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San Francisco-based telemedicine provider Doctor on Demand signed a deal with Computerized Screening Inc (CSI), a medical kiosk marker. The deal, signed recently, provides Doctor on Demand the opportunity to use CSI’s Virtual eClinic for patient care.

Thanks to the latest developments in technology that has increasingly seen the rise of virtual reality physicians. Patients are now able to chat online with professionally trained certified doctors via video conferencing services. However, this method isn’t as new as most of you may assume. It had only been overlooked by patients and doctors alike.

Doctor on Demand, according to CIS president Charles Booth, is the best company capable of understanding the needs of consumers. The telemedicine service provider offers the most sought-after key elements in patient care; video conferencing capabilities, highly experienced physicians in Telehealth, and the true doctor on demand protocol.

Moreover, Doctor on Demand, offer pocket-friendly charges per consultation ($40) to corporate sponsors with no monthly fee per employee. According to the medical Kiosk-maker, CSI’s CEO, this is the best offer ever made.

The telemedicine provider, Doctor on Demand, aims to provide easily available high-quality healthcare to patients. The main mission being to solve the problem of accessibility to healthcare while at the same time, aiming to provide affordable health services. How do they solve these problems? Well, Doctors on Demand connect patients to a team of experienced doctors certified to render medical services to patients through video.

Adam Jackson, Doctor on Demand’s CEO, explains on the healthy partnership with CSI viewing it as the best most beneficial deal that’ll render the best healthcare to patients at a larger percentage.

The deal, signed by the telemedicine service provider and medical kiosk-maker, CSI, will allow Doctor on Demand to not only serve a large number of patients but also deliver better and more accurate medical diagnostic information in real time.

No doubt, Doctor on Demand, will grow drastically and meet consumer needs in a short span of time.

Virtual reality physicians are on the rise, due in part to new technology but also the fact that Obamacare has required many patients to switch from existing doctors. Online chatting using video conferencing services with doctors isn’t new. However, many doctor’s offices and patients held off from using the service because insurance companies just don’t cover it. Now, that’s changing thanks to Teladoc.

What Is Teladoc?

Teladoc is a telemedicine company changing the way patients and doctors interact because it’s worked with employers and major health insurance companies to pay for these remote consultations the same as they would a traditional in-office visit. The company saw revenue double in 2013 and again in 2015 as a result of more companies coming on board for the service. And, Teladoc managed to secure a $50 million Series F fundraising round, providing the company with a total of $100 million in funding to date.

The growth of the company comes directly from the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. The law encourages doctor’s offices and employers to take advantage of telemedicine because it’s less expensive overall, especially compared to a trip to the ER. The law has encouraged companies like Blue Shield of California and health insurer Oscar to get on board.

Now, more than half of all large employer plans provide for health coverage in telemedicine form, which is up 28% from 2014, according to Towers Watson and the National Business Group on Health. Teladoc is the largest provider with eight million patients and 4,000 clients, and, to meet those needs 550 doctors who are on-call for the service.

Doctors can “sign in” to provide services when they can do so, such as when they are not meeting with patients in-office or pulling in hospital shifts. It’s the Uber for doctors. These doctors can help with many ailments including flu symptoms and infections. They can prescribe medication, too. Only about 1 percent of patients end up at the ER and about 6 percent end up having to visit their doctor in person, making the venture incredibly successful and effective.

According to Global Telemedicine Market – Growth, Trends & Forecasts (2015-2020), the global market for telemedicine is expected to surpass $34 by 2020. Certain factors have led to the exponential growth in this market. These factors are the hasty rise in software markets, and an increase in the number of chronic disease incidents. Also, the increased aged population has also contributed to the consistent growth of telemedicine.

North America accounts for 40 percent of the global market size. A majority of healthcare systems are trying to reduce the number of hospital visits. Also, with telemedicine patients are monitored efficiently from a home environment, and they can access services of a medic promptly anytime. These conveniences and benefits have resulted in the growth of the market. The increase in healthcare costs has increased the efficiency of telemedicine.

This kind of medical services delivery is popular and advantageous for patients aged over 60 years. Since many patients in the developing countries are located in remote areas, their monitoring requires telemedicine for efficiency. Therefore, remote monitoring of the patients is another factor that is expected to propel growth to surpass the $34 billion mark by 2020.

Nonetheless, high technology costs, poor implementation, reimbursement concerns and physician support are hampering the growth of this market. This global market can be segmented on the basis of type, technology, applications and geography. The types of telemedicine include clinics, tell hospitals and home. Their applications include teledermatology, teleconsultation, telesurgery, telepathology, teleradiology and many others.

The major participants of the market include Medical International Research, Aerotel Medical Systems, Healthcare Solutions Inc., 3M Health. Telemedicine uses health information technologies to achieve its goals thus it is complementary with health IT. Telemedicine provides remote clinical services, and it is a subset of telehealth. These kinds of services are provided using the Internet, video conferencing, and store-and-forward imaging.

Some of the technologies involved are a bit expensive. However, with the increase in demand for the telemedicine services in developing nations, the global market is consistently expanding. This expansion rate has resulted in analysts predicting that telemedicine market growth will exceed $34 billion in five years.

The legal battle ensuing between U.S and Zadeh currently pending in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is bound to have an impact on telemedicine healthcare providers and prescribers located in remote areas. In the case United States v. Zadeh, the contention is on whether the Drugs Enforcement Administration can access medical records in the absence of a warrant to determine if a provider has acted in violation of prescribing laws in the case of controlled substances prescription. The warrant is provided by administrative subpoenas. According to the case submissions the Drugs Enforcement Administration is seeking to access medical records for the patients of Joseph Zadeh a Texan physician.

According to the appeal submitted by Dr.Zadeh, he stressed that the ruling will have a negative impact on the willingness of patients to share their information. He further argues that this will hinder information exchange between the two parties affecting doctor-patient relationship. On the flipside in its submissions, the DEA argues that failure to obtain such records will be detrimental to its cause of fighting drug enforcement crimes. The DEA further argues that not obtaining relevant medical records will put the lives of many patients who rely on telemedicine in significant danger.

In the event of a ruling that favors the DEA, the DEA might use the precedent in greater magnitudes. This will give the DEA mandate to obtain medical records through administrative subpoenas, in as far as the records relate to the investigation. In addition, the provider can be instructed by the DEA to keep the investigation secret but in this particular case Dr Joseph Zadeh is not required to keep the DEA investigation secret.

If the ruling favors Dr.Zadeh, the DEA will not force the release of medical records. To obtain such medical records, the DEA will require prior permissions to act such as a search warrant.
Telemedicine has had its share of problems in the industry, and its prescribers should follow this defining case carefully as it unfolds.

The CNBC reported on Wednesday that PFE’s Viagra, Pfizer will be scraped off the list of Discount retail chain CVS’s drug insurance benefits. Viagra is the famous erectile dysfunction drug. CVC pharmacy pointed out that the drug is one of the 26 drugs that are being eliminated from the standard formulary in 2016.

Christine Cramer, who is the company’s spokesperson, explained to CNBC that excluding the drug from CVC’s drug insurance benefits does not affect its availability in their stores countrywide. She stressed that the move is motivated by the company’s standard formulary directed to payors who have their pharmacy benefits managed by CVC through CVC/Caremark in form of PBM.

The company is planning to start relaying the information about the new changes to physicians and members at the beginning of fall.

Cramer added that CVC pharmacy’s main concern is the suitability of the drugs that are approved in the standard formulary because it allows the company to continue to make high-quality products encompassed in all covered categories of drugs accessible to plan members. She also stated that removal of drugs should not cause any alarm to members since there are equally suitable products on the formulary at an even lower cost.

Bloomberg was the first media to report the matter on Tuesday. The report indicated that CVC’s clients can be covered for Cialis ED drug known as Eli Lilly’s (LLY) from the 1st of January.

CVC’s shares were high on Monday at around 0.8% in midday trade.

During CVC’s quarterly conference call that took place on Tuesday, the company publicized its general strategy that contains 26 extra products that are going to be expunged from the standard formulary in 2016. The company supported the move because it believes that it will promote clinical integrity, reduce pharmacy costs and smoothly integrating members into the formulary.

Pfizer sent a press release to CNBC stating that the company is committed to availing medicines to patients. It also acknowledged that the company has a strong relationship with CVC and its affiliate Pharmacy Benefit Management company, Caremark. Pfizer also ascertained that its medicines are still available through CVC’s formularies. The company also assured its customers that Viagra will still be readily available in the marketplace and patients who are covered by Caremark can still access the drugs.

Many older people struggle with depression due to a variety of reasons, but getting help for depression can be difficult due to limited mobility or access to care. Now, doctors are using telemedicine to provide patients with outstanding medical care from just about anywhere. Geographic location, mobility matters, and stigma concerns are eliminated or reduced by providing elderly patients with the access to medical care in this manner.

Study Shows Telemedicine Is Just As Effective

A study published in The Lancet Psychiatry found that, of the 204 veterans who participated, the use of telemedicine to provide psychotherapy sessions was highly successful. These individuals were all over the age of 58. They met the qualifications for a diagnosis of major depressive disorder. The patients were given interactions with doctors using this Internet-based technology. The study found that this form of treatment was considered just as effective as using in-person treatment.

Improving Access to Care for the Elderly

The use of telemedicine can provide outstanding access to patients who otherwise do not have the necessary ability to get care. In some areas, for example in the area where the study took place, an estimated 40% of individuals live in rural areas. They do not have the means to make long distance trips to receive this type of medical care.

This method still has some barriers to overcome. For example, federal and state level law changes are necessary. Providing individuals who may have mental illnesses with mobile tools can also be hard to achieve initially. Texting, though, can be an ideal tool for communications, if seniors have access and the ability to use it. In some cases, studies have found that the use of smartphones can be very helpful in determining if someone is suffering from depressive-like symptoms.

Ultimately, the use of telemedicine can be groundbreaking in providing patients with otherwise limited mobility to gain access to the care they need. It can also provide new access in an area that is often full of stigma especially in older vets.

Consumers looking for a way to get highly priced medications like Viagra are turning to online markets to get it. The problem is some of these locations promise low prices, fast and free shipping, and even no prescription offers, and they don’t provide the real thing. Even worse, these new products can be highly dangerous and made of unknown materials. Viagra is only one example. Others include beta blockers, medications for infections. Many of the top rated name brand drugs that tend to require prescriptions are available inexpensively online.

Most Are Fake Medications

According to the World Health Organization, about half of the illicit online pharmacies selling these products are not selling high quality medications. In most cases, these counterfeit medications are sold with the same brand names and descriptions as well. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy in the U.S. released a report that indicates a sampling of 11,000 online-based sellers found that 96 percent of those locations did not meet the organization’s required patient safety standards and practices. They did not meet state or federal laws in the U.S. either. And, the organization went so far as to say that it does not recommend that any consumer purchase medications in this manner.

What Are The Risks?

While selling fake medications may seem harmless from a health standpoint, it is anything but. In fact, this industry, which according to the World Health Organization amounts to some $431 billion a year, could put patient lives on the line. Not only are patients not getting the all important medications they need, but they are also facing the risk of ingesting toxins. Some medications have been found to contain everything from paint to rat poison. These toxic chemicals can not only make health conditions worse, but also put an individual’s life at risk from a single ingestion.

These risks are likely to continue because no universal law system is in place to stop the practice of selling these products online. That leaves consumers at risk and often the only ones to make wise decisions about where they purchase medications.

Approximately one-third of the total Obamacare enrollees are dissatisfied with the extra money they still have to part with to meet their healthcare needs. This is ironic considering that the Obamacare plan was supposed to make healthcare more affordable to more Americans than other insurance plans such as Medicaid or Medicare.

The findings of a survey by Kaiser family foundation that was released on Thursday show that 37% of the people interviewed are strongly or somewhat dissatisfied with the deductions of their plans. The program requires the consumers to pay for certain treatments or doctor visits before the insurer comes to their rescue.

Research shows that citizens on plans that meet the requirement of the Affordable Care Act complain a lot about costs. The issues they usually complain about include skipping doctors’ visits or having difficulties while paying their medical bills. On the contrary, those in plans that do not comply with the regulation do not have such issues. Therefore, the enrollees of the Obamacare plan are unable to get treatment when they need it due to financial constraints.

The greatest discrepancy was observed when the interviewers inquired whether the respondents failed to fill a prescription because it was too costly. 18% of the consumers who are enrolled in compliant plans responded that they avoided filling a prescription while only 6% of those on non-compliant plans confessed to doing the same.

Fortunately, the dissatisfied consumers can take advantage of the telemedicine services available today to overcome the cost issue. Telemedicine entails receiving a doctor’s services without physically going to a hospital. This is done through the phone or any other media of communication that can enable a patient to communicate with a specialist and have their health needs met. This method is especially suitable when treating communicable diseases, when the patient is not too ill to necessitate specialized treatment or when there is a significant geographical distance between the patient and the doctor. Overall, telemedicine is quite cheap because patients do not have to spend any money on transport or waste time while queuing.

A visit to the emergency room of a hospital today gives clear evidence of the need for something to reduce the overcrowded conditions. Doctors and staff are facing a unique problem at that level of medical care. This leads not only to overworked doctors but to an inadequate level of patient care.

A recent survey, submitted by the American College of Emergency Physicians, pointed to the Affordable Care Act as being part of the problem. This was declared by the overwhelming majority of members.

When the Affordable Care Act was introduced in 2010, it was supposed to reduce the number of visits to emergency rooms. Time has shown us that it is actually quite the opposite.

Because the Act brought large numbers of patients into Medicaid, and that agency could now cover some of the costs of care, the emergency room became another alternative for people to use for primary care. To add to the problem of overcrowded emergency rooms, is the lack of doctors to provide the care necessary to handle the increased numbers.

Emerging from this problem is a new addition to the kind of service some doctors are offering. They are now doing many things by phone that used to require an office visit. They often are able to diagnose and sometimes prescribe for some of the less serious problems.

This new brand of medical care, offers benefits to patients as well as doctors. When a patient finds it difficult, for various reasons, to see a doctor in person, telemedicine can be a helpful alternative.
MD Plus is one of the companies now offering this service. Physicians are available every day and around the clock. Knowing a service like this is available can be very useful and comforting.

It may be a good idea to investigate these new services so that one can be accessed if the need arises.

As telecommunications continues to improve, it seems that telemedicine will continue to become more and more common in our lives. For example, HealthSpot has teamed up with Rite Aid to open and operate telemedicine booths in 25 of Rite Aid’s pharmacies.

Like their name suggests, the telemedicine booths are meant to enable their users to interact with physicians without having to head into their practices. Each booth comes with a teleconferencing connection plus instruments such stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, and high-definition cameras, which combine to ensure that HealthSpot’s physicians can approximate an in-person examination for less serious issues. Furthermore, the booth is enclosed, which ensures that the user is comfortable while speaking with said professionals about their issues.

There are a number of reasons to believe that this setup will become more and more popular in the future. For users, there is the matter of convenience since pharmacies are so much more common than medical practices. For pharmacies, it makes economic sense since telemedicine booths can provide a significant portion of the same services as on-location staff in exchange for a small fraction of the cost. After all, each booth takes up a small amount of square footage while needing little more than a cleaning attendant to keep running.

This is supported by initial feedback from the test cities of Akron, Canton, Cleveland, Dayton, and Springfield, which has been positive. Furthermore, the fact that HealthSpot has managed to raise $20.7 million from corporate investors since November of 2014 through spring of 2015 suggests that other businesses see potential in this setup.

For now, the telemedicine booths remain limited to the state of Ohio. However, it seems that their operation will see continuous improvement as the collaboration between HealthSpot and Rite Aid continues, which bodes well for their future prospects in the state of Ohio as well as the rest of the United States.