Rocket Doctor and Switch Health Partner to Expand Research to Study the Effect of COVID-19 on Lungs from the Comfort of Patients' Homes
Patient-focused partnership will monitor changes to lung health remotely with a virtual physician and an at-home lung ultrasound device.
TORONTO, Aug. 5, 2021 /CNW/ - Rocket Doctor and Switch Health today announced that they are partnering to expand a research study monitoring changes to lung health remotely with an at-home lung ultrasound device under the guidance of a physician. Team members at Rocket Doctor began exploring this project during the peak of the 1st wave last Spring, and partnered with Switch Health to engage new participants who have recently tested positive for COVID-19. Those patients that test positive will be given the opportunity to participate in the lung study and be part of pivotal research to provide better care to Canadians that test positive for COVID-19.
Volunteer participants that choose to be part of the study will enroll in the program and be sent a Butterfly iQ+ Health Canada approved at-home point-of-care lung ultrasound device. They will meet with a Rocket Doctor physician, remotely, from the comfort of their home to assess their clinical symptoms including access to an oxygen saturation probe with standard remote patient monitoring. In a parallel session, they will be guided to use the ultrasound device to monitor their lung activity by Sunnybrook Emergency Physicians. Physicians will book a daily follow-up appointment with patients during their 14 days of quarantine to monitor their lung health.
"Partnering with such a like-minded health tech company is a tremendous opportunity for us to help Canada study the effect of COVID-19 on patients' lungs in real-time without the inconvenience of having to travel to doctors' offices or hospitals," said Dilian Stoyanov, Chief Executive Officer at Switch Health. "Our mutual focus on empowering patients and re-tooling how Canadians receive healthcare is another giant step in the future of remote diagnostic capability in Canada."
"At Rocket Doctor we're transforming the way health care is delivered by bringing the most advanced doctor's office directly to patients combined with comprehensive virtual care." said Dr. William Cherniak, Founder & CEO at Rocket Doctor. "This study gives us an opportunity to demonstrate how we can deliver a high-quality standard of care remotely by pairing advanced diagnostic tools with expert clinicians. It also will hopefully shed light on ways to keep patients safe at home and out of the Emergency Department, while ensuring that anyone in need of critical care are sent to emergency straight away."
The opportunity to participate in the study will be communicated directly to patients who seek testing through one of Switch Health's private clinics located in Ontario.
Switch Health has been at the forefront of Canada's fight against COVID-19 with their at-home COVID-19 testing solutions and clinical operations, and are playing an equally important role in Canada's recovery with their recently launched AuraPass, a groundbreaking vaccine and testing verification system.
About Switch Health
Switch Health Holdings Inc. (Switch Health) is an industry leader that is transforming how healthcare is delivered in Canada through cutting-edge decentralized next-generation diagnostics and patient-focused digital solutions. Switch Health developed an end-to-end, innovative, and accessible testing solution in Canada's fight against COVID-19, with its at-home and mobile collection kit to test Canadians safely, rapidly, and reliably for COVID-19. Switch Health's services are driven by its secure, proprietary patient portal, ASMO. Switch Health offers its gold standard of rapid and PCR testing in over 200 languages from the comfort peoples' homes or workplaces, with the guidance of trusted healthcare professionals and the delivery of results through some of Canada's top laboratories.
About Rocket Doctor
Rocket Doctor is a rapidly growing digital health marketplace transforming the way comprehensive care is delivered across North America by bringing an advanced doctor's office directly to patients. They are a passionate group of medical doctors, researchers, technical experts, and patient care professionals who believe every person deserves access to quality healthcare. Though they launched a little over a year ago, they have now cared for over 50,000 patients across Canada (currently Ontario, Alberta and BC) as well as the State of California.
SOURCE Switch Health Inc.
