ShareMedical Inc. announced a business alliance with PHC Corporation. Specifically, PHC Corporation will provide "Nexstetho" to Teladoc HEALTH, Inc.'s telemedicine platform "Teladoc HEALTH" in the U.S., for which PHC Corporation has the sales rights in Japan.
The first step will be to enable a variety of tests in online medical care centered on auscultation, with the aim of improving the diagnostic accuracy of physicians and expanding the range of diseases that are conventionally difficult to diagnose using only video and medical interviews, and co-creating a next-generation online medical care system.
Background of the need for "Testing" in online medical care
In Japan, the ban on online medical care has been lifted, but it has not become widespread, with online medical care accounting for only about one millionth of all outpatient visits. This is because the video and image-based interviews used in conventional online medical care are insufficient to make a definitive diagnosis based on tests. Compared to conventional face-to-face medical care, physicians need less information to make a diagnosis, and many physicians feel uneasy about making a diagnosis.
Patients are also becoming increasingly anxious about whether they will be able to correctly communicate their medical conditions, and are afraid of making a mistake.
ShareMedical Inc. has obtained a basic patent for "remote auscultation," which is an auscultation performed via the Internet with the aim of developing an online medical model that enables objective diagnosis based on clinical data, rather than just a medical interview, by combining online medical treatment with an examination. The first practical application of this technology was the medical MaaS "mobile clinic" in Ina City, Nagano Prefecture, which was cited as a successful case study in the Digital Rural City concept. If online medical examinations become available, it will be possible to provide medical services to patients in the primary care field who are unaware of their condition.
Nexstetho, a digital auscultation device for online medical care
Nexstetho (model: SDNX 01G) features a simple design that can be understood non-verbally, wireless, and a minimalistic interface for intuitive operation, and has been granted a basic patent for real-time remote auscultation technology. It has also been put to practical use in a medical MaaS "mobile clinic" in Ina City, Nagano Prefecture.
Telemedicine system "Teladoc HEALTH"
A remotely operable, real-time telemedicine system that connects medical institutions with few specialists online with specialists in remote locations. The system can be connected to peripheral medical equipment such as diagnostic ultrasound systems to immediately monitor the patient's condition. The top-of-the-line model (model Lite 4) is equipped with a 45x zoom and a high-resolution(*) camera that can rotate approximately 360 degrees.
(*)Resolution 1920 x 1080p, 24-bit color (for Teladoc HEALTH Lite 4 and Mini)