The HealthSpot station is an 8x5-foot, ADA-compliant mobile kiosk that lets patients access a network of board-certified physicians through interactive videoconferencing and medical devices, such as stethoscopes, scanners, and thermometers. From that information, the remote doctors can make diagnoses and prescribe advice and medicine.
“We’re bringing the doctor to the patient,” says Steve Cashman, CEO and Founder of Dublin, Ohio-based HealthSpot, which launched its first station at the Consumer Electronics Show last December.
As of mid-October, about a dozen HealthSpots were in use. Eight healthcare systems in Minnesota, Miami, San Diego, and Ohio—including the prestigious Cleveland Clinic—were making caregivers available. Customers can be treated for common health conditions—colds and flu, rashes and skin conditions, eye conditions, earaches, and seasonal allergies.
On November 10, pharmacy chain Rite Aid announced that it had entered into an agreement with HealthSpot to install stations at select Rite Aid locations in the Akron/Canton, Cleveland, and Dayton/Springfield markets in Ohio.
The HealthSpot station was designed by Cleveland-based architectural firm Nottingham Spirk. Bill Nottingham, a Principal, says the station had to be portable, but not so small as to feel claustrophobic. An arched ceiling gives the pod some breathing room
Ohio-based Commercial Vehicle Group, a manufacturer of truck cabs, makes the stations. The units are shipped in pieces and reassembled on site. HealthSpot is providing the units to client locations for a one-time implementation fee to cover the installation, plus a monthly maintenance and licensing fee. Cashman estimates the stations are profitable when they handle at least six patients a day.
Cashman says he plans to place another 100 HealthSpots into the market in early 2015. He says he envisions them being installed on college campuses, in retail malls, and in assisted living facilities.
Read about more innovations from BD+C's 2014 Great Solutions Report
Related Stories
| May 21, 2014
Evidence-based design practices for the palliative care environment
Palliative care strives to make patients comfortable as they are receiving treatment for a severe illness. As hospitals seek to avoid Affordable Care Act penalties for poor patient satisfaction, many expect this field to grow quickly.
| May 21, 2014
Gehry unveils plan for renovation, expansion of Philadelphia Museum of Art [slideshow]
Gehry's final design reorganizes and expands the building, adding more than 169,000 sf of space, much of it below the iconic structure.
| May 21, 2014
Check out Pandora's posh NYC offices [slideshow]
The new East Coast office for the Internet radio provider is housed on two interconnected floors of the classic 125 Park Avenue building, and features multiple spaces for music performances, large gatherings, and “all hands” meetings.
| May 21, 2014
Architecture Billings Index in the negative for second consecutive month
The March ABI score was 49.6, up slightly from a mark of 48.8 in March, but still below the growth threshold of 50.
| May 20, 2014
Kinetic Architecture: New book explores innovations in active façades
The book, co-authored by Arup's Russell Fortmeyer, illustrates the various ways architects, consultants, and engineers approach energy and comfort by manipulating air, water, and light through the layers of passive and active building envelope systems.
| May 20, 2014
Gensler envisions 'law firm of the future' with pop-up office project
Called "The Legal Office of the Future," the pop-up demonstration project made its debut this week at the annual conference for the Association of Legal Administrators in Toronto.
| May 20, 2014
Using fire-rated glass in exterior applications
Fire-rated glazing and framing assemblies are just as beneficial on building exteriors as they are on the inside. But knowing how to select the correct fire-rated glass for exterior applications can be confusing. SPONSORED CONTENT
| May 20, 2014
World's best new skyscrapers: Renzo Piano's The Shard, China's 'doughnut hotel' voted to Emporis list
Eight other high-rise projects were named Emporis Skyscraper Award winners, including DC Tower 1 by Dominique Perrault Architecture and Tour Carpe Diem by Robert A.M. Stern.
| May 19, 2014
What can architects learn from nature’s 3.8 billion years of experience?
In a new report, HOK and Biomimicry 3.8 partnered to study how lessons from the temperate broadleaf forest biome, which houses many of the world’s largest population centers, can inform the design of the built environment.
| May 19, 2014
Why e-commerce won't kill 'bricks and mortar' retail sector
Despite emerging structural challenges and newly-announced store closings, such as those of Radio Shack and Office Depot, the U.S. retail sector has continued on its solid recovery.