Healthcare Kiosks are Coming

Walk-in kiosks for retail settings are coming and promise to deliver healthcare on the spot via telemedicine. HealthSpot is part of a wave of upcoming small, walk-in telemedicine kiosk designed to deliver access to high-quality healthcare in retail stores and other non-traditional settings.

Soon after we came across the LifeBot 5 portable emergency room a closely related effort was brought to our attention. Focusing this time on traditional doctor’s visits, HealthSpot is a small, walk-in telemedicine kiosk designed to deliver access to high-quality healthcare in retail stores and other non-traditional settings.

Recognizing the additional strain that will be placed on the healthcare system as some 40 million more Americans become insured under the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, Ohio-based HealthSpot aims to increase access to high quality, convenient and affordable healthcare by expanding beyond the walls of the traditional doctor’s office. Specifically, the company’s new HealthSpot Station walk-in kiosks offer an alternative via high-definition videoconferencing and telehealth tools. So, rather than wait in line at a doctor’s office or urgent care clinic, patients will be able to visit the closest HealthSpot Station and talk with a board-certified doctor via video conferencing. Inside each 10-foot kiosk are a scale and television dashboard as well as a variety of common medical tools, according to a TechCrunch report.

The remotely located doctor guides the patient as he or she uses the stethoscope and other tools for gathering data about various vital signs, which are then displayed graphically. An attendant is always on hand to help check the patient in and offer help when necessary, and a combination of automatic and manual cleaning procedures keep sanitization levels even higher than those of a traditional doctor’s office, the company says. Targeted locations include retail sites such as grocery stores, urgent care facilities, emergency rooms, doctor’s offices, specialist offices, rural areas, campuses, developing nations and even large businesses, “Where employees could walk down the hall and see a doctor in 20 minutes instead of taking half a day off from work,” HealthSpot explains. The video explains the premise in more detail:

HealthSpot unveiled its kiosks at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas earlier this month. Currently, it’s pilot-testing its concept in Ohio urgent care clinics and a children’s hospital. Pricing on the stations will reportedly be between $10,000 and $15,000; patients will pay $60-80 per visit. Healthcare entrepreneurs: one to get involved in?

Spotted by: Murtaza Patel

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