At CES this week, healthcare tech company VRHealth announced the launch of a telehealth and VR platform, which includes apps for consumers to use at home.
The company has a residency in AARP Innovation Labs. The platform was informed by learnings gleaned from VRHealth’s collaboration with AARP.
The platform includes a variety of VR-based apps for different issues, including memory span and cognitive skills, neck exercises, brain health and pain management.
The point of the tool is to zero in on remote monitoring. Patients can use the platform and then choose to give stakeholders (like their clinicians or family member caregivers) access to their healthcare data. Adjustments to the patient’s care routine can then be made based on the information in the platform.
The apps are accessible in Alcove VR, a virtual reality experience that lets families connect, and in the Oculus store.
“Our telehealth platform is a crucial step in the healthcare process because it enables patients to engage in a healthcare routine in the comfort of their own home while providing access to their data directly to their doctors,” said VRHealth CEO Eran Orr, according to a news release.
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.
Andy Miller, AARP’s senior vice president of innovation and product development, also commented in a statement: “VRHealth is exhibiting with us at CES since its VR platform helps foster crucial connections that seek to allow physicians, patients and their families to receive critical health information in real-time in order to provide the best possible care.”
With offices in Boston and Israel, VRHealth offers pain management and psychological assessment tools provided via virtual reality content. The company also leverages artificial intelligence to deliver data analytics.
Last year, it teamed up with Oculus (which was acquired by Facebook in 2014) to deliver its health and wellness solutions using Oculus products. More specifically, VRHealth decided to make use of Oculus Go and Rift to help patients manage their pain and alleviate anxiety before and after surgery.
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