Firefly Global is the foremost manufacturer and provider of high quality, affordable, wireless endoscopy cameras, digital video otoscopes, digital dermatoscopes, and telemedicine peripherals for organizations worldwide. Firefly wireless and wired cameras are small, easy to use and cost-effective, making them perfect candidates for small clinics, surgical centers, and remote deployments. Already popular in Ear-Nose-Throat, Primary Care, Urology, Audiology, Telehealth and Dermatology, Firefly products have been deployed in over 50 countries.
Firefly was founded from the idea to bring the latest technologies to the medical field at an affordable cost, making them broadly available. Kapriel Karagozyan, the Founder & CEO of Firefly, successfully bought this idea into reality with his wide expertise. Kapriel is an MIT graduate with a background in wireless technologies and advanced consumer electronics.
Market Leaders
Firefly develops and sells a variety of camera-based products uniquely suited for various telehealth applications. They are easy to use and easy to integrate, virtually plug-and-play with telehealth software platforms. While such products have been historically expensive to deploy, Firefly’s affordable portfolio of devices makes them an easy decision to include. Firefly does not charge license fees, which further simplifies system integration. Firefly’s overall approach enables broader deployment of telehealth peripherals, more so than previously possible.
Being the manufacturer and distributor of telehealth peripherals puts Firefly in a unique position to listen to its customers, gather feedback, and develop new products. One such product is the DE605 General Examination Camera. Uniquely suited for telehealth, this camera is based on years of input from industry experts and has already become one of their best-selling telehealth devices.
The Journey of Firefly
When Firefly was founded, the company was focused on developing products for clinics and traditional healthcare applications. Over time, they saw the rise of telehealth deployments and decided to target new product development towards the nascent market. With its continuous innovations in the healthcare segments, the company’s telehealth portfolio expanded to include digital otoscopes, digital dermatoscopes, digital iris cameras, and general examination cameras which are used in a variety of applications. They have been widely deployed in schools, pharmacies, corporate campuses, urgent care clinics, and remote villages in developing nations.
With rapidly evolving camera technologies and semiconductors, Firefly believes that it is possible to bring easier access to medical care to underserved and remote communities. The company desires to bridge the gap between advanced technologies and practical applications.
On asking about the company’s insights on Telehealth and its overall impact, Kapriel asserts, “In our experience, Telehealth is at the forefront of improving healthcare in remote or underserved communities. Patients located far from a clinic or hospital are much less likely to receive annual checkups and preventative care, for obvious reasons.” He further adds, “With the rise in Telehealth deployments, these patients now have local options, and some may not need to travel at all. Moreover, telehealth is also making healthcare more accessible in schools, corporate campuses, and for the elderly”.
Incredible Experiences
Firefly states that the company’s most remarkable experience was working with The Disaster Fellowship and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center to bring telehealth solutions and peripherals to Haiti. This was after the devastating earthquake which destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure. Firefly devices were deployed quickly to schools and clinics in Haiti to assist in relief efforts. “The pictures and feedback we received from the team who traveled to Haiti were amazing”, says Kapriel.
Besides the experience in Haiti, Firefly devices have been deployed in humanitarian missions in Gabon and Syria, among others. The company is proud that their products could be used to bring medical care to those who need it most.
Future Prospects
Firefly believes that Telehealth is the future of the healthcare industry and the company is in the ideal position to unlock new opportunities and develop new products. With the constantly evolving industry, it aims to keep itself updated with the changes and integrate those innovations into its solutions.
“We are currently busy with the launch and deployment of our General Examination Camera, which has proven to be a popular addition to our portfolio of telehealth peripherals. We have other projects in development which will be unveiled over the next calendar year”, says Kapriel while discussing the upcoming plans of the company.
