Patient engagement is an undeniably significant part of the healthcare equation. And as individuals seek additional ways to connect with providers via technology, telehealth becomes increasingly important.
To that end, Allscripts has selected the Vidyo.io platform to be embedded into the FollowMyHealth patient portal. Vidyo‘s technology will enable patients to have remote virtual consultations with physicians. Individuals can launch the video visit directly from the FollowMyHealth portal.
The Vidyo.io platform is now available to all FollowMyHealth clients, Allscripts General Manager Kim South said in a phone interview.
The impetus behind the collaboration came from Chicago-based Allscripts.
“We were really interested in being able to provide some telehealth technology for clients,” South said.
The company wanted its clients to be able to use their own providers to participate in telemedicine services. Additionally, it didn’t want the technology to be an overly complicated added hardware.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
That’s where Vidyo’s seamless integration comes in. Its capabilities make it easy for providers to continuously engage patients, which is paramount in today’s day and age.
“There is no care providing system at this point that is not concerned about patient leakage to parties that were not competitive two years ago,” Mark Noble, Vidyo’s vice president of telehealth, said via phone.
Hospitals and health systems are now vying with the MinuteClinics of the world. Instead of only having rivals down the street, healthcare organizations have competitors from across state lines.
“Having the tools Allscripts is providing is a significant game changer from a business perspective,” Noble added.
From a patient point of view, the Vidyo integration delivers simplified access to physicians through the FollowMyHealth platform. They can even connect to physicians via a mobile device. Additionally, it gives them a faster way to obtain convenient care.
“An interesting trend that we see in healthcare in general is that patients are subscribing to the notion of instant gratification for care,” South said. More and more, patients are taking a consumer-based approach.
Looking ahead, Noble said that from Vidyo’s perspective, success in this endeavor is “enabling these care providers to stand up successful programs that help them to deliver care to their patients in the way their patients want to consume that care.”
South agreed, stressing her excitement over the collaboration as well as her belief in a bright future for telehealth across the healthcare landscape.
Photo: chombosan, Getty Images
