CliniCloud, the Melbourne, Australia-based company that makes a connected stethoscope and thermometer to support telemedicine use cases, announced a partnership with New Jersey retail and concierge healthcare organization Astra Primary Care Associates. The partnership marks a new direction for CliniCloud, which has so far deployed its app and devices as an add-on to telemedicine services offered via payers, such as existing partner Doctor on Demand.
"Astra is a little bit different," CliniCloud Chief Growth Officer Michael Roeder told MobiHealthNews. "They’re trying to create more of a stickiness or an opportunity to engage with a customer and make sure they’re a repeat customer or a true patient. That’s what we’re doing with Astra and others, including hospitals that are really trying to get into telehealth. How do we see a particular patient and get them to keep coming back for a checkup? How do we engage with the patient but also have more of that stickiness so we have more certainty that they’re going to come back to us as a caregiver rather than going anywhere else?"
CliniCloud offers a wireless non-contact thermometer and a digital stethoscope that plug into a smartphone via the headphone jack. The non-contact thermometer scans temperature via the superficial temporal artery on the forehead, which CliniCloud claims is as accurate as an in-ear thermometer. The stethoscope, meanwhile, uses a cord in the headphone jack rather than a Bluetooth connection to ensure high-quality lossless audio. The devices can be used during a virtual visit or asynchronously: patients can take readings and send them to their clinician, and then the clinician can let them know if a follow-up via telemedicine or an in-person visit is needed.
Astra is launching the partnership with CliniCloud in conjunction with the launch of its telehealth-enabled concierge care service Wi-Phy. CliniCloud Medical Kits (containing the two devices) will be given to every patient who signs up for the service as an incentive and an engagement tool. The devices will also be available for purchase at a discounted rate for Astra's retail customers.
“The partnership between CliniCloud and Wi-Phy empowers our patients to gather accurate and reliable clinical data in an easy-to-use manner, whether at home or at work.” Dr. Vasudha Tulsyan, cofounder of AstraHealth, said in a statement. “The ability to remotely receive key elements of the classic physical examination revolutionizes the manner in which our physicians deliver care. We believe it will eliminate delays in treatment, minimize unnecessary trips to the emergency room or doctor’s office, and reduce the overall cost of care. Most importantly, we believe it will improve health outcomes.”
The company is planning several similar rollouts with retail and urgent care clinics including a pediatric urgent care center in San Francisco, Roeder told MobiHealthNews. Although the company is based in Australia, the US market has shown the strongest interest, he said.
"Our receptivity is stronger in the US and that’s why the focus is stronger in the US," he said. "Especially as telemedicine evolves on a constant basis, we’re seeing a lot stronger interest here."
