BlueJeans unveils embedded telehealth function at ATA2022

Krish Ramakrishnan, VP BlueJeans Strategy, Verizon Business, announced a new embed function for telehealth at ATA2022 in Boston.

Photo: Susan Morse/HFN

BOSTON - At ATA2022, BlueJeans announced the next stage in its telehealth services offerings through a more personalized experience for providers and patients. Providers can now embed the telehealth function on their website, rather than through an application, according to Krish Ramakrishnan, VP of BlueJeans Strategy for Verizon Business.

BlueJeans Telehealth WebRTC can be embedded within another webpage or native app. WebRTC is an HTML5 specification that adds real-time media communications directly between browser and devices. The user interface requires no additional coding. This means organizations don't have to build out the full televisit experience themselves, Ramakrishnan said. 

Telehealth providers can customize the welcome message and the waiting message, add their name, images and logo, skip the check-in screen, hide the televisit link and add articles or videos.

"What did we do differently is make it as close to an inpatient visit as possible," Ramakrishnan said. "The hospital sends a link. You can click on a browser that's customized to individual hospitals."

The same telehealth application can be embedded on any website, whether it's one for a small community hospital, a nursing home or a mental health provider. Physicians don't have to play IT person, Ramakrishnan said. BlueJeans provides noise cancellation, interpreter services and closed captioning.

WHY THIS MATTERS

The future of healthcare will be a hybrid of the digital and the physical, especially as physician shortages continue, according to BlueJeans. 

The virtual healthcare infrastructure will enable hospitals to offer virtual care by default and physical care when it is needed. 

THE LARGER TREND

Verizon has long been in healthcare from a connectivity side, Ramakrishnan said. In 2020, during the pandemic, Verizon acquired BlueJeans, which had been selling video solutions to hospitals.

In April 2021, Verizon launched the newly redesigned BlueJeans Telehealth as a HIPAA-ready telehealth solution. Licensing is based on a per-visit model, which allows for data capture and reporting. BlueJeans provides data for the per-visit billing.

The telehealth visit is added to the daily workflow routine within the EHR.

Televisit Tile and integration with the Apple Health app allows patients to share health data such as heart rate, sleep and falls during telehealth appointments.

Twitter: @SusanJMorse
Email the writer: SMorse@himss.org