Since debuting its telehealth kiosk at CES in January, three-year-old HealthSpot has raised at least $10.4 million in Series C funding and is working on building a national provider network so that it can set up its primary care kiosks in retail pharmacies.
The new financing came from private investors including Cardinal Health, according to Lisa Maughan, HealthSpot’s vice president of marketing, and will support the company’s efforts to create the “highest quality and lowest cost in overhead healthcare appointment in America.”
Each of HealthSpot’s walk-in kiosks contains a high-definition videoconferencing system that allow a doctor to discuss symptoms with patients, diagnose conditions and prescribe medications. The kiosks also contain several digital medical devices, described by the company this way:
When Investment Rhymes with Canada
Canada has a proud history of achievement in the areas of science and technology, and the field of biomanufacturing and life sciences is no exception.
Inside the HealthSpot Station, a scale built into the floor records weight. With the push of a button, the doctor can unlock small cabinets that hold high-tech, digital medical devices that transmit information, audio video and pictures back to them through a secured connectivity FDA Medical Device Data System. A removable cuff captures blood pressure. An instant-read thermometer is behind one door. A dermascope provides a magnified view of rashes and skin conditions, as well as the back of your throat or eye. If you have an earache, the doctor asks you to slip the otoscope into your ear as you both look at a high-resolution image of the inside of your ear on the screen in front of you. The stethoscope transmits heart, lung and bowel sounds digitally. The pulse oximeter is used to take the patient’s pulse and monitor oxygen saturation of the blood.
The company has started its rollout by partnering with a few health systems to put kiosks on their campuses. Maughan said University Hospitals, for example, is using them as a less costly way to serve patients with minor ailments who visit the emergency room because they need after-hours care. The Cleveland Clinic has units that it uses to control urgent care overflow, she said.
The next goal is developing a network of physicians who will “see” patients through kiosks to be placed in retail pharmacies. The company is hopeful it will be able to make announcements on that front soon, Maughan said.
Next week, the Columbus, Ohio-based startup will exhibit alongside AT&T, Google, Intel and others at CES on the Hill, an event that connects policymakers with cutting-edge technologies and companies.
[Photo by Veronica Combs]
