Category Archives: Telemedicine

Zipnosis is one of those names that, when you first hear it, you can hazard a guess about what they do based on it’s two root words. Only if you guessed speedy hypnosis would you be wrong. Zipnosis is actually a telemedicine startup delivering clinically appropriate diagnosis in the time it takes to hold a conversation. As in, for a zippy diagnosis, there’s Zipnosis.

Zipnosis’ white label virtual care platforms help private health systems launch their own virtual care service lines that they can then staff with their own clinicians. The startup’s ultimate goal is to help their clients maximize each clinician’s time while retaining clinical caliber outcomes. From the patient’s perspective, it would be like having a one-one-one talk with your family clinician, wherein they can gather all of the necessary information for a diagnosis and provide treatment options, including most types of prescriptions or references.

“Our platform is designed to enable health systems to expand access to immediate care using their own clinicians,” Jon Pearce, co-founder and CEO of Zipnosis, said in a statement. “With Zipnosis, health systems have an opportunity to care for more patients under their own brand name and without adding staff. Patients are happier to be ‘seen’ sooner without having to step foot outside their home or go to a waiting room.”

As Zipnosis further explains, they are making it possible for health systems to glide through each of the clinical, marketing, compliance and operations workflows securely online. The software lines up with the health system’s current digital record vault and patient portal, allowing them to treat existing pateint, or onboard new patients. Plus, Zipnosis can be customized and proprietary-branded, so it seamlessly connects to the health system’s brick-and-mortar practice.

During its Series A financing round, Zipnosis managed to raise an astounding $17 million toward speeding up product development. Zipnosis provides its current telemedicine offering to 17 health care systems, which include Fairview Health Services, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Group Health and John Muir Health.

Telemedicine is fast proving to be the mode of medical care that allows effective patient access to medical attention regardless of the mobility of an individual or the distance from the health facility. In Wisconsin, the rules that have been drafted to direct the procedural approach to telemedicine are sure to change the landscape in terms of how physicians relate to the patients and how the medical records and information collected is stored and secured.

Effect on Physicians relationship

The state of Wisconsin dictates that telephone calls and internet messages are not considered as procedures that constitute telemedicine. It further directs that interactive video and audio are to be integrated as well as detailed images for the process of telemedicine provision to be standard. A physician should first establish and verify the identity of an individual looking for medical attention while also notifying the patient of the certification, license status and overall qualifications. This ultimately means a change in the physician-patient relationship as there is a need for a more interactive and personalized approach that will yield detailed findings that will culminate in effective advice and prescriptions.

The telemedicine rules in Wisconsin will also focus on the licensed practice of the medical care providers and therefore limits the authorized individuals to be the physicians, nurse practitioners, psychiatrists and rural health centers. Physician assistants can only be authorized to offer telemedicine procedures if supervised by any of the qualified professionals.

Effect on patient medical records

The rules on provision of telemedicine in Wisconsin clearly outline the fact that medical records of patients should be kept confidential and access granted only to the patient or parties that a patient has consented to. The physicians attending to a patient through telemedicine will be subject to security protocols that will govern the processing, storage, retrieval and analysis of patient records. A patient has the right to receive and view their medical records upon request and the telemedicine practitioner should also have the capacity to deliver a copy of the records to the scheduled physician handling the patient.

After several years of controversy, the female libido pill, Addyi, is finally available to the public via a prescription. Known as flibanserin, Addyi works by suppressing symptoms of hypoactive sexual desire disorder, a disorder that that is defined by consistent loss of a sex drive that is independent to stressors. Individuals who suffer from this still actively enjoy sex when they have it, but may not enjoy the courting or initiating process. Addyi addresses the underlying causes of this sexual disorder. The dysfunction typically happens to women who are in a long-term, stable relationship.

Experience and Review of Addyi

Vogue writer, Amy Gamerman, gave an honest and candid overview with her experience of Addyi. After feeling particularly queasy for the first couple of days, Gamerman did not exrience a change in her sexual desires for about a week after. However, she is marked with more thoughts of having sex. Although Addyi’s action in the body is not well conceptualized, it antidepressant qualities may be helping women get over the hump of dry sex spells, even when sex is readily available from a partner.

The second week with Addyi, and Gamerman still feel the rumblings of sexual desire. Everyday experiences are anointed with sexual fantasies. After a weekend date with her husband, she has experienced more sexual desire towards her husband. Gamerman then feels a strong sexual desire the morning after. Not only does her desire for sex increases, but the experience improves as well. Instead of rejecting her husband in a school night, Gamerman finds herself more willing. Addyi has allowed her to stay in tuned with her husband and the experience.

Four weeks after taking Addyi, Gamerman feels like her experience with Addyi has been relatively positive. Even though the benefits of Addyi are mild, it gives her a subtle push to seek, enjoy, and experience better sex.

Telemedicine is a practice that could potentially change the lives of millions of people. Telemedicine involves doing the services of doctors at a distance using the benefits of modern information technology. Doctors can diagnose patients today without ever interacting with them personally, especially because some types of diagnoses just require a visual inspection. However, telemedicine services are not currently covered under the majority of private health insurance plans. The new Senate Bill 1363 may be able to change all of that.

Thanks to the Senate Bill 1363, patients will be able to get telemedicine services covered through their private health insurance. The restrictions will no longer be in place, and telemedicine can become part of the normal way in which patients receive medical care. The bill has already managed to pass in the Senate, and now is being evaluated by the House of Representatives.

Many patients are having a difficult time getting the medical care that they need just because it is difficult for them to get to the doctor’s office for whatever reason. They might be suffering from physical or psychological disabilities, thus making the simple act of getting into a car and getting to the doctor challenging for them. They might also not even have access to a car or private transportation in the first place, which is going to stop them from being able to get to a doctor’s office even if they have no other physical or psychological barriers to cross. Some people go without the medical care that they need for years due to the fact that that telemedicine has not been an option for them.

Telemedicine may save the lives of a lot of people who would have gone without medical treatment otherwise. It might also manage to create job opportunities and encourage additional developments in information technology. There are doctors who have reservations about telemedicine for whatever reason. However, there are many other doctors who are in favor of this technological and cultural change.

Telemedicine device HealthGO is perhaps one of the best tools available today for tracking the health of patients remotely. That is one of the reasons why the HealthGO Mini won a Tadi Award for its design. Manufacturer eDevice also received acknowledgement of its innovative technology and product design investments that help the company’s services to stand out from the rest.

What Can HealthGO Do?

HealthGO is a healthcare care device that is added to an individual’s home. It allows the medical center or doctors to receive information about the patient’s vital signs including oxygen saturation, blood pressure, and even weight. This is done through transmission of this information through the eDevice mobile network, what has been designed to be highly secure. How does it work? HealthGO Mini is able to communicate with Bluetooth or through USB connection from medical sensors. The technology allows for customization such as being able to use it alongside a tablet. This gives the user a simple to use by highly powerful user interface for medical applications including disease management questions.

When discussing the award and the company’s services, the CEO of eDevice, Stephane Schinazi said that the company worked with an award winning designer named Didier Garrigos. They focused first on the product’s design to ensure it was highly effective and met regulatory requirements. The product’s design allows it to be easy to use but also ergonomic. It’s compact and unobtrusive, which means many people, including those who are chronically ill or elderly can still use this form of telemedicine within their home. It blends in with the lifestyle of the user, too, making it a seamless part of their home.

The company is working to further develop new products and, with its collaboration with Garrigos, it is developing everything from the medical platform HealthGO to the WireX network converter. These products are being used in some 150 countries and have reached some 200,000 active products. The company’s ability to develop telemedicine devices has allowed it to reach triple digit growth, according to eDevice. This will continue to spur further development, more hiring, and more advanced technologies in the future.

Telemedicine has become more and more popular in recent times because of its unrivaled convenience. Combined with the booming number of mobile users throughout the United States, it was no more than a matter of time until someone clever combined the two.

In short, St. Luke’s University Health Network launched what it calls the St. Luke’s Anywhere app in January of 2016. Like its name suggests, the app lets users see and be seen by a medical professional in the network whenever and wherever they need it in much the same manner as Skype and similar apps. This way, said individuals can get the healthcare that they need without actually heading into the physical offices, which is particularly convenient if they either have problems making such journeys or cannot spare the time from their busy schedules.

Of course, the use of the app will not be free since each use will come with a $49 fee that can be paid by credit card. Furthermore, it is important to note that the use of the app will be limited to either adults who are 18 or older or children between 12 and 18 who are accompanied by their guardians. Interested individuals can find it on either Google Play, the iTunes App Store, or even the St. Luke’s University Health Network for use on either their Android devices, Apple devices, or even computers. Using it is as simple as installing the app, creating an account, and then signing it when in need.

Summed up, St. Luke’s Anywhere app is an excellent example of how better telecommunication is changing the way that we access healthcare. Although it cannot compare to heading into the physical offices of medical professionals when it comes to more dangerous medical conditions, it is nonetheless useful for treating more common complaints including but not limited to flu, fever, coughing, earaches, headaches, and abdominal pains. As a result, it is not only beneficial for its users but also for the St. Luke University Health Network by enabling more efficient provision of healthcare.

Holistic Plan Coverage Offered By Priority Health and Blue Cross

Now that Telemedicine has become so popular over the past couple of years, particularly among millennials, both Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Priority Health are rolling out their holistic plans covering medical massage and acupuncture for 2016. This will give patients the option of either in-person physical office visit or the new online Telemedicine option. And, these two companies are actually two of the largest health care insurers in the state of Michigan. Blue Care Network, which is Blue Cross’ HMO subsidiary, offers consumers in every one of the 83 counties in Michigan 44 separate health plans.

This new option is included in the standard HMO offered by Blue Cross. In addition, it is included in Priority Health’s new plan called My Priority Holistic. This plan is currently available as an add-on. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, almost 12 percent of U.S. kids and 38 percent of grown-ups regularly use some type of holistic medicine.

Almost 70 percent of insurance plan enrollees in Michigan will be able to find plans available at a monthly cost of $75 or lower for the premiums after deducting tax credits. In addition, better than 90 percent of consumers who are returning Michigan HealthCare.gov customers have the option of saving an annual $895 in premiums on average.

According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, better than 90,000 consumers who live in Michigan have utilized the Health Insurance Marketplace for signing up for their coverage to date. Anyone who does not get signed up for coverage could be risking a $695 penalty plus whatever their out-of-pocket expenses are for any treatment they receive. If that isn’t enough reason to get signed up, the new Telemedicine coverage most certainly should be since it can allow patients to get treatment without going into the doctor’s office.

The American Medical Association is looking to ban prescription drug companies from marketing directly to consumers. Health care professionals are stating that patients are asking for medication they do not need. This is also leading to the rising costs of prescription medication. The AMA is looking to ban ads for prescription medication including Viagra, Cialis, and similar products. A person can see these advertisements when they turn on the television set or look in a magazine.

Delegates from this organization voted to make it a policy to ban this advertisement. The AMA is hoping that if the ban goes through, the costs of prescription medications will drop. They blame the increase in the costs of these medications on the high cost of advertising. The AMA feels that if advertising is banned than the costs of these medications will decrease.

Dr. Patrice Harris from the AMA the vote on this advertising ban reflects the concern among doctors of the rising cost of prescription medications. According to research, drugmakers have spent over 4.5 billion dollars on advertising in the past two years. This is a five percent increase from the previous years. This figure keeps on going up every year.

Patient care is compromised since there are a number of coverage limitations due to health care plans. These plans are unwilling to pay the high costs for the medications. Many people cannot afford the copay or the out of pocket expenses that are associated with these prescriptions.

The pharmaceutical company does not agree with the AMA. They say that the direct to customer ads allows the customers to have access to more information so they can make better informed decisions about their health care and treatment options. These ads are also encouraging patients to seek the care of a doctor to have important conversations about their health. The companies have stated that people would not have spoken to their doctor if they have not known about these medications.

The AMA will continue to look at this information to determine how they are going to continue rallying for this advertisement ban. They will decide on the most effective way to move forward from this point.

Viagra, or sildenafil, is a form of medication that is used to treat erectile dysfunction in men. However, this drug may have lasting positive effects on children who may be suffering from a heart defect, specifically congenital heart defects.

Viagra and Congenital Heart Defects
Sildenafil works by improving blood flow to the body’s extremities. However, it can also increase blood flow to the lungs and other organs. First tested to see if sildenafil can help lower blood pressure, the drug is heralded as a potential life saver for those who are suffering from congenital deformities.

A study lead by Dr. David Goldberg, a pediatric cardiologist at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, assigned children and young adults to receive sildenafil or a placebo over the span of 6 weeks. The study has shown that there is a correlation between viagra and an improvement in myocardial performance index, or how efficient the heart’s overall ability to pump blood.

The study has been done, especially after it was noted that many adults have showed promising results for adults with heart failure. Published on the Journal Pediatric Cardiology, it was found the Viagra improved the heart function in children who survived heart disease palliation. The study was done on young adults and children were relatively healthy, with very little chance of sildenafil interacting with other forms of medication, or worsening the patient’s heart condition.

The effects of sildenafil can be used as a comprehensive approach to help children who are dealing with congenital heart disease. With the right approach, a child living with these sort of ailments can lead a health, happy life.

Even thought it may add somewhat awkward to prescribe Viagra to children, many doctors are getting on board with the treatment. Parents can ask that their prescription be mailed to them, adding a layer of privacy. Parents do not have to pick up the prescription at their local drugstore

Sepsis is one of the most preventable causes of death among medical facilities today, and the Illinois health system is now doing something about it.

Telemedicine and Training Program takes on Sepsis

Using a $750,000 AHRQ grant to develop a three year telemedicine program led by the JumpTrading Simulation & Education Center and assisted by Northwestern University, the plan is to reduce the occurrence of sepsis among rural hospitals with the use of technologically advanced training mannequins and confer with specialists via the telemedicine platform.

Improvements in Rural Medical Care Expected

This project is expected to make great medical advances in rural medical facilities, as telemedicine technology will allow rural clinicians and medical staff to conduct video conferences for the purpose of collaboration and the treating of patients. This training will benefit rural areas, making further improvements outside the treatment of sepsis by positively affecting other medical emergency statistics for acute heart conditions, trauma and pediatric critical care.

Sepsis requires a quick diagnosis for proper treatment, costing the U.S. approximately $54 million each year. This speedy diagnosis is needed to prevent septic shock, which can be fatal. Using technology for diagnosis and treatment of sepsis is not a new concept, as Mercy Virtual Care Center addressed this same issue earlier in 2015 with a telesepsis program that significantly reduced both costs and fatalities associated with this medical condition.

Telemedicine: Making a Difference

Other technological learning models have been introduced by mobile application and video game designers to assist medical professionals in the speedy diagnosis and treatment of sepsis, but one problem still remains. While these programs have clear and simple goals that seem plausible, introducing new technologies such as telehealth to rural health care facilities and personnel can be quite a difficult task due to many different factors such as clinician expertise and patient volume.

To make a difference in the way sepsis is handled within rural health facilities, medical staff members, clinicians and other health professionals must be open to change and willing to adjust workflow to incorporate telemedicine for the benefit of their patients.