Digital Health Done Right: TytoCare

Digital Health Done Right is a new Redox Blog Series that will shine a light on a member of our interoperable network. We believe in what our partners are doing and we want to share their stories and outcomes with you.

When people 50 years ago thought about medical innovations of the future, I bet many imagined microscopic nanobots that could repair broken bones in minutes, pills that could instantly heal thousands of ailments, or robot surgeons that could perform every aspect of surgery with laser-like precision.

While radical technologies like these might be on the horizon, the kind of medical innovation we’re seeing today seeks to make the typical healthcare experience more accessible and less disruptive for everyday people—which, to be honest, is the kind of innovation we really like to see.

Take, for instance, the typical visit to the doctor. Many pain points of traditional patient care stem from the hassle of going to see a care provider—there’s the time spent in discomfort (or even away from work) prior to being seen, the time sunk commuting to the hospital or clinic, and the time wasted waiting to be seen. When it’s all said and done, going to the doctor can knock a whole day out of your week.

People also bristle at the fact that the outcome of their visit is usually along the lines of what they were expecting: antibiotics to treat an infection, a walking cast for a sprained ankle, or ear drops for an earache. If you go in with an idea of what’s wrong and walk out with it confirmed, it can sometimes leave you begging the question, “was all that trouble really worth it?”

Well, the short answer is yes—medical attention is invaluable and very often necessary in shortening your time spent ill, but actually going to the doctor can feel like more of a hassle than it’s worth. With all the technological advancements out there, you’d think something would’ve been invented by now that eliminates the need for routine visits to be performed in person… and actually, it has.

TytoCare developed Tyto, an FDA-approved, handheld medical device that enables anyone to perform accurate physical examinations, receive remote diagnoses, and get digital prescriptions forwarded to them without ever leaving home. From busy parents juggling their own schedules (as well as their childrens’), to elderly folks who have difficulty getting to a doctor in person, this type of invention is massively helpful to so many people.

Tyto and its three attachments allow for accurate ear, throat, heart, lung, abdomen, and skin examinations, as well as the ability to capture heart rate and temperature data. This information is evaluated by your primary care provider, who will assess your symptoms and deliver a diagnosis. The navigation and guidance features make Tyto intuitive to use and also incredibly accurate, but when you want a more hands-on approach, TytoApp lets you start live video with your physician to talk in person.

Beyond acute symptoms, Tyto also helps monitor chronic conditions, which is super useful for people who’d normally have to spend a great deal of time (and money) commuting to a doctor’s office for frequent visits. It’ll also be useful in schools and workplaces, where people get sick but can’t always find a way to fit in a doctor’s visit. And lastly, Tyto can be indispensable while on vacation—even if you’re on a different continent than your primary care provider, you can still receive care from the same person you know and trust.

Tyto is able to store your medical information in secure AWS cloud storage, and their platform is also HIPAA compliant, which means your medical data is kept safe.

This kind of innovative device marries medicine and technology in a way that isn’t far-fetched—it can be used here and now, and by anyone. As people who don’t always want to bring ourselves into the doctor for every minor cold or ear ache, we’re excited that TytoCare looked at a very ubiquitous issue and removed the majority of it’s pain points for millions of people. We think this kind of innovation is incredibly worthwhile.

On the clinic side, TytoCare also offers a platform for medical professionals with expanded functionality and a Clinician Dashboard that can integrate with EHRs. If you’d like to know more about their products and how you can get your hands on them, check out http://www.tytocare.com/.