GE Healthcare To Use Telehealth In Remote Training For Imaging Specialists
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
Partnership with InTouch Health employs innovative use of telehealth technology for training.
GE Healthcare has partnered with InTouch Health, a provider of FDA-cleared remote presence devices, to help train imaging techs and radiologists to use high-tech imaging devices through an innovative use of telehealth technology that reduces the costs associated with onsite follow-up training to improve training quality and potentially save lives.
In a recent pilot, GE and InTouch Health used the Virtual Onsite Training technology to connect GE experts to healthcare providers in over 200 telepresence classes around the world. More than 300 medical professionals received successful training in the proper use of GE equipment and best practices. The Virtual Onsite Training device replicates face-to-face training through an attached video monitor and robotics for two-way communication and interaction.
“GE Healthcare provides technology to providers and patients around the world,” explained Mario Lois, General Manager, GE Healthcare Global Education Services. “The users who operate those devices are as impactful, if not more so, on the actual efficiency and patient outcomes as the product itself. Therefore, GE has made it a global priority to re-imagine its training and education solutions to help users achieve and maintain optimal skills and product usage. Our collaboration with InTouch Health enables network connectivity, hands on interaction, and an intuitive user experience for their online mobile remote presence training which will be foundational to reaching this goal.”
The InTouch Health network is a single, unified cloud infrastructure that provides a HIPPA-compliant, secure, scalable, ever-available network for FDA Class I and Class I medical device.
According to Joseph DeVivo, President and CEO of InTouch Health, “Our work with GE Healthcare is a natural extension of the clinical solutions we provide each day to thousands of practitioners, delivering seamless clinical efficiency no matter the clinical setting, location or treatment modality. The right care, at the right time, anywhere, is easily migrated to the vision of GE Healthcare of ensuring that the person using a device has the best training and support possible, whenever and wherever it’s needed. We are very excited to work with GE Healthcare in the area of data analytics to help measure and optimize the effectiveness of what so far has been a very successful program.”
This video highlights the partnership in action.