be in place within one of Boston’s own. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) recently received a $450,000 grant from the Commonwealth Fund to solidify a program allowing patients to add to and update their own medical records during visits. This program, called OurNotes, is an extension of the larger and well-known OpenNotes initiative. The idea for OpenNotes began 5 years ago and quickly mobilized into an approach that gives patients access to their physicians’ visit notes. OpenNotes has spread rapidly across the U.S. and is now used by more than 5 million patients and providers nationwide.

Throughout this pilot, Beth Israel will collaborate with a number of health sites and providers across the country, including Pennsylvania-based Geisinger Health System, Seattle-based Harborview Medical Center, Seattle’s Group Health Cooperative and Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph, Missouri. The OpenNotes initiative started making waves in Boston during the 2012 calendar year, when researchers conducting a survey at BIDMC found that patients with access to clinicians’ notes were more engaged and witnessed more positive health outcomes. Results from this year-long study included data from more than 13,500 primary care patients and 100 physicians.

The OurNotes Pilot will initially focus on primary care, with the intent to later expand into other specialties. Jan Walker, RN, MBA and co-founder of OpenNotes hopes that the pilot will further increase patient engagement and improve adherence to medications. Walker also stated that patients in the OurNotes pilots at both BIDMC and additional sites will have access to other parts of their medical records, including problem and medication lists. After this initial phase of testing, each of the five sites will have the opportunity to develop its own prototype for further implementation.

SOURCES: mobihealthnews and OpenNotes.org

For more information on the OpenNotes initiative, check out Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s official press release here!

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.

Healthtech Happy Hospitals: Miami Children’s and its Mobile App Endeavors

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Over the past few years, mobile technologies of various sorts have proven vital in hospitals and healthcare centers across America with usage rates increasing rapidly for both providers and patients alike. As profiled in mobihealthnews just this week, Miami Children’s Hospital is continuing this trend with two newly released health-specific mobile offerings.

According to Miami Children’s Hospital CIO Edward Martinez, the hospital has developed a care transition app that aids clinicians in the hand-off of patients between shifts. This app includes a patient-facing option as well, allowing patients to keep track of such staff transitions. There is also a parent-facing component to this app, complete with a video consultation feature to enable Q&A between parent and provider after a child is discharged from the hospital.

Another app Miami Children’s has created is a care coordination product for clinician use. At the end of a shift, this app allows providers across all specialties to quickly enter information about a patient’s condition on a handy mobile device and pass it on to the next clinician. This way, the next attending physician does not miss any critical patient information related to symptoms or condition.

In his interview with mobihealthnews, Martinez highlighted one key observation pertaining to the patients and families that enter Miami Children’s Hospital on a daily basis: the parental generation is more mobile-savvy than ever before. The hospital is capitalizing on this occurrence by engaging parents early on with activities such as texting and video chatting. With 2015 expected to produce yet another boom in the mobile health and telemedicine arena, it is very likely that large hospitals from California to Maine will follow soon follow in the footsteps of Miami Children’s.

SOURCE: mobihealthnews

To see some neat screenshots of Miami Children’s newly released mobile health apps, check out the full article here!

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.

Retail and Refills: Patient Engagement Technologies on Horizon for Walmart and Target

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Recent digital health initiatives suggest that Walmart, Target and other retail giants are steadfastly marching into the healthcare setting with a focus on customer and employee health. With representatives attending Health 2.0’s WinterTech conference in San Francisco, both Walmart and Target have confirmed plans to provide more in-depth healthcare services including chronic disease management and guidance towards healthier lifestyles.

Last week, MedCity News connected with Walmart and Target spokespersons to learn more. Complete with clinics that serve both customers as well as employees, Target and Walmart will look to enhance healthcare efforts with technologies like mobile coaching apps and telemedicine platforms. For both Target and Walmart, much of this expansion will take place in the form of strategic partnerships with powerhouses like UnitedHealthcare and Kaiser Permanente. In developing its new pharmacy prescription app focused on medication adherence for employees and customers alike, Target partnered with Mscripts, a leader in mobile pharmacy solutions. Michael Laquere, a senior buyer for pharmacy at Target, pointed out that through this app Target hopes to “connect with pharmacies in a more virtual way.”

When taking information access into consideration, retailers could be sitting on a data gold mine. With customer buying patterns and health information at their disposal, retailers could potentially make suggestions to improve health or aid in chronic disease management. With the current privacy barriers and regulations in place, this possibility is far from a reality—however, the opportunity to improve consumer health is salient and two major retail players have taken the reigns. Who will be the next to join?

SOURCE: MedCityNews

To learn more about increasing retail presence in the healthcare industry, check out MedCity News’ full article here!

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.

2015: Is the “Year of the Telemedicine” Upon Us?

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Have you texted, web chatted or Skyped with your doctor lately? You may want to, as health professionals and digital health entrepreneurs alike are predicting great things for telemedicine in the coming year. There’s no disputing that telemedicine “went big” in 2014—with provider communication, patient engagement and care coordination products dominating the digital health space, remote care and patient-to-provider telemedicine services proliferated virtually every area of the market. This “boom,” however, is expected to intensify in 2015 with ambitious predictions already circling within the wide and wonderful world of healthcare.

According to a recent article published by VentureBeat, there are several key indicators that 2015 will be the year that telemedicine has a takeoff of epic proportions. Check out the numbers:

• As of 2016, the global telemedicine market is predicted to be $27 billion with Virtual health Services accounting for $16 billion.
• By 2018, 65% of interactions with healthcare organizations will be done via mobile devices.
• Rock Health, a San Francisco-based digital health accelerator and seed fund, estimates that $4.1 billion of new capital in 2014 was invested in digital health—up from less than $1 million in 2011 (Forbes Magazine).

With the aforementioned financial gains on the near horizon, major players in the healthcare space—such as providers and insurance companies—can expect worthwhile benefits:

• Remote patient-to-provider virtual consults have the potential to reduce the need for all in-person doctor visits by up to 93%. This translates into savings of about $103 per primary care visit and $1,067 per emergency room visit. Your wallets will be thanking you!
• 50% of all doctor visits can be conducted virtually and 70% of all electronic health record (EHR) visits can be conducted remotely.

Finally, the patient—posited at the center of care—wins in the grand scheme of telehealth, as on-demand and high quality care becomes a reality. With a vast and continuously growing population of aging Americans, proponents of virtual visits point to the advantages conferred to those lacking easy access to a doctor’s offices, namely the elderly, the frail and those in rural areas. Telehealth is certainly headed in a strongly positive direction. Will predictions prevail? Only time will tell!

SOURCES: VentureBeat and Forbes Magazine 

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.

Umbie DentalCare Integrates with DoseSpot’s Dental e-Prescribing Platform

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Needham Heights, MA (PRWEB) January 07, 2015

DoseSpot, an industry leader in e-Prescribing integration platforms for medical and dental software, today announced that Umbie DentalCare, a provider of dental practice management software has completed Surescripts certification, through DoseSpot integration.

“It is a transformative time for Dental e-Prescribing with the recent reclassification of prescriptions containing hydrocodone from Schedule III to Schedule II and the New York state e-Prescribing mandate on the horizon,” said Greg Waldstreicher, President, DoseSpot. “Our integration with Umbie DentalCare is a great example of a partnership committed to offering dentists with industry leading dental software solutions. Umbie customers located in New York and across the nation will soon be able to send all of their prescriptions electronically including controlled substances.”

Through this partnership with DoseSpot, Umbie customers are also equipped to:

• Safely and efficiently send prescriptions electronically to more than 65,000 pharmacies
• Automatically check for dangerous drug-drug and drug-allergy interactions
• Aggregate prescription history data from community pharmacies in addition to patient medication claims history from payers and pharmacy benefit managers
• Request information on patient insurance eligibility and formulary at the time of prescribing

“Dentists need the ability to send prescriptions electronically now more than ever and DoseSpot provides them with an intuitive solution,” added Greg. “DoseSpot is not only certified by a DEA approved certification body for EPCS, but we also hold an exclusive partnership with Lexicomp to provide dental specific information directly to dentists when e-Prescribing.”

“This has been a big year for Umbie DentalCare with our growth, Umbie is on the cutting edge of cloud-based dental practice management software and now with the integration of DoseSpot, it gives dentists the flexibility to send prescription not only from their desktops, but across all mobile devices,” said Jeremy Hamel, CEO Umbie Health Corporation. “Having the Surescripts certification, and the complete EHR certification, these are other ways to give our customers a better software experience,” Hamel concluded.

For more information on e-Prescribing Integration platforms and DoseSpot, please visit http://www.DoseSpot.com.

About Umbie DentalCare

As a division of Umbie Health, Umbie DentalCare was founded in 2011 on a mission to revolutionize dental practice management. With the progression of cloud computing and its adaption amidst various professionals, Umbie capitalized on this opportunity to redefine the daily operations of the modern dental practice with a cloud based application. Over the past three years, and with the release of version 2 of the application in June of 2013, Umbie has serviced over 400 locations across the US. Media Contact: Rosa Graca, Umbie DentalCare, 888.521.6771 rgraca(at)umbiehealth(dot)com

About DoseSpot

DoseSpot is a Surescriptsâ„¢ certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. To request DoseSpot API access, please visit http://www.DoseSpot.com/api-access.

Read the full press release here: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2015/01/prweb12425751.htm

The U.S. Dental Market: Where We’ve Been, Where We’re Headed

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As 2014 comes to a close, one industry in particular deserves a contemplative glance—the U.S. dental system. Projected to “evolve more in the next 20 years than in the previous 50,” U.S. dental care is changing quite dramatically and failure to change with it (listen up, stragglers) may result in decline and stagnation. Key research bodies are proud to release their 2014 research reports, highlighting where the U.S. dental industry has been—and where consumers can expect it to go in the coming years. Take a look at some key industry-shifting trends below:

Group practice growth

As group practices continue to grow, the days of solo practices being the dominant model for dental practices are dwindling. There are a number of reasons why consolidation and acquisition are the future of dentistry—first, dentistry always seems to follow medicine. Other reasons include rising costs, third party pressures, severe fragmentation of the dental industry and massive dental school debts.

Influence of PPOs

Fee-for-service (FFS) dentistry and PPOs will continue to be a hot topic in the field of dentistry. Dental insurance expert Teresa Duncan states the obvious—patients will “vote with their wallets” as typical American consumers do. According to Duncan, “what will separate successful offices is the ability to provide quality service and a great patient experience…half the battle is accepting that [one’s] business model must shift to accommodate industry changes.” To all dentists out there, keeping an eye on this trend in 2015 is advised.

Medical-dental collaborations

Expect to see more dental and medical cooperation towards things that will help both sides as well as their patients—such as EHRs. Collaboration between physicians, dentists and other allied health professionals to promote a holistic, integrated approach to caring for patients is a major goal for 2015.

Technology as a window of opportunity

CAD/CAM technology in dentistry is expected to continue its boom in 2015 with a larger number of dentists using tablets to improve patient care and satisfaction. The idea of Google Glass helping dentists may take off after the New Year, as dental students at the University of Michigan have already formed a dental consulting company to pinpoint exactly how this innovative technology may be useful to dental practices going forward.

The more educated patient

Patients will continue to utilize the internet for information about dental health and clinician feedback, along with “shopping” for dentists. Ratings sites seem to be everywhere and prove to be very powerful, so clinicians should be cognizant of word-of-mouth in the coming year. Social media is everywhere!

SOURCE: Dental Products Report 

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.

“Stuck in the 70’s:” Modern Medicine, the FDA and Medical Device Legislation

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Will Congressional bills slated for 2015 review finally bring medical device regulation into the 21st Century?

The year was 1976. Apple was founded, bell bottoms were in, Jimmy Carter was elected President and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began its first regulatory measures on medical devices.  The notion of “tech-savvy” Americans had not yet come to fruition, nor had the ubiquity of iPhones and tablets—in fact, no consumer would have known what to do with such a device during this era. Today, increasing numbers of hand-held devices allow us to connect with providers, manage and track medications and organization medical records. In 2013 alone, the Apple Store reported 97,000 mobile health apps in use and over 60% of physicians were using tablets. With these solid numbers marked in the medical sphere, why is the FDA still stuck in 1976?

In a recent article released by Forbes Magazine, John Graham illuminates the FDA’s continued regulation of novel, cutting-edge medical devices under outdated amendments and what this antiquated authority means for new health tools. According to the FDA’s original amendments, a medical device is an “instrument, apparatus, implement, machine…or related article, including any component, part or accessory…” Technologies of the 21^st century, namely smartphones, smartwatches and tablets, don’t seem to fit within this definition in any regard.

Despite the amendments’ verbose restrictions, the FDA has informed patients and providers alike on how it intends to regulate new technologies. With the final guidance for medical mobile apps passed in 2013, the FDA intends to focus its regulatory oversight on only a subset of mobile medical apps that present a risk to patients if they do not work as intended. In the final guidance, the FDA defined the term “mobile medical app” and Congress defined the technologies subject to FDA regulation.

While it appears the FDA is making strides in the right direction, many find its law-related verbiage unsettling. Early-stage startups remain weary over the FDA’s “enforcement discretion,” which includes the self-perceived ability to withhold smartphones, tablets and more. After much discussion at last week’s mHealth Summit in Washington, DC, the consensus is this: the FDA cannot be expected to generate consistent regulatory standards without appropriate legislation. Fortunately for the medical sphere, this may be resolved in the next Congress with the following propositions:

MEDTECH Act: would legislate that electronic health records (EHRs) and other technologies that only store and communicate information are exempt from FDA regulation.

SOFTWARE Act: would define the term “medical software” as software distributed directly to consumers and not integrated with a drug or device but includes the use of a drug or device. Such software would be subject to FDA regulation. The bill also includes the terms “clinical software” (used by medical professionals) and “health software” (used by consumers to store and communicate data but doesn’t include the use of a device). Both clinical and health software would not be subject to regulation.

SOURCE: Forbes Magazine

For more information on the FDA, legislation and the future of U.S. health innovation, click here!

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.