Telepresence technology is accelerating medical device development while broadening and deepening relationships between medtech and customers

An expanding customer base, rapidly advancing technology and intense cost pressures are driving medtech companies to use surgical telepresence to cost effectively meet customer needs, enhance customer relationships, develop new products faster and empower healthcare providers to raise the standard of care.

By Daniel Hawkins, Avail Medsystems

The Avail Medsystems console brings remote experts into the operating room virtually. [Photo courtesy of Avail Medsystems]The medical technology medtech industry is relentlessly challenged to efficiently maintain growth, fund innovation, and provide an appropriate return to shareholders.  Over the last decade, this has become increasingly difficult due to myriad challenges resulting from rapid expansion in the number of sites of service, declining reimbursement, relentless pricing pressures and increasing technical complexity across the industry.

Throughout my 30-year medtech career, I have touched every aspect of the product …

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Telepresence technology is accelerating medical device development while broadening and deepening relationships between medtech companies and their customers

An expanding customer base, rapidly advancing technology and intense cost pressures are driving medtech companies to use surgical telepresence to cost effectively meet customer needs, enhance customer relationships, develop new products faster and empower healthcare providers to raise the standard of care.

By Daniel Hawkins, Avail Medsystems

The Avail Medsystems console brings remote experts into the operating room virtually. [Photo courtesy of Avail Medsystems]

The medical technology medtech industry is relentlessly challenged to efficiently maintain growth, fund innovation, and provide an appropriate return to shareholders. Over the last decade, this has become increasingly difficult due to myriad challenges resulting from rapid expansion in the number of sites of service, declining reimbursement, relentless pricing pressures and increasing technical complexity across the industry.

Throughout my 30-yea…

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How Siemens will accelerate adoption of Scopio’s AI-powered telehematology tech

Scopio’s partnership with Siemens Healthineers will “accelerate digital workflow transformation in hematology laboratories worldwide,” Scopio CEO Itai Hayut said. [Photo courtesy of Siemens Healthineers]

Scopio Labs has enlisted a huge partner to get its telehematology technology into more labs.

Scopio and Siemens Healthineers today announced a global distribution deal for the Scopio X100 and Scopio X100HT.

Siemens said those full-field digital cell morphology technology systems will complement its own Atellica HEMA 570 and Atellica HEMA 580 analyzers to give labs “high-resolution, full-field viewing for peripheral blood specimens and artificial intelligence-based morphological analysis with remote capabilities through the secure hospital network.”

Siemens Healthineers Head of Diagnostics Sharon Bracken called the deal “a step forward in delivering automated and…

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At-home predictive care and the shifting patient experience

The eMed platform connects patients with telehealth providers for home testing. [Photo courtesy of eMed]

These medtech developers are advancing remote patient monitoring, virtual care, and AI predictive care.

Robin Farmanfarmaian

The combination of remote patient monitoring (RPM), virtual care and AI predictive care is changing the patient experience. Instead of the occasional clinic visit, people can interact with their healthcare daily and on-demand.

Here are a few of the medtech startups advancing remote, continuous and predictive care. Together, these companies enable truly personalized care, tailored to someone in their daily life and environment.

Remote patient monitoring (RPM)

There are many technology devices that have cleared the FDA and qualify as remote physiologic monitoring under the Medicare CPT codes. Medicare also has remote therapeutic monitoring CPT codes for musculoskeletal …

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HHS offers guidance for HIPAA-compliant audio telehealth

The HIPAA Security Rule does not apply to audio-only telehealth services provided via landline, but does apply to calls over cellular and internet connections. (Imagy by Frederik Lipfert on Unsplash)

The Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today issued guidance on providing audio-only telehealth services in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).

“Audio telehealth is an important tool to reach patients in rural communities, individuals with disabilities, and others seeking the convenience of remote options,” Office for Civil Rights Director Lisa Pino said in a news release. “This guidance explains how the HIPAA rules permit health care providers and plans to offer audio telehealth while protecting the privacy and security of individuals’ health information.”

HHS said the guidance is meant to ens…

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Philips launches Virtual Care Station pod

Royal Philips (NYSE:PHG) announced today that it launched its Virtual Care Station telehealth system for delivering virtual care services.

Virtual Care Station delivers care in convenient neighborhood locations, including retail settings, libraries, town halls and universities, according to a news release.

The pod-based system is designed to connect provider and insurance networks to allow healthcare providers and patients to have a local, community-based choice for care, offering access to virtual, face-to-face options. It features a camera, lighting and speakers and accommodates patients in wheelchairs or those with service dogs. Philips said in the release that it can be expanded in the future for uses like tele-dentistry, as well as in new technologies that limit touchpoints like contactless monitoring.

Amsterdam-based Philips developed the Virtual Care Station as part of its ATLAS (Accessing Telehealth through Local Area Stations) program for servic…

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Philips launches new face scanning tech, partners with BioIntelliSense on telehealth

Royal Philips (NYSE:PHG) today announced two separate steps toward helping patients receive remote care as telehealth’s importance continues to grow.

Amsterdam-based Philips said today that it launched its Philips Respironics mask selector 3D facial scanning system for fitting masks and formed a strategic collaboration with BioIntelliSense to monitor at-risk patients from the hospital into the home.

The company touts its Respironics mask selector as the first and only clinically validated solution of its kind, as it helps providers fit nine of 10 patients with the right mask from the start, offering help in the shift toward digitized healthcare and reduced costs associated with fitting time and mask waste.

Using 3D camera technology, scans with the system capture 150 frames and 15 million points of facial geography data. Philips’ algorithm identifies the 46,200 data points most critical to providing an accurate and precise mask recommendation…

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340 organizations ask Congress for telehealth to stay

Today, 340 companies signed a letter sent to Congress to urge leaders to make COVID-19-related telehealth flexibilities permanent.

Representing all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, the signees are seeking to stop the potential for telehealth flexibilities to disappear, should Congress fail to act before the COVID-19 public health emergency expires, according to a news release.

At the beginning of the pandemic, Congress waived statutory barriers to allow for expanded access to telehealth, offering federal agencies the flexibility to allow healthcare providers to deliver care virtually. The letter says that those flexibilities will immediately go away if Congress doesn’t act.

The 340 stakeholders who signed the letter urged Congress to remove obsolete restrictions on the location of the patient so care can be accessed at home, maintain and enhance Dept. of Health & Human Services (HHS) authority to determine appropriate providers for…

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Survey: 90% of people managing chronic conditions believe remote monitoring could help

Sony announced that a study found that nearly 90% of those surveyed believe specialized remote monitoring can help to better manage chronic conditions.

The company’s mSafety wearable platform division today revealed the findings from the study of 2,005 people managing chronic conditions in the U.S. The data was collected between May 29, 2020, and June 2, 2020.

Ahead of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) virtual conference, the published study offers insights into the interest for remote health monitoring technology aimed at helping consumers that are either managing their own chronic condition or managing the condition of someone they care for.

Additionally, the study found that more than half of those surveyed would consider switching doctors if they didn’t provide a specialized remote health monitoring device, opting to switch to a doctor who does offer such a device. In total, 75% of those surveyed said they would wear a specializ…

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Philips launches Lumify tele-ultrasound system in Japan

Royal Philips (NYSE:PHG) announced today that its Lumify with Reacts handheld tele-ultrasound imaging system is commercially available in Japan.

Japan’s healthcare authority cleared Lumify for compatible handheld devices in its healthcare market to make high-quality, portable ultrasound available almost everywhere in the country, according to a news release.

Lumify is designed for use in places where quick and easy access to diagnostic ultrasound imaging is required and is suitable for point-of-care use in hospitals, ambulances, doctor’s offices and patients’ homes during GP visits as well. It allows clinicians to remotely collaborate by sharing ultrasound images in real-time.

Amsterdam-based Philips also noted the value of Lumify as telehealth’s importance continues to grow amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, specific to Japan, which Philips said has a declining birthrate and aging population, the need for medical diagnostic e…

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Siren raises $11.8m Series B

Siren, a developer of smart textiles with remote patient monitoring applications, announced today that it raised $11.8 million in a Series B financing.

The San Francisco-based medical device company had its funding round led by Anathem Ventures, with participation from existing investors DCM, Khosla Ventures, 500 Startups and Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund. Additionally, DCM partner Jason Krikorian will join Siren’s board and Anathem managing partner Crystal McKellar will join Siren as an advisor.

Siren’s latest round of funding adds nearly $12 million to the $22 million it has already raised across three funding rounds since its founding in 2015, according to a news release. The company noted in the release that the finances it has secured is helping it to position itself for commercial expansion.

The company’s portfolio includes a temperature-monitoring sock capable of connecting wirelessly to a software application, allowing podi…

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Varian launches remote care software for cancer patients

Varian Medical Systems (NYSE:VAR) announced that it launched new capabilities for its Noona software for monitoring cancer patients.

Noona supports cancer care teams with patient screening, real-time symptom reporting, secure care team messaging, telephone triage automation and patient access to medical records, enabling continuous reporting and symptom monitoring for cancer patients.

Palo Alto, Calif.-based Varian also designed a new way to quickly and remotely implement the Noona software for cancer patients and care teams in a faster manner without increasing the risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Noona has already been implemented into care offered by Tennessee Oncology, with nearly 600 care team members using it, approximately 10,000 patients accessing the application and about 31,000 patients being managed through the triage automation.

“In light of COVID-19 and the difficulties it poses to the current state of cancer care delivery, cancer …

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