Providers using DrChrono’s digital EHR system will now be able to conduct virtual appointments through a smartphone. This comes after the company announced that it is integrating Beam, a digital health platform that lets providers bill and connect patients to virtual care, into its system.
Physicians already on the DrChrono system can will now be able to see their patients through HD, HIPAA-compliant smartphone videos, according to the company. Beam was designed to let providers use the technology when needed and pay based on use. It pitches itself as an alternative to large telehealth companies that have their own medical staff.
WHY IT MATTERS
With physician burnout on the rise, the industry is starting to look for ways to make doctor’s workflows more efficient and ease up case loads. Telemedicine is often pitched as a solution to this issue — especially if it's convenient for a physician to use.
“Our mission is to enable the medical practice of the future with the very best technology, and we see amazing synergy with the Beam Health team,” Daniel Kivatinos, COO and cofounder of DrChrono, said in a statement. “Telemedicine technology is part of our future. Many practices want to provide a telemedicine experience and through the Beam Health app, it is possible for a physician to see a patient easily.”
WHAT'S THE TREND
Beam launched last September at Health 2.0, billing itself as the first pay-as-you-scale digital health platform and catering to smaller providers looking to go digital. The platform lets patients and providers make calls, send texts and hold video chats, while still protecting the provider’s number. It was also developed to be able to help doctors bill insurance companies.
In February DrChrono, which employs iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch, landed ONC certification for Meaningful Use Stage 3. The company said that it was the first mobile-based platform to get the designation.
The EHR company made news last month when it inked a deal with CoverMyMeds to expand an ongoing partnership between the companies. As part of the deal CoverMyMeds will include electronic prior authorization through DrChrono’s EHR, which is expected to help save time.
ON THE RECORD
“Large IDNs, health systems and hospitals are purchasing, acquiring and partnering with smaller individual offices across the country, making it increasingly difficult for private practitioners to thrive; the traditional telemedicine model has, in some ways, served to further this trend,” Ranga Jayawardena, CCO and cofounder of Beam Health, said in a statement. “Most telemedicine companies are vertically integrated practices that hire physicians to provide remote consults. Beam flips the traditional teleheath model on its head; instead of hiring physicians to do telemedicine, Beam offers providers a means to easily add telemedicine to their practices through our mobile app, Beam Health. With our integration into DrChrono, practices all over the country, can now use the app within their EHR to immediately make telemedicine part of their practice.”
