The Future Of Medicine Is In Livestreaming

One of the things COVID-19 has demonstrated to the medical industry is the desperate need for a solution that fits perfectly within the vision and future of medicine and artificial intelligence. 

Imagine allowing physicians and healthcare providers to actually help minimize, if not prevent mistakes before they even happen? The future of medicine is A.I. and augmented reality to help provide an improved quality of global healthcare.

This is why the partnership between Jon Fisher’s CrowdOptic and Dr. Douglas Hampers’ National Bioskills Laboratories brings an all-encompassing system to the Medtech industry that has never been seen before, according to the initial announcement by tech attorney Andrew Rossow at CEO World Magazine. 

Fisher’s latest venture, CrowdOptic, combines A.I. and bio-skills through AR-technology, which allow for remote attendees like medical students, physicians, and trainers to watch ongoing operations in real-time. In July, CrowdOptic granted the only exclusive license to its livestream technology to Hampers’ company, which just opened its third location in San Francisco. 

A serial entrepreneur whose portfolio includes successful ventures such as Bharosa (which was later acquired by Oracle), Fisher has continued to gain prominence throughout Silicon Valley. His University of San Francisco commencement speech which went viral earlier this year. 

As for Hampers, who was also on the board of a medical device company prior to founding NBL, he says he learned firsthand of the need that medical device companies have in training their customers on the proper use of their devices. “Familiarity and adequate training with any implant are essential for these companies to reach more of their customers and improve their adoption rates,” he said.

The board-certified orthopedic surgeon continues to take lifelong learning courses, which usually involve “hands-on skills-based cadaver training on the latest techniques and implants that are currently available.” But the problem with these courses, according to the doctor, is that they are “low-quality, cramped, and take place at less desirable locations around the country; traveling to these courses was inconvenient, time-consuming, and infringed upon my opportunity to see patients in my clinic.”

And while NBL wasn’t at the time specifically focused on remote training, “we had a desire to increase our reach and offer more training to more healthcare providers,” he revealed. “When we set out to accomplish this goal, there was nothing on the market that provided real-time, secure, two-way interactive communications. Therefore, we set out to find a company that could create this system. This was CrowdOptic.”

CrowdOptic Has Seen A Massive Jump In Interest During The Lockdown 

As for CrowdOptic’s focus, the partnership with NBL, according to Fisher, “was a conscious decision to focus on MedTech and healthcare applications,” but admitting that “they had no idea how much their plan would be accelerated by the current coronavirus pandemic.” 

As for reshaping priorities, remote training solutions like CrowdOptic’s have become a top priority as a direct response to COVID-19. “While doubling down on Medtech a few years ago with NBL, “the company’s focus has shifted to the once risky healthcare industry; now a clear choice.” CrowdOptic, according to Fisher, has “seen a six-fold increase in the number of unsolicited inquiries of our remote training solution from healthcare organizations, and from medical device manufacturers in particular.” 

It is important to note that this is the same company that brought Google Glass into ambulances and whose technology has been implemented by Sony, HPE, and Avaya. In 2014, Google Glass began using CrowdOptic’s software as its certified partner to send a live video feed from an ambulance to a destination hospital. 

Soon after, CrowdOptic announced its partnership with Stanford University Medical School, where its software would also be used to live stream surgeries to doctors and medical students while wearing Google Glass. The advantage of using its Live Connect solution, Fisher emphasizes, is that it enables remote experts and key opinion leaders to contribute to live cases from anywhere in the world.

The Importance of Deeper Connections In The Medical Industry

Ironically, thanks to the worst global pandemic since World War I, the world has become ever-more connected and utilizing new technologies that should have been implemented five-years ago.

“Seeing your physician has traditionally been thought of as an in-person experience,” Fisher explains, adding that “the thinking was that doctors need to see up close and physically contact patients in order to make a proper diagnosis. That is of course still true for certain ailments. But what the pandemic and subsequent shelter-in-place orders revealed to us is that ‘seeing’ your physician can literally be just that--seeing your physician over a remote video call.”

Dr. Hampers added that he believes most firms have been a little “shell-shocked” at the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on them. “Individuals now seem to accept that they need to find a solution to their inability to directly train their customers or physicians either in the or in a lab-based environment.” Fisher then identified supplemental devices such as “additional high-resolution cameras or video encoders for medical devices” that would allow for sufficient remote physician consultations for most conditions

Disclaimer: The author of this post does not hold any public or private positions in any of the companies mentioned. The companies sourced in this article were selected by various public sources, recommendations, and word of mouth. Please consult your financial advisor before investing in any cryptocurrencies, stocks, or companies as they can pose risks for the average investor. This post is informational in nature and does not constitute financial advice.