Verizon moving into telehealth

Wireless giant Verizon is stepping into the medical field with the launch of BlueJeans Telehealth.

According to a news release, Verizon Business launched the new venture as a purpose-built solution for doctors to streamline telemedicine experiences as they seek to expand their telehealth practices after the COVID-19 pandemic. BlueJeans Telehealth looks to connect physicians to their patients simply and securely.

The release cites the white paper “The Future of Telehealth - Balancing Security and Ease of Use” as saying 81 percent of healthcare organizations expect to see a greater investment in telehealth in the next two to three years, with 85 percent seeing ease of use as a top-five driver in producing positive health outcome. BlueJeans Telehealth is designed to simplify the virtual join and visit experience while offering greater access to care, more flexibility, improved safety, and extended services reach.

“While the use of telemedicine has been steadily growing for some time now, the pandemic has accelerated telehealth adoption and changed the conversation around what patient care will look like moving forward,” Tami Erwin, CEO of Verizon Business, says in the release. “We worked closely with an advisory board of health system clinicians and healthcare decision-makers to build BlueJeans Telehealth specifically to address the most pressing needs for a virtual-first telehealth offering--from ease of experience to enhanced security. Today’s launch is just the beginning for Verizon in what we see as the future of telehealth, especially when you consider the innovation that will come from 5G mobility, broadband and cloud capabilities.”

BlueJeans Telehealth seeks to address technological literacy by presenting one click, download-free access through a mobile device or desktop, and visit efficiency by expediting information sharing through landing pages that include patient onboarding and education materials, the release says.

BlueJeans Telehealth will be generally available in May, more information can be found here.