COLUMBUS, Ohio- State lawmakers and the general public can experience firsthand how recent advances in telemedicine provide cost-effective, high quality healthcare services to Ohio residents at the Ohio Telehealth Summit, an open house on June 19 in the Capitol Atrium at the Ohio Statehouse.

Sponsored by State Representative Lynn R. Wachtmann (81st House District), the event brings together healthcare and industry experts to identify the barriers to telehealth adoption, discuss relevant regulations and rules, and demonstrate how solutions like the HealthSpot Station™, developed by Ohio company HealthSpot, increase access to care and provide high quality visits with board-certified health professionals, while decreasing overall costs.

Rep. Wachtmann is sponsoring House Bill 123, which would extend insurance reimbursement for telehealth visits in Ohio. The bill includes reimbursement for Medicare as well as private insurers. If passed, the bill will remove uncertainty over reimbursement for doctors and health systems, simplify the rules for payers, and expand access for patients.

“Ohio is uniquely positioned to become a national leader in cutting-edge healthcare technology,” said Andrew Hertz, MD, University Hospitals Medical Director for Rainbow Care Connection. “Telehealth has helped us improve the quality of outpatient care for our patients, increased their access to physicians, and cut down on unnecessary emergency visits.”

Hertz, who has delivered pediatric healthcare via the HealthSpot Station over the past several months, is one of several industry experts speaking at the event. Other speakers include:

Reem Aly, Health Policy Associate, the Health Policy Institute of Ohio (HPIO)

Steve Cashman, CEO, HealthSpot

Susan Fraker, Technology Assisted Care Coordinator, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University

Jonathan Linkous, CEO of American Telemedicine Association

Kerry Rosen, MD, Director of Outpatient Services and Telehealth at the Heart Center, Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Marvin Schwartz, PhD, Chief Scientist, Case Connection Zone, Case Western Reserve University

Mitchell Silver, DO, Director of Vascular Imaging at the McConnell Heart Hospital for Critical Limb Care, OhioHealth Heart and Vascular

Participants are invited to network with legislators and attendees to discuss policy issues that relate to modernizing healthcare delivery in Ohio. Additionally, HealthSpot will be offering demonstrations of the HealthSpot Station, an 8- by 5-foot enclosed telehealth kiosk that leverages high-definition videoconferencing and integrated medical devices that stream real-time diagnostics to providers who may be located miles away, creating a high quality “virtual visit.” Each station is supported by an accredited medical assistant who can help the patient as needed.

About HealthSpot™

HealthSpot is pioneering patient and provider healthcare technology with a comprehensive, telehealth system called the HealthSpot Station, a private, walk-in medical kiosk that reinvents a visit to the doctor. Patients interact with board certified healthcare providers using high definition video conferencing and a suite of connected medical devices that stream biomedical information in real time. HealthSpot leverages technology to produce the highest quality, lowest cost healthcare appointment on the market today.