Telemedicine: Healthcare in Just One Click

Q: How has the health sector adapted to telemedicine after the COVID-19 pandemic?

A: The COVID-19 pandemic was a game changer. In October 2013, we attended our first patient through telemedicine, which was uncommon at the time. As a result of the pandemic, people have been able to value and appreciate first-hand the benefits of telemedicine. We seek to democratize health throughout the country as we want everyone in Mexico to be able to access medical services whenever they need them with one simple click.

The pandemic has helped us connect health professionals with patients through technology. Telemedicine allows professionals with saturated schedules to offer medical care, especially now that Mexico’s health services are saturated in both the public and private sectors. Physicians have been forced to give telemedicine a try and the use of technology in conventional health care is becoming much more normalized.

Q: How has Ever Health impacted the Mexican healthcare system and how has it adapted to the cultural, social and legal differences between markets?

A: Mexico is our largest market to date in terms of users. We have over 1 million active patients who continuously use technology to connect with health services. Our main achievement in Mexico has been to simplify access to technology. We want the user experience to be extremely simple. Despite the fact that smartphones have a high penetration among the Mexican population, not everyone has a state-of-the-art phone. Those who own a smartphone often have one with limited storage capacity.

Thus, we are trying to build a platform in which the user does not have to download anything. Through a simple WhatsApp or another communication method, we send the user what they need to connect with a specialist. We also ensure that the professional has as much information as possible to make an accurate diagnosis. To this end, we rely on software tools. For example, we use an AI tool for facial biometrics that measures heart rate, blood pressure, stress levels and other data in 30 seconds. In addition, we have medical devices installed in some areas, such as a stethoscope that a patient can use following a doctor’s instructions as if they were in an in-person consultation. Companies are using this service at their corporate headquarters.

A visit with a specialist often exceeds MX$1,000 (US$50) but through technology we can make it much more accessible. We have also integrated ourselves into the ecosystem of pharmacies to ensure that they have the prescribed medication available or can deliver it for free.

Q: What are the opportunities that Mexico faces in terms of its regulatory framework regarding telemedicine and medtech?

A: There has been significant progress in telemedicine regulation but there is room for improvement. We offer a professional tool that requires exhaustive control, since it handles extremely sensitive data. At Ever Health, we are working on compliance, following NOM 024 that establishes the requirements for an electronic clinical record. We also comply with ISO 27001, which guarantees the highest safety and protection standards.

Everything can be improved to benefit the patient. For example, by being connected to the main pharmacy chains, we can have a traceability system that guarantees that the doctor is authorized to prescribe that treatment. We also guarantee that there is no duplication of prescriptions. Unfortunately, in Mexico, not every patient has the economic means to access treatment. Ever Health has taken care to understand and to adapt the needs of each country to create a telemedicine solution that helps in all areas.

We are a triple-impact company. We save almost 2kg of CO2 per video consultation. In addition, we defend the principle that medicine must be completely inclusive. We must think of everyone, not just the majority. We recently certified ourselves as the first inclusive platform in the world. Ever Health cares about people with different abilities. For example, we offer real-time subtitles, allowing people with hearing difficulties to understand what the doctor wants to communicate. We also support people with vision problems through voice instructions. Our goal in Mexico is to help those people who need it most.

Q: How can you further promote telemedicine among those who remain skeptical?

A: Skeptics need to try telemedicine. To enhance participation, we build different profiles for each client. For example, Coppel and Hospitales Ángeles have entirely different demands. The key is to make technology more flexible so that it can help everyone.

We are also allies of those companies that strive to comply with NOM 035, allowing them to support associates and their families. In Mexico, the average medical expense insurance is above MX$2,000 (US$99.58) per month, which makes it difficult for a company to offer this service to its staff. We offer a service 24 hours a day, seven days a week with high-end technology and the best health professionals and it starts at MX$20 (US$1) per month. This is highly valued by HR teams because they can save while showing they care about providing value-added services. This also helps to democratize health.

Q: How can schools leverage Ever Health services?

A:  With this service we seek to discharge the responsibility of schools in making decisions related to health. Through technology, we provide a service during school hours from Monday to Friday so that when a need arises, an appointment with a professional can be scheduled. Simultaneously, parents receive a text message informing them of the situation and inviting them to join the virtual medical appointment.

The training is simple because the teachers will only follow the doctors' orders. Once the consultation is over, the parents receive a message with the medical report, a prescription and all the doctor's recommendations.

Q: What are the necessary steps to fully integrate Ever Health services into nursing homes?

A: We aim for nursing homes to have access to a medical service 24-7. Doctors who connect remotely can rely on the nursing staff who use our telemedicine kits. While we cannot place a telemedicine kit on every corner, staff can also use their cellphone for video consultations.

Q: Previously, you have said “the future of telemedicine is to disappear, as it will become part of the traditional care process.” What are the company’s main objectives in this regard?

A: In the future, we will not be able to go to a face-to-face medical consultation without first attending a virtual one because they are highly efficient and health systems are saturated. We seek to offer a tool that helps health professionals to be more efficient in the first stage of care and helps patients avoid unnecessary visits to medical centers. We are working to make the technology as unobtrusive and simple as possible. We are co-creating an ecosystem that provides ​​Mexico with an efficient and immediate health service.

Ever Health is the leading company in medical technology services, born from the need to connect doctors with patients from anywhere and the mission to democratize health and make digital services accessible to everyone. Present in Spain and Latin America and a pioneer in bringing telemedicine to educational centers, it has a medical team of specialists with recognized experience whose main objective is to ensure health and quality care, and the mission of democratizing health and making digital health services accessible to everyone.

Ever Health provides its medical services to schools and colleges, through the 'Kidscare' service, and to all types of companies, hotels, insurance companies, care homes, hospitals, healthcare professional & veterinary clinics among other projects in demand of the most accessible medical technology.