Cisco's latest version of its HealthPresence telehealth offering adds security features and the ability to access care from a wider range of locations.
Cisco has unveiled a new version of HealthPresence,
its telehealth platform, to add enhanced security and enable doctors
and patients to collaborate from a wider range of locations.
Telehealth is a growing trend that allows patients to connect with health care professionals remotely.
Announced on Nov. 14, the upgraded HealthPresence allows patients to
get care when rural or remote locations may prevent in-person physician
visits. The telehealth platform allows patients and clinicians to
connect using audio, video and remote medical-monitoring devices. Aging
patients and those with chronic conditions who are unable to travel can
benefit from HealthPresence, according to Cisco.
New deployment models for HealthPresence include business to
business as well as hosted/multitenant capability to allow up to 120
instances of HealthPresence on the same physical server.
In addition, with support for a redundant server and an external
Network File System (NFS), one server could take over for another
automatically if a failure occurs.
New security features include the ability to define a policy for
authenticated users, either by using an existing Lightweight Directory
Access Protocol (LDAP) server or having HealthPresence perform the
authentication.
Cisco has also added an appointment queuing feature, chat collaboration and an API interface into electronic health records (EHRs).
As part of the HealthPresence workflow, doctors can connect HD audio and video feeds to diagnostic data, which feeds into EHRs.
Medical professionals use HealthPresence in hard-to-reach areas such as Raichur, India.
"Faced with increased patient loads, rising cost and a lack of
medical professionals, health systems globally are challenged to meet
demands for quality care for their specific market needs," Vishal
Gupta, vice president and general manager, Cisco Global Healthcare
Solutions, said in a statement. "Cisco HealthPresence is making it
possible for patients to connect with the physician or specialist most
suited for their needs, whether it's in a medical kiosk in a remote
village or a mobile cart in an urban hospital."
Monitoring devices such as the AMD-3700 Telephonic Stethoscope
and otoscopes (for examining the ear) allow doctors to monitor patients
in remote locations from their office, noted Kathy English, director of
Cisco's global health-care practice.
The platform also works with medical devices from companies such as Neurosynaptic Communications and Wellch Allyn.
HealthPresence allows patients and their families to hear the sounds
of their lungs or see the redness of an eardrum using the
HealthPresence equipment.
"With this technology you can actually display that eardrum on the
screen for the mother and physician to view simultaneously," English
told eWEEK.
HealthPresence also connects to thermometers, heart rate readers, pulse rate readers and dermascopes to examine the skin.
Doctors can check in on patients for preventive care rather than
patients traveling a whole day to get to a doctor, English said.
In addition, patients with conditions such as diabetes are able to
see endocrinologists remotely when distance might prevent in-person
care, she said.
The product consists of a centralized appliance that runs
HealthPresence Connect 2.0 client software and transmits medical device
data from one end to another. HealthPresence also provides simplified
management and enhanced reporting.
Compatibility with ePen technology allows patients to write prescriptions and submit them electronically.
On Oct. 26 Cisco announced its TelePresence VX Clinical Assistant,
which connects to HealthPresence. The VX Clinical Assistant is a mobile
telemedicine cart that allows for HD video collaboration between
doctors and patients.
Brian T. Horowitz is a freelance technology and health writer as well as a copy editor. Brian has worked on the tech beat since 1996 and covered health care IT and rugged mobile computing for eWEEK since 2010. He has contributed to more than 20 publications, including Computer Shopper, Fast Company, FOXNews.com, More, NYSE Magazine, Parents, ScientificAmerican.com, USA Weekend and Womansday.com, as well as other consumer and trade publications. Brian holds a B.A. from Hofstra University in New York.
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