TruDoc Healthcare LLC: Taking Telehealth Services to the Next Level

The evolution of modern technology and advances in scientific medicine has now made it possible for individuals to be seen by a healthcare professional from the comfort of their home, office or anywhere in the world. This, aligned with their lifestyle preferences has transformed access to healthcare in line with the new post-COVID-19 era.

The arrival of COVID-19 meant health systems around the world had to rapidly adapt to the critical need for social distancing among physicians and patients. The result has been an unprecedented demand for telehealth services, involving the use of different technologies and networks to enable communication between the patient and provider. Telehealth services are increasingly becoming a major force in the effort to reduce healthcare-related COVID-19 transmissions, and ultimately protect both the patient and the health professionals. Therefore, providing patients with access to 24×7 available healthcare professionals is needed now more than ever.

The increased awareness of telehealth and the quality services now made available during the pandemic has increased confidence in the use of such services. It is anticipated post-COVID-19 that many people will adopt the telehealth solution as the norm. The opportunity for telehealth services to become a standard of care is growing and will continue to grow post-COVID-19 as it has proven to be effective during the outbreak.

Considered as the first Care Level Management Delivery System Provider in the world, TruDoc 24×7 with its multiple 24×7 Entry Points, has been very successful in safely managing its patients with innovative healthcare delivery.

An Integrated Delivery System

The biggest challenge for healthcare consumers and payers is a fragmented healthcare system. To align patients, providers and payers TruDoc24x7 is staffed with full-time Doctors, Psychologists, Wellness Experts, Pharmacists, Case Managers and comprehensive IT specialists. TruDoc has succeeded in integrating multiple entry points to ensure consumers are provided with the proper level of care 24×7, based on Evidence Based Medicine. Having an integrated team approach has led to early interventions in care, with better clinical outcomes being a key element of TruDoc’s success in aligning patients and payers.

TruDoc 24×7 was set up in 2011 in Dubai, UAE, with a mission to change consumer behavior through TruDoc’s 24×7 Entry Points to align patients and payers based on Evidence-Based Medicine.

The company provides a one-stop-shop for healthy, acute and chronic patients through TruDoc’s 24×7 Entry Points all connected to its 24×7 Medical and Wellness Call Center. When travelling, the patients can get connected via TruDoc 24×7’s integrated mobile application; when at the office, through TruDoc 24×7’s Virtual Clinic or On-site Clinics; when at the hospital, through TruDoc 24×7’s Hospitalists Program and when at home, through TruDoc 24×7’s Hospital @ Home Program including telemonitoring, all as one integrated delivery system.

Ensuring the Truth through Evidence-Based Medicine

TruDoc’s doctors are full-time employees who have no incentives for overutilization, this ensures that patients are told the truth about what they need and not what they can afford, all based on Evidence-Based Medicine. This not only provides a better clinical outcome for the patients but also a better financial outcome for their healthcare payer.

TruDoc 24×7 Entry Points include:

Integrated Mobile Application: Members can speak to TruDoc 24×7’s doctors through the mobile application via voice/video call and live chat or book an appointment with its wellness team or psychologist. The mobile application also has an AI-based Symptom Checker for both general check-ups as well as COVID-19 specific symptoms. Other features and services include medication delivery, lab specimen services from the comfort of the office or home, 24×7 vital signs tracking for chronic as well as wellness support, doctor appointment reminders and health/wellness articles.

Health & Wellness Virtual Clinic: TruDoc 24×7’s Virtual Clinic provides members with 24×7 access to video consultations with available doctors. Members can also measure their vital signs by using integrated, smart telemonitoring devices that are connected via Bluetooth to TruDoc’s Call Center. The readings will sync to the Call Center where TruDoc’s doctors are available 24×7, monitoring patients’ readings. Virtual Clinics can be placed in different locations including corporate offices, staff accommodation, pharmacies, schools, malls, nursing homes, hotels, etc.

Hospitalist Program: TruDoc’s Hospitalist Program focuses on early discharge of patients from hospitals to reduce unnecessary average hospital bed-days. Its Doctors making rounds in hospitals can determine whether a patient requires inpatient treatment or not based on Evidence Based Medicine thus discharging them into TruDoc’s Hospital at Home Program where they are managed effectively at home for better clinical and financial outcomes.

Hospital at Home Program: TruDoc’s Hospital at Home Program provides hospital-level care for patients in the comfort of their homes. Patients are provided with necessary medical equipment and onboarded onto the program. Their readings are automatically synced to its Control Center where its doctors are ready to intervene 24×7 and provide the appropriate level of care. When necessary, its doctors and nurses make home visits. The Hospital at Home Program aims to reduce unnecessary hospital admissions, reduce hospital average length of stay and provide peace of mind for patients and their families.

Although TruDoc 24×7 caters for patients with Healthy, Acute and Chronic conditions, TruDoc recognize the FACT that it’s 20% of the population that consumes 82% of medical cost and that Telemedicine alone does not work for these high-risk chronic patients. What sets TruDoc 24×7 apart from other competitors in the region is the focus on this 20% of the population by providing connected Entry Points: Hospital at Home Program with 24×7 Telemonitoring, Hospitalist Program, On Site Virtual Clinic and mobile application all controlled by TruDoc 24×7 Control Center.

A Profound Leader Bringing Significant Difference

The inceptive mind behind TruDoc 24×7 is its Founder and CEO, Raouf Khalil. Mr. Khalil has 33 years of experience in outpatient care services. Before founding TruDoc 24×7 LLC, he founded and served as Chairman and CEO of multiple healthcare providers including Professional Home Health Services (PHHS), a California company providing Home Infusion, Home Health, Hospitalists, Hospice and Durable Medical Equipment. PHHS was sold to Option Care Inc. a USA national home infusion company.

Mr. Khalil was instrumental in developing an early intervention clinical model which connects inpatient and outpatient care for chronically ill patients. The model incorporated Hospitalist Programs and 24-7 access to Doctors home visits by providing over 40,000 Doctors home visits per month in USA. He also developed a unique healthcare financial reimbursement model based on better patient satisfaction and net savings for payers.

Under the leadership of Mr. Khalil, TruDoc 24×7 successfully transited from just a Tele-medicine provider to a one of its kind 24×7 Care Level Management serving healthy, acute and chronic conditions. He believes the only truly sustainable healthcare solution is the one that aligns, patients, payers and providers through Evidence Based Medicine. TruDoc has developed a practical solution for the 20% of the population that consumes 82% of medical cost by connecting the entry points and utilizing telemonitoring technology for early intervention and 24×7 triaging to the appropriate level of care which avoids unnecessary medical expenditure, unless there is an imminent clinical and/or financial risk. Thereby ensuring high patient satisfaction and net savings for payers.

Leveraging AI to build Topnotch Solutions

One of the most prominent trends in digital health technology is the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which TruDoc has implemented in the form of a Symptom Checker for both general symptoms as well as COVID-19 specific symptoms.

TruDoc’s one-of-a-kind Care Level Management Delivery System is supported by its own IT-solution which was developed in-house 6 years ago. Through its innovative technology, TruDoc is able to provide 24×7 access to doctors, wellness experts, therapists, pharmacists and case managers via voice/video calls and live chat.

One of the most important elements of TruDoc’s IT system is its ability to stratify chronic high-risk patients and monitor their readings through its 24×7 Call Centre where its doctors are ready to intervene and provide the appropriate level of care; thus, addressing clinical and or financial risks appropriately. This ensures TruDoc’s ability to generate net ROI to its payers while significantly enhancing patient satisfaction.

Enlightening Emerging Healthcare Leaders

Mr. Khalil opines that the healthcare sector is witnessing a lot of changes and reforms in recent years. As it grows, there will always be many challenges facing it. This is by itself an incentive for all entrepreneurs to start exploring new and innovative ideas which will eventually create a thriving market for health-related businesses to benefit consumers and payers. The coronavirus outbreak has impacted many businesses worldwide bringing the healthcare sector at the epicenter of this global pandemic challenge and thus there are a lot of potentially great and sustainable healthcare business ideas that can be developed in this industry. To all the emerging entrepreneurs aspiring to enter into the healthcare industry, Mr. Khalil advises, “The next opportunity is there waiting for you, believe in your vision and start achieving. This is an exciting period of evolution to make a change.”

Spreading Wings

TruDoc 24×7 reaches its consumers by partnering with healthcare payers, who offer TruDoc’s services as an additional benefit to their members. TruDoc 24×7 now has over 4.4 million paid subscribers in multiple countries and over 6,700 multinational corporate clients including insurance carriers, governments, brokerage firms and TPAs, telecom providers, pharmacies, etc. TruDoc 24×7 currently operates in UAE, Nigeria and Egypt and is planning to expand its services in 6 new countries in the next 12 months and enroll 30 million new members on the program through organic growth and strategic partnerships. Currently, its team consists of General Practitioners, Family Medicine Doctors, Psychologists, Wellness Experts, Pharmacists and Case Managers. It is planning to add more specialties in the future.

Case Study – Ensuring Financial Savings and Customer Satisfaction

TruDoc 24×7’s Hospital at Home Program (licensed by Johns Hopkins University)

This program was implemented in July 2017. Patients were discharged from hospitals into the Hospital at Home Program to be managed by its doctors, nurses and supporting team who would go on to provide hospital-level care for these patients in the comfort of their own homes. Both patients and their families were extremely satisfied with the program and significant savings were made for payers. All savings analysis was done by a third-party actuarial firm” Lux Actuaries & Consultants”. The impact TruDoc made on Chronic Care can be seen below: