As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) spreads rapidly, Telehealth can be used to virtually diagnose medical conditions. It can also help keep senior and high-risk populations safer, by allowing providers to virtually perform their medical visits.

In the past week, The President of the United States and the Department of Health and Human Services both strongly urged the use of Telehealth as a preventive and proactive public health measure.

Further, the Telehealth Government Funding Package for COVID-19 was just passed. This is enabled through significant government funding and lifting constraints on Medicare's payments for telehealth so beneficiaries can freely consult their doctors remotely, avoiding hospitals and physicians' offices where they might risk exposure to the virus. This is extremely important as the ability for Medicare to use telehealth would expand access to consumers, with the goal towards cost savings and quality care.

"The need for a rapid response to the COVID-19 global pandemic presents a pivotal moment for telehealth services to provide the necessary community-based care to help mitigate the risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus and provide care to COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients," says Lynne A. Dunbrack, Group Vice President, IDC Health Insights.

"VitalTech is honored to work with AT&T Business to rapidly deploy our Virtual Care and Telehealth platform to their health care customers. This technology will further equip physicians and hospital systems to virtually combat COVID-19," says James Hamilton, Chief Executive Officer of VitalTech. "We are grateful to AT&T for supporting this initiative to help our care teams better serve their populations."

Physicians and patients can connect through VitalCare's HIPAA-compatible platform, where they can video chat, call or message one another. Additionally, physicians can triage care and monitor patients' self-reported vitals, nutrition and medication intake. The VitalCare platform connects patients to their physician via AT&T's highly secure network so that caregivers and patients are connected when they need it most.

"Telehealth is going to play an integral role in containing the spread of COVID-19," said Mo Katibeh, EVP-chief marketing officer, AT&T Business. "AT&T is committed to keeping people connected during this global pandemic – especially the workers on the frontline who are caring for patients."

This collaboration will give peace of mind to both physicians, patients and loved ones during this time of uncertainty.

Physicians can start the simple process of signing up for the VitalCare platform by calling (833) 325-5767. Please refer to website for complete details.

To learn more about what AT&T Business is doing in the telehealth space, contact healthcare@att.com.