Two-thirds of English patients who previously lengthened waiting lists to visit with a specialist, now they solve their problems with telemedicine. They do so largely thanks to a system devised by Consultant Connect, a British company acquired months ago by the telematics medicine giant. Teladoc. Now this listed in the US valued at more than 17,000 million dollars (about 15,000 million euros), studies applying this approach also to the Catalan health system.
The approach is simple: ensure that a GP has a direct connection system with specialists to manage cases from their consultation. That is, if a person goes to the primary care center (CAP) with a possible heart problem, it is the family doctor who contacts the cardiologist right there so that he or she can guide the examination from a distance, ask for more tests if they are necessary and even assess the results.
“This way the 75 days could be cut [que hay de espera media para visitarse con un especialista en Catalunya] a 10”, defiende Carlos Nueno, International Business Manager for Teladoc. Although at the moment it is more of an idea than a firm project, the movement would fit perfectly with the relationship that this giant has with Barcelona. Teladoc landed in the Catalan capital after buying Advance Medical in 2018, a company that was then managed by Nueno. This manager has managed from here the purchase of another five companies and the increase in the company’s business volume to the 2,000 million dollars that it expects to end 2021. This turnover is almost double (+ 84%) that of a year earlier.
Barcelona, capital of digital health
Teladoc, which in the US is a healthcare provider for companies like Google, Apple or Microsoft, is the one behind the healthcare package that Telefónica has been offering for some time in Spain (a subscription to the doctor for just over 10 euros per month). With about 400 doctors hired hereIt is also responsible for a large part of the telematic care in insurers such as Axa or Adeslas and of the technological system through which specialists from the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital can visit patients at the Berga Hospital. They are also the ones work with the Institut Català de salut (ICS) to bring a connected glucometer to Catalonia give personalized advice and alerts to your diabetic users.
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“Barcelona could certainly be the capital of European digital health& rdquor; says Nueno. This manager clings to studies by McKinsey or Roland Berger that anticipate that in five years, between 10 and 12% of healthcare spending will go to digital issues. According to him, this translates into an industry of 200,000 million euros in Europe that still does not have a clear reference. On the other hand, there are several candidates to be one, such as Germany or the Nordic countries.
And taking into account that the aging of the population and the problems of the emptied Spain will force the country to be a “necessary & rdquor; In this sector, “Barcelona in particular has the ideal conditions to create this digital health pole & rdquor ;, insists Nueno. Teladoc’s strategy to do its bit is to bring here a lot of its R&D and even, it confesses, the production of some of its devices.
Reference-www.elperiodico.com