BCS Global Networks have teamed up with Telemed Ventures to provide participating Walmart locations with a cloud-based video collaboration service called Smart Care Dock.
Smart Care Doc will provide patients with a platform in which they can communicate with doctors in real time and face-to-face over an encrypted video stream – much like Skype and other similar video call services.
Beyond just patients, this newly introduced service will also work to enable easy collaboration between medical staff – from doctors to nurses and various other healthcare providers.
Video collaboration is a constantly growing market as of late, considering the vast improvements that we’ve seen in network bandwidth, processing power and the all around adoption of high-res monitors.
What was once a science-fiction concept is now a reality – rather than making a trip up to the doctor’s office whenever a patient get the sniffles, Smart Care Doc will allow for virtual checkups via webcam. It looks like a pretty handy service, to say the least.
Dr. Raj Shah of Telemed Ventures gives a little insight as to what drives his decisions within the company, stating, “My focus has always been to improve quality, enhance access and lower cost of healthcare delivery by leveraging technology.”
He then moves on to address how the plan will fall into place regarding the current state of healthcare. “The cost of healthcare has been spiraling in the U.S., yet we rank 19th in the world in healthcare outcomes,” he said. “Our Smart Care Doc retail locations deliver an office visit for 40-50 percent less than the fee for traditional office visits by integrating diagnostic medical devices with a world class video network.”
So beyond simply making healthcare easily accessible from the comfort of the user’s home, it will also keep their bank account in fairly good health.
Smart Care Doc obviously wouldn’t be ideal for diagnosing something as serious and complex as cancer or a bacterial infection, but it will surely enhance the way we go about getting a checkup or diagnosing everyday ailments.
Edited by
Braden Becker
