What technology do I need to start a telehealth service?

Want to provide a virtual care service for your rural and remote patients, but not sure what technology you need?

This how-to guide will help you understand the technology required to get your telemedicine service up and running.

Telehealth is an important tool that connects patients with the virtual healthcare they need.

There is one question that we regularly get asked: What technology do I need to provide a telehealth service for my patients?

The answer is simple – all you need is:

1. Broadband internet connection.
2. Technology to enable medical grade video calls.
3. A clinical toolkit of integrated telehealth medical devices.

We sat down with our Business Development Manager, Alex Hollings, to discuss these three requirements in detail.

Alex Hollings

Business Development Manager, Visionflex

“In regional and remote areas, when a local health professional provides a virtual care service, it greatly expands the scope of medical services they can provide to patients in the community.

“Telehealth enables access to remote medical and allied health expertise. It reduces the need for patient travel for health appointments, which in turn reduces travel costs and the associated stress of patient transport over long distances.

“In isolated Indigenous communities, where there can be higher rates of health issues including serious ear infections, diabetes, COPD, and rheumatic heart disease, clinical telehealth technology enables the provision of a timely, effective, and culturally informed remote primary health service.

“Telehealth also helps rural and remote patients along their health journey: pre-and post-medical procedure visits, as well as ongoing check-ups can all be performed virtually.

“To launch your rural or remote telehealth service, here is my go-to list of technology recommendations.”

ITEM #1

Connectivity

The first thing that is required to operate a clinical telehealth service is an optimal broadband internet connection.

A clinical telehealth video-call service requires a stable, low-latency connection that provides upload and download speeds of around 1.5 megabits/second.

In remote areas, internet connectivity can be patchy. Infrastructure may not exist and/or there could be connection blank spots. Other times, access can be impacted by weather conditions including storms, rain, and extreme heat.

The Visionflex telehealth system can work around all these connectivity issues: video calls can be conducted via cable and Wi-Fi in areas where there is good connectivity. Our ProEX Mobile – a portable, rugged telehealth device – can operate with a 4G SIM card.

In areas where there is no terrestrial connection, satellite connections – for example Telstra’s Sky Muster satellite internet service – can be used to perform telehealth consultations.

In some of the most remote areas of New South Wales and South Australia, where internet connectivity is notoriously problematic or non-existent, the Royal Flying Doctor Service is providing a clinical telehealth service using Visionflex technology, via Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet constellation.

ITEM #2

The technology to perform reliable video calls

Traditional video-call platforms are fine if you want to schedule a remote catch up with work colleagues or family and friends on your smartphone.

But if you need to provide a quality clinical telehealth service for patients, you require a medical grade video-call platform.

Visionflex technology is designed specifically for health and allied health settings. We offer software and hardware technology options to perform reliable video calls, even in low-bandwidth environments, including:

The ProEX Desktop and ProEX Mobile enable high-speed, secure, end-to-end encrypted, live video calls for any number of participants in a telehealth video consultation.

Additionally, the ProEX system can integrate with diagnostic imaging devices such as general examination cameras, otoscopes, ultrasounds, dental cameras, and ECG, allowing health practitioners to perform detailed medical examinations and share live, diagnostic imaging on screen in real time.

The ProEX video-call software also supports other medical devices including digital stethoscopes, pulse oximeters, blood pressure monitoring and blood glucose monitors, thermometers, and weight scales.

Patient data and media collected during the video call can be automatically uploaded to the practice management system, electronic health record, and/or local area network. Patient data/media can be retrieved for review during a consultation via video call.

The ProEX Desktop can be easily moved around the clinic on a Telehealth Cart or stored in a secure Telehealth Cabinet. For patient rounds and field visits, the ProEX Mobile can be transported in the Telehealth Backpack with built-in wheels.

Vision is our easy-to-use, low-cost telehealth software platform that enables medical grade video-call consultations on PCs, Apple Macs, tablets, and smartphones. Vision also seamlessly integrates with our ProEX product solutions.

With the touch of a button, Vision quickly and easily initiates a video medical consultation on an internet-connected digital device – anywhere, anytime.

Intrinsically scalable, Vision can be customised to suite telehealth services of all sizes from small community clinics to large regional hospitals, making use of existing ICT infrastructure.

Vision features bandwidth-optimising technology that delivers diagnostic quality video and audio as well as high-speed data transmission and end-to-end encryption.

ITEM #3

A toolkit of clinical telehealth monitoring devices.

The Visionflex system is unique because it supports a suite of integrated medical devices.

With these approved devices, it is possible for medical practices to provide a remote clinical telehealth service, revolutionising the way a physician or nurse can examine, diagnose, monitor, and treat remote patients via video-call consultations.

Some of our most popular telemedicine equipment and peripheral medical devices include: