Even as money continues to pour into the telehealth space and virtual care is pitched as a key part of healthcare’s future, actual usage of the technology remains relatively low.
Israeli digital health startup TytoCare is betting on partnerships with local providers and a medical device enabling on-demand medical exams to set it apart and drive better utilization of telehealth services.
In contrast to most telehealth companies, TytoCare doesn’t employ its own clinicians and positions its technology as a way to enable providers to get better insight and information about a patient’s health status at home.
The company’s TytoHome connected device – which has received regulatory clearance in Europe and the U.S. – can be outfitted with various attachments like a stethoscope, otoscope, tongue depressor and digital camera to help individuals perform their own self-examination and send those results to a doctor.
The device is linked to a mobile or web-based app that helps to guide patients in performing the exam and recording results. TytoCare’s platform can also be used to initiate a telehealth visit with a clinician who can use the at-home device as a way to examine the patient in real-time from a remote location.
Alongside the examination tool, TytoCare also includes a symptom checker which can recommend specific examination types relevant to a patient’s condition.
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.
Ophir Lotan, TytoCare’s vice president of product, said by creating a more complete medical visit, the company is trying to build a better level of trust in the telehealth process and extend the effective use cases of the technology.
“One aspect is that with us you actually have a physical device, people already know about thermometers or blood pressure cuffs, so they understand this concept,” Lotan said. “Our examination process includes a multistage process that makes the consumer more comfortable with the data that they’re collecting.”
He added that part of the company’s pitch is trying to bridge the disconnect between a telehealth visit and what patients expect from a face-to-face visit.
TytoCare initially launched in the U.S. in 2017 and is focused on a B2B2C model through partnering with local providers and health systems. The company is also working with telehealth companies like American Well to augment their capabilities to examine patients.
The company was initially founded in 2012 and has raised more than $53 million from investors. Most recently the company raised a $33.5 million Series C round that included participation from rural healthcare system Sanford Health, Chinese insurer Ping An and global pharmacy chain Walgreens.
Lotan said the most recent capital raise will be used to expand into new markets and build out the company’s presence in the retail space, with Walgreens a likely landing spot. The company is also working with partners like Louisiana’s Ochsner Health System to offer TytoCare products at the provider-owned retail outlets.
As part of TytoCare’s international rollout, Lotan said over the next year the company will be expanding into Europe, South America and Canada.
One market category where the company has seen particular traction has been with rural hospitals.
In Israel, for example, one of the companies customers is Clalit Health Services, which has 4.5 million members and uses TytoCare to extend services to patients in remote areas of the country.
The company is also working with Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based Sanford Health to provide local employers telehealth services with TytoCare across the health system’s geographic footprint.
Picture: TytoCare
