Picture, if you would, a healthcare utopia where a seasoned medical practitioner is able to action diagnoses, treatments, and cures on a regular basis.
A nurse named Lucy meets virtually with Ethel, a former senator that served her people for decades until illness struck. Lucy is one of the foremost specialists when it comes to Ethel’s illness, but Lucy lives more than six thousand miles away. Yet Ethel, as this story unfolds, thrives – albeit with necessary daily medication and a weekly visit with Lucy via one simple app.
In another instance, we hark back to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s June of 2020, and Dr. Theresa K. Volke has established an unexpected camaraderie in virtual medical care. One morning, Dr. Volke speaks with her patient, Arnav, who lives in a quiet, remote coastal village. While consulting, the video meeting is interrupted by a choir of tropical birds that flit in and out of the video frame. Dr. Volke laughs; this isn’t typical in Laramie, Wyoming. But for Arnav, this is routine for the birds in his area. Still, he lets his own chuckle slip free, given the gentle delight on his doctor’s face, and the barriers of screens, distance, and time between them dissolve, if for a moment. The personal has blended with the professional, now less formal and more wholesome, and the consult feels like a chat between neighbors or passersby.
A moment of warmth during a stretch of stressful years.
Minus the mention of the pandemic, all of that was fictionalized. However, only to an extent.
Surprisingly, we’re not terribly far off.
Though real-world examples unfortunately give way to moments less warm – inequity in medical care, staggering financial struggles, and marginalized groups hoping for a lifeline – cases of well-actioned virtual care still support its necessity. Accessibility and efficiency, in measure as equal as possible, are achievable in virtualized healthcare.
So despite the story-bound restriction of Lucy, Ethel, Dr. Volke and Arnav, people just like them are very much real. Medical professionals overcome barriers – geographical or economic – via telehealth and other ways to personalize medicine via digitalization.
Healthcare delivery in these ways can be immediate and inclusive.
But further exploration is required, especially for older (and higher-risk) patients, and for understaffed medical facilities.
So, set to explore, two virtual patient solution companies have partnered: AvaSure and Ouva. Each, in their own way, seeks to empower doctors and nurses, streamline access to critical, real-time patient data, and completely elevate standards of virtual care.
Through this partnership, Ouva’s comprehensive patient observation capabilities that are powered by AI will be integrated with the AvaSure TeleSitter solution, paving new, reliable paths towards patient monitoring and overall care optimization.
Details:
This fusion of technologies will see Ouva’s AI platform-in-the-cloud observing patients’ bedside activities alongside AvaSure’s virtual care and active safety devices, providing means through which real-time conversations, alerts and insights are made possible without the requirements of additional hardware installations or unnecessary waiting periods.
Moreover, this AvaSure-Ouva combined solution offers major benefits to U.S. hospitals, in particular, that face staffing shortages:
- Guide observers. With Ouva’s integration, AvaSure’s TeleSitter solution is able to generate higher-quality insights. Ouva’s AI-driven alerts, delivered directly within the AvaSure platform, guide observer attention when it’s needed most. (e.g. for a patient if they fall, to reduce painful patient stresses before or after consults or big operations, etc.)
- Create a better ecosystem. Through AvaSure’s widely deployed platform, needs for an open ecosystem of valuable care integrations are met. (e.g. intervention to stem undue fall risks, as well as elopement detection so caregivers can provide a more well-rounded space, especially if restlessness or agitation play a role)
- Extend coverage. For hospitals facing a shortage of sitters (resulting in patients being placed on observation waitlists), Ouva’s AI extends coverage capabilities, ensuring no patient in need goes unmonitored.
“AvaSure is excited to partner with Ouva to enable powerful patient observation,” said Adam McMullin, AvaSure’s CEO. “Our partnership signifies another bold step towards leveraging AI, redefining how we ensure the well-being of those that are under our care. Through this collaboration, we are not only embracing cutting-edge technology, but also reaffirming our commitment to enhancing patient outcomes and experiences with AvaSure’s open ecosystem. Together, AvaSure and Ouva are pioneering a new era of healthcare, where precision meets compassion, and where the virtual realm really becomes an extension of our unwavering dedication to the health and safety of every individual.”
And per Dogan Demir, Ouva’s CEO:
“We are incredibly excited about this partnership with AvaSure, one which represents a significant leap forward in virtual patient care. Integrating our Ouva AI solutions with AvaSure’s TeleSitter is more than just technological synergy – it is a testament to our shared vision of redefining patient monitoring. With this collaboration, we’re bringing forward a solution that’s seamless, intelligent and, most importantly, eases worries that come with issues of the healthcare system.”
Edited by
Greg Tavarez
