Telehealth 2.0 From WellAI

We wanted to focus on Telehealth 2.0 today.  What is Telehealth 2.0?

First let’s talk about the importance of telehealth during these crazy times.  According to the recent Harmony Health IT survey,

• 67% of Americans used telehealth since COVID-19 at least once, up from 46% prior to COVID-19.
• 71% of Americans are fearful to visit a doctor’s office due to COVID-19.
• However, once they have experienced telehealth, 72% said they enjoyed the experience, mainly for the telehealth’s convenience, safety and flexibility.
• More than half admitted they experienced shorter wait time, compared to the in-person visits.
• 69% said they will less likely use ER or urgent care for non-life-threatening visits if telehealth becomes more common.
• 60% stated they will continue use telehealth after COVID-19.

At the same time,

• 55% said they would still prefer an in-person visit.
• 43% have concerns over privacy and security when using telehealth.

What does telehealth mean for most people?  Let’s face it.  Most physicians who claim they provide telehealth services are the same doctors.  They are just doctors on the phone now.  Many are not even available for a video call.

Let me talk about our vision of Telehealth 2.0.  A patient gets the most secure connection with her/his doctor, in case the patient needs to quickly scan and send a bloodwork report or a photo of a skin rash.  All patient data are HIPAA compliant and beyond – e.g. blockchain technology keeps records safe and hacker proof.  The waiting room is just a few seconds.  There are no nurses or doctor assistants asking questions.  All necessary questions, optimized by artificial intelligence for importance and time saving, are asked by a digital assistant – i.e. Alexa for Health.  Only board-certified physicians are talking to the patient.  These doctors are specifically trained on AI-based medical systems.  When the teledoctor picks up the phone, she/he doesn’t ask unnecessary questions because all questions have already been asked by the Alexa for Health.  The teledoctor already has the conversation transcript and knows what to do by the time the patient says the first word.  Moreover, by the time of that call with the patient, the teledoctor has all relevant up-to-date medical research, with quotes and citations to academic papers, at her/his fingertips.  All real time.  All through a super secure connection.  In most cases the teledoctor just has to write a prescription for a drug or a test.  Time is of an essence!  Telehealth 2.0 creates much more evidence based relevant information for much less time spent with the patient.

Telehealth 2.0 does exist today.  It is offered by WellAI.

The WellAI app called Doc In A Pock is now available on your smartphone.  If you are an employer and would like an app that makes your employees healthier and happier, and save 34% to 45% on your healthcare costs, please visit https://wellai.health to sign up for a 1-on-1 demo.

By the way, if you have not had a chance to tune in to ‘Advancements with Ted Danson’ on CNBC this past Sunday, featuring WellAI, please use this link for a recording.  We were honored to participate in this show hosted by Mr. Ted Danson.  We explained how WellAI is revolutionizing healthcare through innovations in machine learning.  Press releases about the show are available here and here.