Cleveland Clinic has entered into a partnership with the Dublin, Ohio-based health IT firm HealthSpot to offer patients alternative options to access healthcare through technology and HealthSpot’s virtual walk-in kiosks.
HealthSpot stations—private, 8-by-5-foot enclosures outfitted with touch screens, integrated medical devices, and videoconferencing capabilities—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. An on-site accredited medical assistant also supports each station.
The HealthSpot station’s two-way high-definition video screen delivers a unique face-to-face experience between patients and medical providers. An array of digital medical devices embedded in each unit—stethoscope, scale, blood pressure cuff, pulse oximeter, thermometer, otoscope and dermascope—streams medical information to the provider and patient in real time.
Patients can walk up to a station without scheduling an appointment and be treated for minor, common health conditions, including cold and flu, rashes and skin conditions, eye conditions, earaches, sore throat, sinus infections, upper respiratory infections and seasonal allergies. HealthSpot station visits will fully integrate into a patient’s Cleveland Clinic electronic health record (EHR), Cleveland Clinic officials say. Last May, Cleveland Clinic launched a successful one-year pilot of HealthSpot stations in three of its family health centers and received an overall 93 percent patient satisfaction score.
“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,” Toby Cosgrove, M.D., president and CEO of Cleveland Clinic, said in a news release. “This strengthens our ability to meet the growing needs of patients in everyday settings, delivering higher value for their healthcare dollar.”
