Logitech's Webcams allow doctors using Secure Telehealth's telepsychiatry platform to meet with patients remotely and gauge their mental health.
Known for computer
peripherals and home entertainment equipment such as speakers and remotes,
Logitech has entered the health care space with its Webcams, which enable
doctors and patients to connect on a telepsychiatry platform from
Secure Telehealth.
Secure Telehealth provides
psychiatry services over an encrypted cloud-based Web platform for mentally ill
patients or those on psychotropic drugs.
The company targets its
telepsychiatry platform to doctors in large cities who need to treat patients
in rural areas who can't get to a psychiatrist's office. Patients can use the
Secure Telehealth service in homes, clinics or in schools.
Telehealth
services are a growing option for doctors and patients who can't
connect in an actual office. Companies such as American Well and
UnitedHealthGroup provide virtual face-to-face care for patients in remote
areas.
"This has become the
very important component: the ability to treat behavioral health clients in a
rural town," Jim Mountain, owner of Secure Telehealth, told
eWEEK. "The alternative of doing
this is having a psychiatrist in a high-rise office building."
By using the Web platform,
doctors can assess patients' mental wellbeing. Physicians access the virtual
meeting rooms for $300 per month. The service requires a Webcam, a microphone
and Secure Telehealth software on client machines.
Secure Telehealth uses the
Nefsis cloud video conferencing service to
connect doctors and patients. Nefsis provides multipoint high-definition video conferencing
along with Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security (SSL/TLS) encryption.
Meanwhile, Logitech's
Webcams allow doctors and patients to see each other at 30 frames per second.
Logitech says this frame rate allows doctors to observe patients who may have
facial twitches or show signs of drug use.
These frame rates have made
telehealth work on PC-based video conferencing platforms, according to Eric
Kintz, vice president and general manager, Logitech for Business.
"The quality of the
cloud services, combined with broadband access and with the quality of our cameras
where you can see HD quality, just creates the next level of adoption in the
industry," Kintz told
eWEEK.
To access the network,
physicians send a link to clinics to join the conference and record notes in electronic
health record (EHR) applications during sessions, according to Secure
Telehealth.
Schools use the cloud
service when kids are taking mental health medication and need to be examined
by a doctor during the day.
"The alternative of
doing this in the school nurse's office is a godsend," Mountain said.
"The school gets to have that kid in class for the rest of day."
Secure Telehealth had to
work around a school district's firewall, however, with the service's encrypted
SSL packets, Mountain said.
The Logitech Webcams are an
alternative to pricier enterprise services such as the
Cisco VX
Clinical Assistant, which costs thousands of dollars. The VX Clinical
Assistant is a mobile telemedicine cart that provides HD video collaboration
between doctors and patients.
"The quality of the
image on the screen with a PC and Webcam is approaching what can be done with
the much more expensive equipment," Mountain said.
Logitech models compatible
with the Secure Telehealth platform include the Logitech HD Pro Webcam C910,
selling for $84.99. The C910 features Logitech's Fluid Crystal technology,
which has a proprietary algorithm to adjust frame rate, color and sharpness.
In addition to
telepsychiatry services, first responders also use Logitech's Webcams to
conduct video conferencing sessions on tablets, Kintz said.
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