American Well, Philips, and Samsung Shape the Future of U.S. Telehealth at 2017 ATA Conference
From April 23 to 25, the American Telemedicine Association’s 2017 Annual Meeting was held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. This year’s theme was “Fully Upgraded: Entering Telemedicine 2.0,” focusing on discussions about how telemedicine can address the core needs of the healthcare industry.
American Telemedicine Association(The American Telemedicine Association, ATA) is a renowned non-profit membership association for telemedicine. Established in Washington, D.C., in 1993, it comprises more than 10,000 industry leaders and healthcare experts. Its authority is significant, as the majority of telemedicine standards are formulated by the ATA. Just prior to the annual conference, there was welcome news: CYCARES (Chunyu International) joined the American Telemedicine Association, becoming the first enterprise in China to do so. Henceforth, it will have the opportunity to access advanced international telemedicine technologies at each annual ATA conference.
At the 2017 Telemedicine Annual Conference, major companies naturally seized the opportunity to disseminate significant news, unveiling their new products and announcements. Below, VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has compiled a summary of these developments.
(Image source:American Telemedicine Association）
American Well: Launches New Products and Enters Comprehensive Partnership with Samsung
Telehealth giant American Well announced two major corporate developments on April 24 local time. Both initiatives are ultimately aimed at enhancing consumer accessibility and provider convenience.
First item: Launch new products.To further establish telemedicine channels within traditional healthcare systems, American Well has launched a new enterprise telehealth software platform called AW10. Featuring over 100 new functionalities, AW10 enables healthcare providers to access enhanced capabilities while ensuring ease of adoption. For instance, the registration and verification processes for new physicians have been streamlined, allowing them to begin conducting virtual consultations within minutes. For patients, AW10 provides automated processing for insurance verification, automatic appointment scheduling, prescription management, payment, and notifications.
Item 2: Announce a comprehensive partnership with Samsung on telemedicine projects.At the HIMSS 17 healthcare IT conference in February, the two companies disclosed details of their partnership, stating that they would leverage Samsung’s leadership in consumer electronics to support American Well’s “Exchange” initiative. “Exchange” functions as a virtual marketplace that brings payers and healthcare providers using American Well’s telehealth products onto a single platform, enabling these enterprises to spontaneously establish collaborations and connections with one another.
Now, American Well’s platform has been fully integrated into Samsung’s revamped health app, Samsung Health, and is available on the newly launched Galaxy S8 and S8+ models. By tapping the “Experts” feature within Samsung Health, users can connect with experts on the American Well platform.
CEO Roy Schoenberg stated that the partnership between American Well and Samsung is not merely aimed at acquiring more users for itself, but rather hopes toBecome a Telemedicine Gateway, enabling people to interact with trusted healthcare institution brands and insurance brands on the “Exchange.”
Philips: Launches Telehealth Solutions with Clinical Support
On the first day of the annual conference, Royal Philips launched its new eCareManager 4.1 enterprise telehealth software. Built upon its population health management technology, this solution delivers valuable insights to enhance care outcomes, particularly in scenarios involving complex patient conditions and shortages of healthcare resources.
This FDA 510(k)-cleared Class II medical device integrates remote intensive care with bedside care teams, enabling high-risk patients to receive medical intervention as promptly as possible. In telemedicine for critically ill patients, every second counts; the platform’s clinical decision support algorithms, streamlined single-screen interface, and simplified system access protocols all save precious time in saving lives.
In an earlier news report, Philips’ remote intensive care monitoring system stood out prominently: Emory Healthcare successfullyThe implementation of this system reduced hospitalizations and readmissions, saving approximately $4.6 million over a 15-month comparison period.。
Expert Discussion: It Takes Time for Consumers to Accept Telemedicine
Experts from the three most renowned telemedicine networks in the United States participated in the annual conference and discussed how to build direct-to-consumer, lightweight telemedicine platforms. Several key insights emerged:
First, do not expect consumers to quickly embrace telemedicine services.“Consumers always go through a phase of turning a blind eye before they are persuaded,” said Shayan Vyas, Director of Telemedicine at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando. Executives from Intermountain Healthcare and the Cleveland Clinic echoed this view, noting that direct-to-consumer telemedicine takes time to take root. In fact, many studies have shown that while consumers are fascinated by the concept of teleconsultation and willing to try it, fewer than half of respondents have actually done so. Peter Antall, founder of American Well, also stated that healthcare institutions should expect an initial patient adoption rate of between 5% and 30% when launching telemedicine services.
However, this does not mean that telemedicine is unworkable. Matthew Faiman, director of Cleveland Clinic’s Express Online Care service, stated that many healthcare institutions are beginning to recognize the need to adopt telemedicine systems. Although current patient utilization rates remain low, interest levels are high; people require more time to accept new innovations, and healthcare providers should strive to stay ahead of consumer expectations. According to a 2017 survey of healthcare executives conducted by the American Telemedicine Association, 98% of respondents believed that adopting telemedicine would provide a competitive advantage, and 83% of executives planned to invest in telemedicine in 2017.
Second, train healthcare professionals to proficiently operate telemedicine equipment.Patients’ trust in virtual consultations is already lower than that in face-to-face visits. If healthcare personnel operating remote consultation facilities must learn how to use the equipment while simultaneously examining patients, the medical experience will clearly be far from satisfactory.
Will Daines, Director of Connected Care Services at Intermountain Healthcare, stated that Intermountain Healthcare hired physicians with telemedicine experience from the outset of its telehealth services. In contrast, Nemours Children’s Hospital shared a counterexample: some of their pediatricians conducted online consultations while also providing in-person care, which yielded suboptimal results.
Furthermore, Professor Andrew Watson of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center stated that telemedicine represents an inevitable shift in this digital world. Just as people increasingly avoid cash in favor of debit cards, accessing medical resources via the internet will become second nature. “Telemedicine is a highly natural practice. Our current use of electronic devices is as natural as breathing and sleeping.”
He also stated,Numerous companies specializing in the consumer electronics market, such as Google, Apple, and Verizon, are increasingly providing the technologies required for telemedicine.。
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