Business

Revolutionizing The Telemedicine Experience

Telemedicine is not a novel idea, although its utilization has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few years. During the early days of the pandemic, many healthcare providers struggled to put a virtual visit plan into place. Yet, at the same time, there were thousands of providers. Who were already utilizing telemedicine technology with great results.

With the pandemic thrusting telehealth into the spotlight, medical providers and entrepreneurs a like are masterminding how to make telehealth better and more accessible.

Furthering Telehealth Through Experience

I am a board-certified cardiologist and electrophysiologist. Who has always had an interest in improving healthcare delivery and outcomes. As Chairman of the InstaMed Health Center, I was at the helm of an innovative delivery system that provided lab, radiology, and diagnostic services all at one location. Telemedicine has a similar role in the healthcare industry in providing easy access to specialists for more people.

Interest in accessibility and cost improvement is what led to the founding of Akos. I knew my experience could inform the creation of a new kind of telehealth. Traditional Telehealth did not provide continuity in care and was transactional. With Akos virtual primary care, patients can speak with a concierge medical provider. Who knows the patient and their medical history — twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days out of the year. Akos further eliminates the wait for a provider by doing away with the need for uncomfortable waiting rooms. Which can be unsafe during peak seasons of illness like cold and flu and commutes that can be long and costly.

Bringing People What They Need

Because Akos is available outside of the normal 9-5 office hours. People can access and ask healthcare professionals to get answers whenever they need them. Therein lies the disruptive part of this technology; patients are accustomed to playing by the rules of somewhat-antiquated healthcare providers, often waiting weeks for an appointment at a time that isn’t inconvenient to them. However, when telehealth technology is available at any time, many of the barriers to healthcare access and answers begin to evaporate.

Akos works with each user to personalize their healthcare experience. Care Coordinators will assess your symptoms and your concerns to match you with the best provider for your specific needs.

Anyone familiar with healthcare in the United States can tell you that cost is a huge factor in health outcomes. The cost of healthcare in the US has skyrocketed. Surprise bills have become commonplace and many people pay high out-of-pocket costs for emergency care, specialists, or after-hours attention to medical needs. We devised Akos to be not only accessible but affordable. There are no surprise bills, hidden fees, or exorbitant rates. The revolution lies in simplification: consistent access at an affordable price.

Continuing the Healthcare Revolution

We are constantly creating new ways for telehealth to help a broader number of people, no matter where they are geographically located. We have taken Akos a step further than other telehealth platforms by integrating with employee medical benefit plans and worker’s compensation. In doing so, employers can count less disruption to productivity when workplace injuries or illness outbreaks occur. When employees are unhealthy, employer takes a hit as well — not only regarding their business’s productivity but its bottom line.

Akos allows employers to provide their employees with 24/7 access to care whether their need is workplace injury-related or due to a personal illness. This gets employees back to work faster and results in less loss of revenue. For the employer, not to mention healthier employees overall.

I believe we all saw the benefits and the necessity of telehealth when the pandemic hit. Suddenly, more people than ever needed the care and accessibility that Telemedicine provides. Those interested in furthering telehealth innovation, like myself and the team at Akos, are consistently devising new ways of making telehealth the best option for all people seeking healthcare.

Before 2020, having a video call with a provider at any time of the day, on any day of the week, was almost unheard of. In 2020. However, the number of healthcare providers offering telehealth services swelled to 95%. This surge was due to immediate necessity. Now, as we come into a post-pandemic world, the continued innovations in telehealth will serve a different purpose. The technology will be improved to bring about better outcomes, serve businesses as well as their employees. Save money and — perhaps above all else — bring maximum accessibility to the market.