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Technology continues to transform every aspect of society and the delivery of health care is no exception with Smart Care Doc branded clinics inside select Walmart stores now offering patients the ability to video conference with doctors.
BCS Global and Telemed Ventures this week announced they had teamed up to deliver deliver “cloud-based managed visual collaboration services” to Walmart’s Retail Clinics. Telemed operates Walmart clinics under the Smart Care Doc brand and BCS Global is provider of videoconferencing services.
According to the companies, BCS Global’s managed visual collaboration solution enables remote video consultations between a patient and doctor through a life-like, virtual face-to-face video interface, over a secure video network. As a result, Telemed is able to provide a reliable and secure visual collaboration platform for patients, nurses, doctors and healthcare providers. Users of the service have the ability to conduct face-to-face interactions over the internet using existing laptops, smartphones or tablets.
According to the companies, patients receive all the benefits of a traditional doctor’s visit such as the ability to see a doctor instead of a less experienced practitioner, engaging the doctor in a face-to-face dialogue about medical issues, predictable and transparent pricing options, and the accurate acquisition of vitals and health information.
“My focus has always been to improve quality, enhance access, and lower cost of healthcare delivery by leveraging technology,” said Telemed Ventures founder and CEO, Dr. Raj Shah. “The cost of health care has been spiraling in the United States, yet we rank 19th in the world in healthcare outcomes. Our Smart Care Doc retail locations deliver an office visit for 40% to 50% less than the fee for traditional office visits by integrating diagnostic medical devices with a world class video network.”
Clive Sawkins, CEO of BCS Global added, “We are very excited to partner with Telemed to deliver our managed, cloud-based, visual collaboration solution to Walmart’s retail medical clinics. Video technology continues to evolve exponentially. Technology that came to market 12 to 18 months ago is now primetime. Surpassing the underlying technology that powered the legacy video systems of yesterday is a newer, more intelligent technology that enables us to bring to Walmart’s retail medical clinics, a cost-effective solution, and an improved user experience.”
The way the system works is video stations set up within the clinics enable patients to virtually conduct interactive doctor and specialist visits. The service is designed to promote the effective utilization of healthcare resources in a cost-effective manner and increase patients’ access to healthcare professionals. The best part is it eliminates the aggravation of a visit to a doctor’s office such as travelling long distances or waiting for an hour in a lobby filled with old magazines.