Viveo Health is looking to make Estonia the frontrunner in telemedicine – the distribution of health-related services and information via telecommunication technologies – while protecting people from the coronavirus.
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Dear fellow Estonians and friends of Estonia,
I wanted to share an important update with you all that might bring hope in these chaotic times. I admire people in this community that often are bigger fans of Estonia, its beautiful nature, fresh air, good health care and tasty food than many Estonians who were born and raised here. I want to thank you for that and tell you that this small country needs your support more than ever.
Viveo Health, founded by Raul Källo, is looking to make Estonia the frontrunner in telemedicine. They are a team of 20 people who have worked tirelessly with the goal to slow down the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) by allowing doctors and people to communicate remotely, wherever they are.
What is telemedicine?
Dating back to 1960s when NASA first used it to take care of astronauts, telemedicine seeks to improve a patient’s health by permitting two-way, real-time interactive communication between the patient and the physician or practitioner at the distant site. This electronic communication means the use of interactive telecommunications equipment that includes, at a minimum, audio and video equipment. It’s a cost-effective alternative to the more traditional face-to-face way of providing medical care.
Let’s be honest. Compared with most other services that people use on a regular basis, health care hasn’t developed much. It has remained inefficient, often painful, for both the doctors as well as the patients. Think of the time when you visited your family doctor. How much time went to waste to get a hold of them, then to drive there and back, then for the doctor to actually see you. Then you also waited for the doctor to type up things on their computer. The system is old and rigid and it’s time for improvements. After all, good health is all that really matters.
You can call and chat with Viveo doctors seven days a week in English, Russian, Estonian
Viveo has combined Estonia’s e-health system with novel telemedicine features that empower doctors and encourage them to keep themselves safe by working remotely. The solution closest to Viveo is a Chinese company with a medical team of only a thousand people offering telemedicine service to a record of 250 million patients.
It’s one of the very few companies in the world that are truly succeeding in telemedicine and hence able to help millions of people regardless of where they are.
It’s important to work towards a healthier future. We can all do something to make the next months and years less painful for the public health-care system, while we keep ourselves and the others safe. You can call and chat with Viveo doctors seven days a week in English, Russian as well as Estonian. If needed, they will then send you to further analysis or a specialist doctor who can help you further.
It brings great confidence to people to have a friendly professional doctor available any time with whom they can consult when they’re feeling ill. Should you need a medical test or a visit to a specialist doctor, that is all covered by a small monthly subscription fee. It’s like Netflix for health care. The times have changed and we really shouldn’t go to our family doctors or let alone the emergency department like we used to. It is not safe to meet with medical staff face to face unless you absolutely must (and then you should call 112).
Knowing how busy all doctors are with the coronavirus-related time-critical work, it feels good to know that I have actually done something to ease that pressure.
It is quite clear that the crisis will only get worse from here on and it’s likely to continue for the rest of 2020. I would like to invite you all to subscribe to Viveo and provide immediate access to health care for yourself and your family. It might be wise also to run a simple self-assessment test and find out how dangerous the COVID-19 virus is to you personally.
For you to better understand how Viveo works, I put together answers to the questions that people usually ask while they weigh their options.
Do I have to give up my family doctor to use Viveo?
Family doctors and Viveo complement each other. Whenever you are feeling ill, you can continue to reach out to your family doctor first. If you can’t reach them, simply contact Viveo and get a fast response. Our doctors will securely identify you, give advice, provide help from and arrange visits to physicians as well as for carrying out medical analysis. With Viveo Health you are guaranteed fast and professional support at any time via call, video as well as chat.
How can I get a doctor without waiting in line with the help of Viveo?
Queues in Estonia are long because of limited financial resources in the national health-care system. In addition, the shortage of health professionals and their aging are both major challenges. According to the National Institute for Health Development in 2018, the average age of a family doctor in Estonia was 55 years. The queues can be reduced by investing more in prevention since the resources spent on prevention are three times less than on treatment.
Our team at Viveo has signed cooperation agreements with health-care providers all over Estonia. Thanks to our extensive network of health-care partners, your Viveo doctor or nurse will find you the fastest times at your nearest health facility. Viveo partner network currently includes more than 30 private and public medical facilities, including SYNLAB, Fertilitas, the Tallinn Specialist Medical Center and more. The partner network continues to grow to provide you with urgent medical care everywhere in different parts of Estonia, including the less populated areas.
How to start a video call with Viveo doctor and when it’s wise to use it?
Video allows you to talk to a nurse or doctor without leaving your home and is an alternative to a regular medical visit. In addition to convenience, telemedicine saves time and makes medical care more accessible regardless of location, transportation and weather conditions. Often, video counselling may be needed to understand your health concern and, if necessary, refer you to a specialist or examination. Although most Viveo members communicate with doctors by phone call and chat, sometimes the doctor initiates the use of video calls.
Please note that the Viveo Health platform complies with GDPR, HIPAA as well as PCI DSS 3.2. On average, it allows doctors to resolve eight out of ten issues that people have with a simple call or chat. Also, doctors are able to make notes regarding the patients’ medical condition that will then be saved in the patients’ health registry.
The times of crisis will bring us closer together as we go through what is perhaps the worst tragedy of this century.
Stay healthy and keep others safe as well.
Annika
Cover image by Irina Murza (Unsplash).
