Microhealth, LLC - Best New Healthcare Technology Solution

Company: Microhealth, LLC
Company Description: MicroHealth, LLC is an 8(a) SDVOSB Small Business that provides customers with the right information to promote better decision-making to improve our Nation’s health and wellness. We harness the combined knowledge and expertise from our seasoned team of health professionals, researchers, informaticists and technologists who specialize in research, health information management, and technology.
Nomination Category: Product & Service Categories - Business Technology Solutions
Nomination Sub Category: Healthcare Technology Solution

Nomination Title: USCG Telehealth

If this is a brand-new product, state the date on which it was released. If this is a new version of an existing product, state the date on which the update was released:

The USCG was seeking a state of the art telehealth capability to enhance the flexibility of USCG healthcare providers and increase access to care during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The primary objective was to quickly establish and implement a Telehealth solution to provide remote delivery of healthcare services via landline communication services, cellular service, and the Internet.

In September 2020. MicroHealth was awarded a Task Order under our CIO-SP3 Contract to develop and implement a Telehealth solution for the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). Prior to this task order, there was no telehealth program in place at the USCG.

In partnership with Iron Bow and ViiMED, MicroHealth deployed the AWS Cloud Hosted Coast Guard Care Anywhere telehealth video conferencing system throughout the USCG. CG Care Anywhere is a video conferencing system that enables virtual, face-to-face meetings in real time between healthcare providers and their patients. The system is accessible by USCG Healthcare providers and patients via any communication medium (landline, mobile, and internet).

Improved Quality: Telehealth patients receive the same one-on-one care with their doctors as they would with a regular appointment with added benefits in terms of improved engagement via remote monitoring, reduced costs, improved service delivery to remote/inaccessible areas, prevents unnecessary ER visits, and provides readily available access for USCG personnel and their families to USCG healthcare providers.

Improved Safety: Telehealth is ideally suited to provide a safe, socially distanced environment in which to provide healthcare services. Patients who may be contagious can remain isolated, and those who are healthy can avoid the risk of exposure to germs found inside a waiting room. A potential challenge is ensuring the safety of healthcare-related data of both the patients and providers. CG Care Anywhere is HIPAA-compliant and meets all DoD and federal cybersecurity standards.

Improved Efficiency: We established an automated appointment scheduling feature that facilitates near-on-demand care and treatment. Telemedicine puts providers just a click away. If a patient is ill or injured, they can make an appointment almost immediately, eliminating long waiting periods during which the symptoms can get worse. Moreover, there is no time wasted traveling or waiting in the waiting room. This is especially beneficial for patients in remote or inaccessible areas. The USCG enjoyed our scheduling tools so much, they began using our solution to schedule in-person and phone visits in addition to its originally intended use to schedule telemedicine visits.

Improved Medical Information and Data Exchange: Medical information is updated immediately and is always readily available via portals where patients can keep track of appointments, medications, treatments, test results, image scans, and progress. This information can also be quickly, easily, and securely shared with other healthcare providers such as specialists, physical therapists, pharmacists, etc.

Our support tasks include program management, 24/7/365 service desk support, enhanced reporting and analytics, activation and provisioning, end user training and adoption, ATO accreditation, and compliance services. The success of this effort can serve as a model for other federal departments, agencies, branches of the military, and offices to address their current or potential future telehealth requirements.

Market Performance Results:

-In less than two weeks after starting this effort MicroHealth obtained an interim Authority to Operate and are currently nearing the completion of a full ATO. This far exceeded expectations as the timeline for full ATO is nine-months. We are well ahead of schedule in this regard.

-With an interim ATO in place, we have been able to begin implementing the system for widespread use by USCG providers and patients. In under six months, CG Care Anywhere has registered over 30,725 patients throughout the United States

-Currently there are more than 150 providers and over 500 healthcare workers trained and actively using the system

-As of May 2021, there have been over 1700 successful telehealth appointments via live audio-video teleconferencing between Coast Guard Health Care professionals and patients

-The system has operated at 99.85% availability during normal working hours

Attachedis a screenshot of the dashboard the USCG uses to track how Care Anywhere is being used.The firstscreenshot was captured in March 2021 and represents six months of progress from zero across all tracked categories.

The second screenshot below is an updated version of this same dashboard captured June 16, 2021.