Blog

For the first few days of this week, our business development team at Iagnosis is catching their breath after attending last week's annual Nextech EDGE conference in Orlando – and before we head to Washington DC on Wednesday for the back-to-back annual events of ADAM (Association of Dermatology Administrators & Managers) and AAD (American Academy of Dermatology).

One big take-away from the Nextech show in 2016 compared to 2015 is that among providers, there was noticeable increased interest overall in telemedicine in general – as well as many who are now exploring specific solution offerings that can be evaluated at a practice level. If last year was still a year of generating education and awareness about telemedicine, then this year is clearly the year for many to start the solution journey.

The obvious growth in telemedicine interest among the conference attendees was not just seen in isolated geographic pockets or types of practices either – it was seen broadly. Here are some key drivers we jotted down following numerous conversations at the Nextech conference:

• Patients are asking providers about telemedicine and 'virtual' care services at increased frequency.
• Suburban and urban desire to solve the "over-scheduled" / busy-family issue are broadening telemedicine's appeal beyond just enabling better access for rural patients.
• Competitive increases by retailers and for-profit urgent care centers is putting more pressure on traditional practices to adapt to keep patients.

The bottom line is that all of those key drivers directly relate back to patient choice and preferences.

The truth of the matter is that telemedicine will only continue to expand and improve – so it's critical that health care providers don't get left behind. Iagnosis's partnership with Nextech to enable mobility solutions, through our DermatologistOnCall platform, is just one example of proven offerings that practices can quickly evaluate and test-drive as they take their first steps. Our founder and chief medical officer, board-certified dermatologist Mark P. Seraly, MD, presented a session with the Nextech folks about how telemedicine and mobile apps are giving rise to the "patient as consumer" and how practices can adapt to this shift.

If you're a dermatology practice interested in learning more and seeing a demo, we'd love to talk with you and further your education on solutions available to you today. Request a personalized discussion and demo.