Telehealth kiosk HealthSpot gains trials with Rite Aid, Mayo Clinic

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Healthspot-stationbooth.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /] HealthSpot Station, which was one of the higher points of this past May’s ATA, in the past month has announced two significant pilots. The retail pilot is with Rite Aid, the US’ third largest drug store chain (4,600 stores), with telehealth/telemedicine kiosks located in select Rite Aid locations in Ohio–Akron/Canton, Cleveland and Dayton/Springfield areas. The usage of the kiosks will be limited to common health conditions, such as cold, earaches, sore throat, sinus infections, upper respiratory infections, rashes, skin and eye conditions. HealthSpot Station kiosks are enclosed, free-standing units which use both video consults and real-time interaction with telehealth devices for remote diagnosis. They connect to a network of board-certified medical professionals at Cleveland Clinic and other major health systems across Ohio. Start date and duration were not disclosed.

This follows the October announcement with Mayo Clinic of an in-house pilot in Austin and Albert Lea, Minnesota with approximately 2,000 Mayo Clinic Health System employees using one, expanding to four, with plans to expand to local, Mayo-covered employers. HealthSpot has built several partnerships in the past year, most centering around their base in the Midwest such as CareSource, an Ohio nonprofit managed care company in August and in May the previously mentioned Cleveland Clinic and behavioral health EHR/practice/clinical case management software provider Netsmart.

While the HealthSpot kiosks are large and require a staff person for maintenance and cleaning, what is interesting is that they essentially fill a gap in the market by replicating a doctor’s or clinic office for typical minor complaints, whether at an office complex or upgrading a ‘minute clinic’ at a retail provider. They are also growing in a selective way with primarily high-profile partners. Private investors have given the company solid funding with an $18.3 million round this spring (CrunchBase).

Rite Aid: MDDIOnline, DrugStoreNews, MedCityNews, eWeek, release. Mayo Clinic: release