Doximity, a digital platform for medical professionals, has added a bundle of new features to its telehealth offering, called Doximity Dialer.

The Dialer allows providers to conduct voice or video telehealth visits from their personal smartphone without sharing their private information. The app can customize a provider's caller ID so patients only see the office number when it’s time for the visit.

Additionally, the Dialer is HIPAA-compliant and doesn’t require any additional setup on the patient side.

“Patient expectations have changed through the pandemic, as has day-to-day life for many of our members in the medical community,” Dr. Peter Alperin, vice president of product at Doximity, said in a statement.

“Telehealth is part of this evolution, and we’re proud to say that Dialer has been an important tool in helping to facilitate this transition to virtual care.”

WHAT’S THE IMPACT?

The new features include desktop capabilities to allow providers to view their telehealth visits on a larger screen. Healthcare providers can now use screen-sharing during visits to review lab results, imaging, x-rays and more directly with patients.

Doximity also added a language-interpreter tool where providers can connect their preferred interpretation service into visits.

Additionally, the Dialer now supports group calling and patient hand-offs to include family members and caregivers in the visit, or to transfer calls to a different colleague.

Doximity says it now supports over 150 U.S. health systems that have deployed the Dialer at an enterprise level, including Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, UC San Diego Health, Fairview Health Services and Loma Linda University Health.

“The telehealth program at Loma Linda University Health offers patients a safe and convenient way to receive care, without ever having to leave their home," Dr. Ricardo Peverini, a neonatologist at Loma Linda University Health, said in a statement.

"Dialer Enterprise helps us expand access to care and improve overall clinical experience for patients. The ability to send a video link to patients by text message ensures patients can access their visit easily, and their appointment will not be missed."

THE LARGER TREND

Virtual care has become a cornerstone of healthcare throughout the COVID-19 pandemic for its ability to remotely connect doctors and patients. In Doximity’s 2020 State of Telemedicine Report, it found that up to $106 billion of current U.S. healthcare spend could be virtualized by 2023.

Others in the telehealth space include Amwell, which reported a 65% increase in revenue year-over-year during its recent Q4 earnings call.

The telehealth M&A arena has been fairly busy recently, with Doctor on Demand merging with Grand Rounds and Cigna's health services subsidiary Evernorth buying up MDLive.

Telecommunications giant Verizon also recently joined the space with its BlueJeans Telehealth launch.