What You Should Know:
– Philips announced the launch of Virtual Care Station, a telehealth environment delivering virtual care services to patients in convenient neighborhood locations, such as retail settings, libraries, town halls and universities.
– Using proven Philips technology developed for the ATLAS program (Accessing Telehealth through Local Area Stations), which was created to serve healthcare needs of U.S. Veterans, Virtual Care Station provides all patients, including those in underserved rural or urban areas, with a low-cost, community-based option to improve patient outcomes while minimizing infection exposure.
Philips, today announced the launch of Virtual Care Station, a telehealth environment that delivers virtual care services in convenient neighborhood locations such as retail settings, libraries, town halls, and universities. The pod-based solution connects provider and insurance networks, allowing health providers and patients to have a local, community-based choice for care.
Whether in underserved rural or urban areas, Virtual Care Station helps deliver on the Quadruple Aim by giving patients access to virtual face-to-face care, and is designed to help improve clinical outcomes, lower costs and increase patient and staff satisfaction. Virtual Care Station is based on Philips technology developed for the ATLAS program (Accessing Telehealth through Local Area Stations), which was created to serve the healthcare needs of U.S. veterans.
Why It Matters
With the COVID-19 pandemic came a boom in the telehealth industry, serving as a viable way to reduce staff and patient exposure to infection, preserve PPE and lessen the impact of patient surges. However, at-home telehealth isn’t always an option for those without reliable internet access, or private areas to have sensitive clinical conversations.
Built with insights from patients, physicians and caregivers, and designed to emulate traditional face-to-face visits, the Virtual Care Station pod-based solution promises:
– Camera, lighting and speakers designed for enhanced patient assessments
– Spacious layouts to accommodate the needs of patients in wheelchairs or with service dogs
– Supplemental in-home virtual telehealth check-ins to track patients between visits, allowing clinicians the opportunity to manage health escalations
“By expanding our telehealth solution, we hope to give providers an option to engage in population health and support patients closer to home in lower cost settings that can lead to the potential for more follow-up visits, and the opportunity for clinicians to identify at-risk patients earlier and manage health escalations,” said Vitor Rocha, Chief Market Leader for Philips North America. “Not only does it mean the convenience of shorter drive times for patients, it could mean better health outcomes and a safer environment for providers as people benefit from getting the quality care they need in the right place at the right time.”
