I can't remember the last time I stepped inside a bank. With auto deposit, online banking, mobile banking apps, and ATM machines, I have no reason to stand in line waiting for the next available teller. I receive the same level of service without having to make a special trip to the local branch.
The same holds true for so many other regular aspects of my life. I haven't been in the offices of my financial advisor or insurance agent for years. I am able to buy and sell investments and change my coverage online or over the telephone. My life is too busy for unnecessary travel time.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how unified communications is saving lives and making the world a safer place to live (read The Moral Case for Unified Communications). I addressed door-to-balloon times, 911, and emergency notification software. My hope was that communications professionals would see how their work contributes to the greater good -- motherhood, apple pie, and whirled peas.
With that article still fresh on my mind, I heard a National Public Radio news report about the amazing things that Mercy, a sprawling regional healthcare system, is doing with telehealth. Like my bank, Mercy knows that the old ways of doing business aren't always the best or most efficient. The Internet and cloud technology have broken the bonds between service and location, and even people-intensive industries, such as healthcare, are recognizing that. In Mercy's case, it has done so by building what it says is the world's first virtual care center.
Who is old enough to remember when doctors made house calls? Using a mix of real-time communications methodologies, Mercy Virtual specialists offer patients a broad range of healthcare options, including home health services and in-depth consultations, in ways that would make Marcus Welby proud. Given the expansive and involved nature of healthcare, Mercy recognized that no single product would be able to solve all problems or meet every patient's needs. So, instead of trying to shoehorn everyone into a single solution, it has divided its telehealth undertaking into three distinct offerings.
A Change Has Come
Telemedicine has been around for a number of years, primarily focused on finding cures. You got sick and worked with a remote doctor to be healed. In general, telemedicine was far more reactive than proactive.
Telehealth is a more recent initiative that combines the curing aspects of telemedicine with preventative care. With telehealth, it's not about waiting until someone desperately needs to see a doctor. Instead, one of its prime concerns is avoiding sickness in the first place. A look back at Mercy's offerings will show you that each one has a preventative or proactive component. This is especially true with CareEngage and its heavy emphasis on education.
Of course, telehealth is more than video cameras and wireless scales. It requires real people with lifesaving skills. Sadly, we have a shortage of highly trained health professionals and specialists -- and the few we have aren't evenly spread out across the country. Real-time communications essentially levels the playing field when it comes to accessing these valuable and scarce resources from rural areas. It doesn't matter if you are in a big city, tiny hamlet, or lack access to good transportation when it comes to certain types of services. With as little as a wireless connection and a smartphone, you can plug into high-quality healthcare.
Back to the Future
Are any of you Star Trek fans? Remember Doctor McCoy and his tricorder? With the wave of an electronic wand, the good doctor was able to check a patient's vital signs, evaluate his or her physical condition, and diagnose diseases. I swear I remember an episode in which McCoy was able to determine his patient's blood color -- green.
In many ways, modern advances in medical technology make the tricorder seem quaint and terribly out of date. The Internet of Things is allowing medical device designers to put smarts into nearly everything imaginable. Companies such as eCardio are adding wireless technology into heart monitoring devices that can report their findings back to physicians in real time. These devices can practically prescribe a pacemaker all on their own.
As much as we still need human touch in healthcare, it's not essential in all cases. Using real-time communications, videoconferencing, and WebRTC, providers such as Mercy Virtual are turning what was once thought of as science fiction into present-day reality. The words "the doctor will see you now" take on an entirely different meaning when the doctor appears inside a 1080p image over an H.264 video stream.
Will telehealth evolve to the point where it can perform open-heart surgeries and kidney transplants? I doubt it, but I can easily see the day when it can determine when such interventions are required. Who knows? It just might be today.
Andrew Prokop writes about all things unified communications on his popular blog, SIP Adventures.
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