Innovation

Call9 is an innovative company that has come up with a truly efficient way of delivering emergency care to older patients at nursing homes. Their video calling software has enabled nursing home nurses to be connected with emergency care specialists within seconds in the case of an emergency. With their proprietary technology, they are able to instantly show the doctor at the other end of the call the patient's vitals and other relevant lifetime information. They can provide labs, EKGs, telemetry, and ultrasounds on site at the patient's bedside. The systems are also integrated with the patient's medical records making the diagnosis process more accurate. They are able to give the elderly 24/7 care without leaving the comfort of their residence in most cases.

Call9 has fixed a big problem by cutting down on the time and costs of nursing home patients to be seen by a healthcare specialist. The company takes pride in the fact that it has been able to use telemedicine technology without taking away the human side of treatment. This is done by having at least one call9 healthcare staff in each of their contracted nursing home locations. Doing so enables a faster response and diagnosis without the need of transferring the patient right away. This is playing a big impact on the lives of many patients in rehabilitation centers and nursing homes today. They are literally saving precious time that will be used towards properly treating the patient in a more efficient manner.

Inspiration

Their 36-year-old founder and CEO Tim Peck left a position at Harvard to solve the issue and frustration he noticed with his elderly patients first hand. The company was founded in 2015 and based out of Brooklyn New York. Tim Peck discovered that about 20% of trips to the emergency room were from nursing homes and rehabilitation centers. With the implementation of call9, patients get to save costs and inconvenience of taking a trip to the hospital 80% of the time. When starting the company, their founder was so dedicated that he physically lived in a nursing home to learn everything from operations to the finances that took place. The company currently saves 8 million dollars a year and will increase this number by expanding to more nursing homes around the country. As founder Tim Peck said, "this is about share decisions making, doing what is right for the patient, and moving the healthcare system to the next level".

Overall impact

By changing the scheme of medical care through a virtual system of connecting doctors to patients right at the bedside, there is an overall impact by Call9's expeditious alternative to traditional hospital visits. They are able to better determine the needs of a patient from the comfort of their bed. Having Call9 responders right there also enables patients treatment to be more personalized and feel more inclusive. PAtients will feel like they have a say and are able to have a more open dialogue with the responder that is always there instead of someone different every time they go to a hospital. On the responder's side, they are able to build up a better report on the patient and develop and stronger more truth-worthy relationship that can facilitate conversations.

In the long run, they will introduce a method of diagnosis and treatment that saves lives through a more direct and real-time communication with medical experts all the while saving money for the insurance companies. The fact that a high percentage of possible trips to the emergency room can be prevented by having a Call9 responder present is evidence that such this healthcare innovation is crucial. The evidence that suggests that this new method of telemedicine actually works is the amazing testimonies that Call9 has received of patient's gratefulness for their services as well. Call9 will prevent thousands of people from ending up at a hospital when they do not need to be there and provide a better healthcare system for such individuals.

Business benefit

Call9 business manages to significantly cut down costs of multiple visits to the hospital and unnecessary stays which make it attractive to their target customer, insurance companies. After the interview with Jill, we were able to notice right away that the opinions of the healthcare employees and managers of the impact this company is having are aligned. They feel proud to be working for a company that has the ability to truly revolutionize telemedicine while still being able to be run as a for-profit business.

The company has reached the 30 million dollar mark in venture capital investment, drilling down funding from angels like Ashton Kutcher and 23&Me’s Anne Wojcicki. The firm has its one location in Brooklyn New York. However, it seeks to expand its operational base and hopes that the US government will eventually pay for its unique state-of-the-art telemedical technology. Due to the businesses ability and knowledge on healthcare, it has been able to quickly make use of its technology to begin saving lives as fast as possible.

Social and environmental benefit

Their mission to prevent unnecessary hospital trips and providing diagnostics and treatments on site can improve health care for individuals living in housed institutions. The time and costs spent by transporting a patient to a hospital in case of an emergency is quite a lot. By using their proprietary technology and expert onsite staff, this costly time can be decreased or prevented. Society will be gifted with an improved way of diagnosing and treating patients through the use of onsite technology.

On the other side, insurance companies will save a lot of money by cutting down on their cots of transporting patients to the hospital when it is not necessary. This can eventually influence the cost of health insurance for patients in rehab centers and retirement homes. Call9's new way of treatment will also improve the way patients can interact with their healthcare provider through an on-site specialist. This will facilitate the communication between patient and doctor and better the overall patient experience. Last but not least, family members of the patients will also benefit from having an on-site specialist which will be able to guide and explain any medical procedures done. The integration of technology provided by Call9 is truly life-changing and can definitely ameliorate the treatment and diagnosis factors of healthcare today.

Interview

Jill Griffin, Physician