Orlando, FL. This week at Telehealth 2.0, the annual conference of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), Yorktel unveiled enhancements to its mobile telehealth kit, FeatherMed, which empowers caregivers with customization, flexibility, interoperability, and versatility to improve clinical workflows and provide a higher level of patient-centric care.
FeatherMed kits combine FDA-approved medical diagnostic tools and Yorktel’s secure communication software application that integrates with any healthcare delivery system, improving the ease and efficiency of multisite collaboration between hospitals, specialists, home healthcare providers, and their patients.
For two-way video, the updated kits offer the choice of using either FeatherMed’s built-in video application with data-streaming software or a separate video client compatible with a health delivery system’s Cisco, Polycom, Vidyo, Skype for Business, or other video platform. A new modular design allows for various configurations to match the right medical device with any clinical application. Additional accessory options are available, giving health systems the ability to custom design their kit.
Each kit is compact, durable, lightweight and portable, weighing 12 lbs. Packaged in an ergonomic carrying case, FeatherMed is 50% lighter than comparable solutions, the company said. Paired with a proprietary video compression technology requiring bandwidth as low as 90 kb/s, compared to 700 kb/s required by other devices, FeatherMed provides the added assurance of HD, encrypted, jitter-free video for face-face consultations in remote situations, a critical factor in providing quality care in home health, emergency, and crisis environments, as well as long-term care facilities in rural communities.
Compliant with home healthcare regulations, FeatherMed allows nurses, paramedics, and other caregivers to deliver quality, efficient care in off-site settings and follow-up with patients discharged from hospitals for whom recurring onsite visits are not practical, such as seniors, veterans and chronically ill patients.
“Faster care means more lives saved, and the enhancements to FeatherMed outfit caregivers with portable, effective equipment that is essential for mobile healthcare,” said Yorktel senior vice president for healthcare Pete McLain. “Yorktel continues to look for ways to leverage video-conferencing technologies to improve access to healthcare by bringing the clinician to wherever the patient is.”
Yorktel’s dedicated healthcare practice comprises products and services for clinical application of video conferencing throughout a healthcare network, both inpatient and outpatient. In addition, Yorktel offers professional services to assist in developing a video-conferencing strategy to drive new telehealth programs across multiple applications. Yorktel can perform detailed reviews of workflows, user types, existing solutions, networks, infrastructure, and preferred forms of collaboration, leading to recommendations for new design and deployment for current and future needs.
“As legislation across the country provides more favorable reimbursement policies for remote care, demand for reliable, HIPAA-compliant telehealth solutions will reach new heights in the coming years,” added McLain. “The continuous expansion of our healthcare practice addresses this new direction in healthcare, and reflects Yorktel’s commitment to providing effective telehealth solutions that align technology with user preferences and use case.”
Yorktel makes telehealth possible by providing encrypted video communications that support interoperability and mobile point-of-care platforms, connecting doctors, specialists, and clinicians to patients everywhere. With its ISO 27001-certified, state-of-the-art video network operations center (VNOC), Yorktel provides the assurance of video communication security and privacy, and best practices that adhere to protected health information standards and HIPAA compliance.
The FeatherMed suite includes these Clinic Kit core components:
- 10” tablet,
- separate integrated speaker/microphone,
- Bluetooth keyboard,
- Logitech web camera,
- disposable wired earpieces, and
- CAT5/6 LAN adapter with 10’ patch cord.
Accessory devices include an ultrasound abdominal probe, ultrasound vascular probe, and dermascope.
The Clinic Medical Device Bundle includes these features:
- exam camera,
- otoscope,
- stethoscope,
- thermometer,
- pulse oximeter,
- glucose meter,
- blood pressure kit,
- single-lead ECG, and
- Medical Device Data dashboard software.
The Cardiac Medical Device Bundle includes a stethoscope, 12-lead electrocardiogram, and ultrasound vascular probe. The Clinic Lite Medical Device Bundle includes an exam camera, otoscope, and stethoscope.
