American Well, a U.S. telehealth platform, announced the upcoming launch of the American Well 250 Cart, the most comprehensive cart to connect you to the American Well provider network, giving you access to thousands of specialists on demand. This is also the first integrated telemedicine device brought to market by American Well, after merging with Avizia.
“We have passed the point-of-no-return when it comes to health systems embracing telehealth as a core competency,” said Roy Schoenberg MD, CEO of American Well. “Focus is quickly shifting from the thrill of instant video connectivity to the recognizing the operational efficiencies that come from the redistribution of clinical skills across buildings, facilities and networks. The new 250 cart allows for the consumption of a mix of services – from both clinicians inside the institution, as well as clinicians from affiliated networks across the country – at any point-of-care. This is the first time health systems will be able to digitally load-balance their clinical services, all through a single device.”
The American Well 250 Telemedicine Cart is an FDA Class I registered medical device that enables access to providers either via the Cloud, beyond a health system’s current network, or the health system’s own providers. Clinicians can start a telehealth consult with one click and integrate peripheral images seamlessly into the telehealth consult. The pan-tilt zoom camera option on the 250 cart delivers optimal conditions for remote providers to better diagnose and recommend treatment for the patient; and embedded remote monitoring tools ensure the cart is ready for use at all times.
Key use cases include:
- Behavioral Health. Patients receiving therapy at a local hospital can connect with a remote psychologist using the 250 cart. Patients and providers save hours of “windshield time” and more patients can be treated immediately, with less wait time.
- Emergency Department Triage. For non-acute visits to the ED, health systems can use the 250 cart to connect patients with a remote provider which saves the patient wait time and enables the hospital to better triage non-urgent visits and better manage patient volumes. An entire visit, from arrival to discharge, takes about a half hour—just a fraction of what is typically a much longer wait.
- School Health. The 250 cart provides on-demand or chronic care for school children, with the ability for the school nurse to staff the cart and specialized digital equipment – otoscopes, stethoscope – to connect with an experienced remote provider to treat everything from injuries and illnesses, to asthma and diabetes. Students benefit from better access to care and parents don’t have to take time off work to take their children to the doctor.
- Skilled Nursing Facilities. Skilled Nursing Facilities can use the 250 cart to call in remote providers to treat seniors in their current surroundings, instead of moving them to the ED. The cart can be used for on-demand purposes, as well as for post-acute follow up care, reducing readmission rates and transfer costs. Patient outcomes are also improved by leaving the senior in their familiar environment, sparing them the ordeal of a transfer.
“In addition to unparalleled access to providers, the 250 cart takes telehealth devices to a whole new level with enhanced performance and augmented security,” said Cory Costley, SVP of Devices at American Well. “This is a true end-to-end system that has been purpose-built for telehealth.”
