Telehealth Takes Center Stage at HIMSS19 as American Well and Partners Unveil Innovations
From February 11 to 15, the 2019 HIMSS Global Conference & Exhibition (hereinafter referred to as HIMSS19) was held in Orlando, Florida, USA. As one of the most influential large-scale exhibitions in the healthcare information technology industry worldwide, it attracted 45,000 attendees, including healthcare IT professionals, clinicians, healthcare administrators, government policymakers, and corporate representatives from more than 90 countries around the globe.
In 2019, telemedicine remained a hot topic in the health IT sector. A reporter from VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) noted that during the HIMSS19 conference, multiple telemedicine technology companies successively showcased their latest advancements in the field.
Among them, telemedicine company American Well has drawn particular attention by not only launching its new telemedicine product, the American Well 250 cart, but also announcing an expanded partnership with healthcare IT company Netsmart.
The American Well 250 cart is a telemedicine cart (housing IT equipment and leveraging internet-based wireless mobile technology to enable physicians to provide remote care) that allows hospital doctors and patients to connect with various specialists. This product is the first to be launched since American Well’s acquisition of Avizia last April.
Roy Schoenberg, CEO of American Well, stated in an on-site interview: “This is the first telemedicine cart capable of delivering services from within the healthcare ecosystem. Like all traditional telemedicine carts, this model also enables users to leverage the power of the internet to access specialists across a broader healthcare ecosystem. Our current efforts maintain certain connections with traditional telemedicine carts.”
It is understood that when users log in to 250 cart and request to connect with a specialist, American Well will search for the most readily available physicians and send a ping notification to the user’s smartphone, a process similar to how Uber assigns drivers. The system will cycle through available specialists until one “accepts the request.”
The 250 cart includes a set of interconnected devices that remote experts can use to collect information. In addition to inpatient use cases, it can also be used in medical schools and skilled nursing facilities.
Hospitals and other healthcare institutions are expected to be able to purchase this device later this year.
Healthcare IT company Netsmart announced a technology partnership with American Well last year to connect their respective networks, creating a community of healthcare providers that delivers care directly to consumers. The goal of the collaboration is to significantly improve patient health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.
At the HIMSS19 conference, both parties announced plans to further expand their partnership. Building on this foundation, Netsmart integrated American Well’s telehealth solution into its EHR platform. Through this integration, healthcare professionals can conduct remote addiction treatment consultations with individuals, thereby providing timely and specialized care to patients with opioid use disorder. This integrated workflow also enables patients to access addiction specialists in real time.
Dr. Ido Schoenberg, Chairman and CEO of American Well, stated, “Individuals with opioid use disorder are more difficult to identify than other patient populations. In particular, patients struggling with addiction in remote areas often face significant challenges in accessing appropriate medical care. Therefore, the remote management of opioid use disorder via telemedicine is a critical priority at present.”
According to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), approximately 11.4 million people misuse prescription opioids, with an estimated 130 deaths per day due to overdoses involving opioids, including prescription medications, heroin, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that the total economic burden of prescription opioid misuse in the United States amounts to $78.6 billion annually. This crisis affects not only individuals but also families and communities.
To address the escalating crisis of opioid misuse, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has formulated five major strategies to combat opioid addiction. One of the key pillars of these strategies is to enhance patients’ access to prevention, treatment, and recovery services. In 2017, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that the drug overdose mortality rate in rural areas of the United States had surpassed that in urban areas.
In response, Dr. Schoenberg stated, “Opioid addiction has an immeasurable impact on those struggling with opioid use disorder and their loved ones. Telemedicine has begun to play a significant role in the treatment and prevention of opioid addiction in both rural and urban areas of the United States.”
“Our partnership with American Well delivers real-time, high-quality services across multiple specialties, including behavioral health, substance use disorder treatment, social services, and post-acute care. While these services are now predominantly delivered virtually, the integration of Netsmart with American Well’s network will extend coverage to the majority of healthcare providers nationwide,” said Mike Valentine, CEO of Netsmart. “As payment models continue to shift toward value-based care, connecting these scarce resources is key to delivering integrated healthcare.”
At the HIMSS19 conference, in addition to the two companies mentioned above, several other telemedicine companies have made new progress in products, technology, and other aspects. For example:
Telemedicine provider Yorktel launched a new addition to its Univago HE healthcare communications system at HIMSS19—the Acute Patient Solution (hereinafter referred to as “Acute”).
Acute specializes in providing flexible solutions for hospitals to better extend coverage to patient care environments beyond the ICU, such as medical-surgical operating rooms, step-down units, and emergency departments, thereby delivering remote clinical and monitoring services to a broader patient population.
Acute can also be used for inpatient telehealth programs, such as on-demand remote specialist consultations, clinical assessments and interventions, and patient education. Acute offers the same features as the Univago HE system, including night vision, advanced remote camera controls, and audio controls, with the ability to temporarily extend sessions to multiple participants via text or email links.
Acute can also interoperate with iObserver, the company’s patient observation application designed to safeguard patients at risk of falls, those exhibiting behavioral health issues, or those at risk who do not require placement in an ICU room.
Furthermore, at the HIMSS19 conference, Prime Healthcare, a U.S. national healthcare system, announced the adoption of SOC Telemed’s acute care telemedicine technology to provide a scalable and flexible technology platform for Prime’s national telehealth operations. Prime Healthcare will leverage SOC’s Telemed IQ to support standardization efforts in its clinical care and workflows.
SOC will support all psychiatry, neurology, and critical care consultation services at Prime hospitals. It is expected that Prime Healthcare will expand its service offerings in future telehealth initiatives, thereby providing patients with additional specialized care.
“We look forward to implementing Telemed IQ’s robust reporting and analytics capabilities to support the diverse clinical needs across our entire health system,” said Harsha Gopinath, Director of Telemedicine Services at Prime Healthcare. “Telemedicine is one of the many ways Prime Healthcare provides patients with convenient, high-quality care, ensuring rapid access to specialists through technology.”
Another telehealth company, Resideo Technologies, unveiled an updated version of its LifeStream telehealth software platform at the exhibition for remote patient management. The company stated that the updated LifeStream features include patient health surveys, pain monitoring scales, nearly 100 educational videos, and a refreshed user interface designed to help healthcare professionals improve patient care, enhance medical efficiency, and reduce readmission rates.
(Compiled by Cheng Xiaoqin)