Health IT, Hospitals, Startups

Xerox makes big push into telemedicine with HealthSpot strategic partnership

Xerox has made a strategic investment in telemedicine company HealthSpot, according to a company statement. […]

Xerox has made a strategic investment in telemedicine company HealthSpot, according to a company statement. The investment will help HealthSpot speed up the deployment of its kiosks at retailers such as Rite Aid as well as employers, long-term care centers and emergency departments. It will also open up access to Xerox’s healthcare industry relationships.

Update The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but in a phone interview with MedCity News, HealthSpot CEO Steve Cashman made clear that the size of Xerox’s business commitment makes it the telemedicine company’s most substantial partner to date.

Xerox will also combine HealthSpot’s software platform with Xerox’s business process services knowledge. Xerox will serve as HealthSpot’s business process services provider and provide cloud hosting, system integration, claims eligibility and claims submissions solutions. HealthSpot’s kiosks will use Xerox’s IT infrastructure for appointment booking, and as an interface to electronic health records and insurance coordination, the statement said.

Tamara St Claire, the CEO of Merisight, a Xerox service which focuses on healthcare, said on the call that it was interested in HealthSpot’s consumer oriented approach to healthcare. She also noted that it works with 1,900 hospitals.

“This is a new foray for us into telemedicine. We see healthcare as moving to a patient-centered model. We felt like we needed to move with that shift in order to provide for our client base.” St Claire noted that

“…our investment in [HealthSpot] demonstrates Xerox’s commitment to transforming traditional healthcare into a high-value delivery system for patients, providers and payers,” said Connie Harvey, COO of Commercial Healthcare at Xerox in the statement.

Earlier this month RiteAid said it would pilot HealthSpot kiosks at various locations in Cleveland, Dayton and Akron, Ohio.

HealthSpot currently has nearly 20 stations across seven health systems in four states including Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Marc’s Pharmacy, University Hospitals, Miami Children’s Hospital, Kaiser Permanente and MetroHealth. It also has locations in Florida tied to Florida Blue.

HealthSpot’s kiosks are intended to diagnose non-emergency conditions. The company partners with health networks for physician support. They’re equipped with interactive medical devices that customers are directed to use by the physician on the other side of the screen. Customers discuss their symptoms and doctors can prescribe medications. It also offers access to behavioral health services and access to  pediatricians.

Last week, CMS expanded the telemedicine areas it covers to include remote patient monitoring for chronic conditions. Previously, Medicare didn’t pay separately for those services.

Update: This story has been updated to reflect comments made during a phone interview with HealthSpot CEO Steve Cashman and Tamara St Claire, the CEO of Xerox service Merisight.

Update 2: The number of hospitals Xerox works with was updated from 1,700 to 1,900.

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