September 2017

Mend Review for Telemedicine & Telehealth

Mend Telemedicine Review

Mend is one of the highest rated platforms for Telemedicine online so you don’t have to only take our word for it. The great part is that they go well beyond Telehealth. Consider this a communications platform for all of your front-office needs.

This is a software platform that is very affordable, enterprise grade, and going to solve way more problems than just adding virtual video visits to your practice. AND other online reviews from customers always seem to mention how great their customer service and tech support is… if you even need it.

Some of the postings online do mention connectivity as one potential downside. However, Mend seems to have a lot of tools to assist if there are connection problems. Remember, this is probably the patients first time doing a virtual visit so there could be a learning curve.

• Instant tech support is available if staff or a patient needs it
• Connection instructions in multiple languages
• Automated testing built into the reminder process
• No hoops like extra software or registrations to folks get connected
• Real-time video connection status during the visits
• The latest video technology is used that can operate with great quality on a fraction of a megabit at 250 Kbps

We’ve witnessed the technology work extremely well even in large Medicaid populations!

Beyond video visits, they also support messaging visits with full patient scheduling.

Integrations are also where Mend seems to have everyone beat. They have the ability to communicate bi-directionally with just about any other system out there on the market. We’re not exactly sure how they accomplish this, but we’ve seen it work in real-time with systems that have zero HL7 or API support. It’s really incredible technology. This is a huge consideration long-term!

But wait, there is more… this is a communications platform that goes beyond video to finally introduce automation and paperless solutions. Here are some examples:

• Referrals
• Orders
• Leads
• Demographics
• Payment – insurance & credit card
• Agreements & consents (e-signature & multi-signature forms)
• Medical histories
• HPI & ROS
• Delivery of clinical summary/education back to patients
• Satisfaction surveys
• Treatment plans
• Income verification
• Appointment reminders
• Photos
• Other electronic files.

Finally, another very useful tool is that all of this can be wrapped up into various kiosk modes for paperwork automation and virtual visits. THis has many applications in healthcare including various inpatient scenarios.

We hope you enjoyed the Mend review and we wish you great success if modernizing care for your patients and clients.

Mend Editor rating as a Telehealth solution:

View a full Mend product comparison to other viable Telehealth solutions

Mend website:

https://www.mendfamily.com/

WeCounsel Review for Telemedicine & Telehealth

WeCounsel Review

WeCounsel is a solid product, but because of the high bandwidth video technology they are using, it’s tough to really give them high marks because patients are likely to struggle to maintain a good quality connection.

Bandwidth is such a critical factor and WeCousel uses Vidyo technology, which is now obsolete to newer, Web based technologies. First, most of our Internet connections are shared whether at home, work, or out and about. Co-workers, family members, or even neighbors can affect how much bandwidth is available. Then, other programs or apps, like Facebook, can be running behind the scenes also using bandwidth. Sharing video requires downloading and uploading at the same time so to require 3 Mbps is going to be problematic. Other technologies can work great, in high definition, for a fraction of the bandwidth.

Here are some other limitations to consider:

• Vidyo technology is not cheap, so there could be other costs here
• Groups are limited to 3-6 and realistically 3 is probably a stretch with the bandwidth requirements
• Online integrates with Google and other online calendars; otherwise, no integrations to clinical and back office systems
• E-commerce is likely to have additional fees beyond a regular merchant account
• Support can be limited
• E-signature is likely to be an additional tool and cost
• Mobile support is unrealistic with the bandwidth requirements unless on really strong WiFi
• No patient scheduling available

In scanning online reviews, here are what some real users have discovered…

“Seems not to work well on mobile devices”

“But most of my clients CAN’T open, speak, see and be seen by me on video talk, unfortunately!!!”

“It is tricky for clients to set up, without assistance.”

“Some glitches with connecting.”

“No tools to identify when there are lags in service.”

“i enjoy wecounsel but sometimes my patients find difficulties with getting started. also, sometimes the video quality isn’t the best.”

“Difficulty in getting new folks set up.”

“Video quality isn’t better ham other options. Not easy to navigate around. Too many steps/lclicks to get into a session. No option to turn off scheduling or note taking features so you and client don’t get prompts. No whiteboard feature despite being advertised.”

“… clients still have struggled to get their video up and running on the first session.”

“I am fairly tech-minded, and yet found set-up and ease of operation to be somewhat challenging. Clients have had to spend time with tech support before using the platform, which is not what a new client needs to experience via tele-health.”

So there are several big issues going on here that are going to make virtual video visits difficult with this product:

1. The bandwidth requirements are simply too steep for the average patient
2. The Vidyo video technology requires a special software / plug-in download to work and any additional steps to connect will create problems
3. If the patient has to log in and go through a registration process to connect, this will also create problems for a successful Telemedicine initiative

There are simply better solutions available that are just as affordable but will work far better long-term for your healthcare organization. This is your future and the future of healthcare so don’t take this decision lightly. Do the homework and understand the caveats.

We hope you enjoyed the WeCounsel review and we wish you great success if modernizing care for your patients and clients.

WeCounsel Editor rating as a Telehealth solution:

View a full WeCounsel product comparison to other top Telehealth companies

WeCounsel website:

https://www.wecounsel.com/

Doxy Review for Telemedicine & Telehealth

Doxy Review

Doxy is a low-cost Telemedicine solution, but that means it’s going to fall short on many features that your healthcare organization is going to need to be successful for the long-term.

The product does appear to be easy to use and their customer support is rated well online. However, there are very few reviews online so it might not be in wide use yet.

Notable areas where Doxy falls short of being a long-term, viable solution for a successful Telemedicine strategy for your healthcare organization:

• No scheduling or patient scheduling – this is a huge feature limitation.
• Limited group conferencing – this is limited to 3, which probably wouldn’t support group therapy or other group applications.
• Zero integration – this solution isn’t going to interface with your EHR or PMS.
• Esignature – if you need any documents signed, patients would still need to come in to do that.
• No other forms or clinical assessments – patients would have to come into an office for that. Finding HIPAA compliant solutions to handle forms are very expensive.
• Limited support and after-hours support – who on your staff wants to provide tech support to patients if they have trouble connecting?
• No automated testing – this means patients will have trouble connecting to their visits.
• Limited mobile support – iOS only… not going to work as many patients only have access to mobile or prefer to connect via mobile.
• No messaging – asynchronous support is non-existent.

Ultimately, there are better products available out there that will support you long-term and don’t cost that much more.

We hope you enjoyed the Doxy review and we wish you great success if modernizing care for your patients and clients.

Doxy Editor rating as a Telehealth solution:

View a full Doxy.me product comparison to other viable top Telehealth solutions

Doxy website:

https://doxy.me/

Zoom Review for Telemedicine & Telehealth

Zoom Healthcare Review

Zoom is a highly rated video conferencing solution, but probably not going to be the right long-term tool for virtual connectivity with patients. Even though this tool is HIPAA compliant as Zoom with sign a BAA, it was designed to be a video conferencing solution. When treating patients virtually from their home or work, you really need something designed specifically for that.

This could be a great internal tool used for video conferencing and would allow you to discuss personal health information.

Zoom does integrate with Epic, but that is the extent of their integration technology. If you cannot integrate, this is going to really impact your Telemedicine strategy long-term.

Other features missing that you’re really going to want from a Telehealth solution:

• E-commerce – how will you collect credit card payments for co-pays and deductibles if the patient is no longer in the office?
• Esignature – you may need consents and other documentation that is collected in the office now.
• Assessments – collecting any sort of clinical assessment or other forms is not possible with Zoom.
• Support – if a patient has trouble connecting, support is going to be limited and your staff would need to provide tech support in addition to patient care.
• Testing – if patients don’t test prior to their visit, this is going to be a problem.
• Reimbursement – understanding payer contracts and regulations is also not going to happen with a video conferencing solution.
• Messaging – very limited.
• Scheduling – patients cannot schedule their own virtual visits.

The final big drawback with this solution for treating patients is the bandwidth requirements. You need at least 2Mbps up and down. This isn’t going to work well for patients, especially those using cellular service. Video reception could easily be choppy or have echoes.

We hope you enjoyed the Zoom review and we wish you great success if modernizing care for your patients and clients.

Zoom Editor rating as a Telehealth solution:

View a full Zoom product comparison to other top Telehealth platforms

Zoom website:

https://zoom.us/

About Zoom:

Zoom makes video and web conferencing frictionless. Founded in 2011, Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with a secure, easy platform for video and audio conferencing, messaging, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Zoom helps over 700,000 businesses and organizations bring their teams together to get more done. Zoom is a private company headquartered in San Jose, CA.

Lifesize Review for Telemedicine & Telehealth

WARNING: This product is NOT HIPAA compliant.

Lifesize Review…

First and foremost, Lifesize is a video conferencing solution. This is not a solution that was designed from the ground up for healthcare and Telemedicine. You could do some generic, internal video conferencing, but Lifesize is not going to be a good option for your patients.

Facetime, Skype, and many other video tools are not HIPAA compliant so you’ll want to be very careful here to comply with state and federal regulations in regards to protecting personal health information.

You can have up to 50 participants and there is limited chat functionality with the video conferencing screen. Lifesize also consumes less bandwidth than other popular video conferencing tools.

This particular tool isn’t going to integrate with any of your back office tools like an EHR or practice management system. This is very important to consider is establishing a long-term solution for virtual care with your patients.

Lifesize was founded in 2003 in the United States.

We hope you enjoyed the Lifesize review and we wish you great success if modernizing care for your patients and clients.

Editor rating as a Telehealth solution:

View a full Lifesize product comparison to other top Telehealth companies

Lifesize website:

https://www.lifesize.com/

About Lifesize:

For more than a decade, Lifesize has been at the forefront of video collaboration delivering high-quality technology designed to bring people together. Our focus is on developing market-leading products that deliver easy-to-use and scalable audio, web and video conferencing. We combine an integrated, best-in-class cloud-based conferencing experience, with award-winning, easy-to-use HD camera systems and HD phones so that you can connect to anyone, anywhere. It’s a meeting experience like no other.