News Feature | May 23, 2014

Kiosks Provide Easy Access To Docs

Katie Wike

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

Healthcare Kiosks

Real-time appointments in convenient kiosks could be the next way for patients connect with their doctors outside of the office.

HealthSpot and the Cleveland Clinic have teamed up to connect patients to providers from more convenient locations. HealthSpot’s kiosks will enable Cleveland Clinic medical providers to see and treat patients in a variety of nontraditional healthcare settings such as universities, employers, and retail locations.

According to mHealth News, the private 8-by-5-foot kiosks are designed to give consumers a private videoconference-based interaction with a doctor and include access to diagnostic tools and electronic medical records. Each comes supported by an on-site accredited medical assistant.

“Healthcare innovation is essential to make care more accessible to patients. This relationship allows patients to utilize the latest technology to connect to Cleveland Clinic experts in a more convenient way,” said Toby Cosgrove, M.D., CEO and president of Cleveland Clinic in a press release. “This strengthens our ability to meet the growing needs of patients in everyday settings, delivering higher value for their healthcare dollar.”

A pilot was launched by the two organizations last May and received 93 percent satisfaction with users. HealthSpot’s vice president of marketing, Lisa Maughan, explained at a recent ATA conference that consumers are able to access their own doctor or pick from a list local physicians. They can then have a real-time consult or schedule an appointment.

“Through the visionary leadership and partnership with a world-class health system like Cleveland Clinic, we have been able to accomplish our goal of extending the local healthcare eco-system out to patients. Together we will be researching the vast amount of new point-of-care technology and developing new ways to integrate that into our solution all while lowering costs and increasing access to quality healthcare for patients,” said Steve Cashman, HealthSpot CEO.