A telemedicine consultation. (Source: Wikimedia)

Experts Predict Online to Catch on Due to COVID-19

According to a geekwire.com story, the use of medical technology to diagnose and treat patients during statewide efforts to shelter in place to avoid spread of COVID-19 will have a lasting impact on medical services.

“Most interesting is what’s going to happen when this is over,” Anne Weiler, the co-founder and former CEO of Seattle health tech startup Wellpepper, recently acquired by Caravan Health, told Geekwire. “I don’t think people are going to be satisfied with going back to the status quo, because these other things are now working.”

The establishment of telemedicine as an acceptable alternative to in-person doctor visits, a loosening of laws related to medical billing and the use of location data to track the virus all represent major shifts in the medical field.

Nirav Shah, CEO of Sentinel Healthcare, a neurologist and the former stroke director at Swedish Hospital in Seattle, recently launched a real-time fever tracking app for COVID-19 cases. He said UT Health Austin plans to use his quarantine management program.

“As the novel coronavirus spreads, we must rapidly rethink how we manage patient care and keep our healthcare workers safe,” said Aaron Miri, Chief Information Officer at Dell Medical School and UT Health Austin in a press release. “By leveraging Sentinel’s technology and automation software, we will increase our ability to take care of the large numbers of patients who may contract COVID-19, and succeed in our mission to improve health in our community.”

Doug Cusick, CEO of Seattle startup TransformativeMed, said his company is offering its electronic record keeping application to screen COVID-19 patients, monitor symptom checklists and track lab results and other data.

read more at geekwire.com

Tallahassee Medical Healthcare doctors practice telemedicine. (Source: Charles Bevin on Vimeo)