Partnership to Add Virtual Primary Care Feature to Smart TVs

Aiming to increase access to primary care, HealthTap and Samsung are working together to create and implement a virtual healthcare feature for smart TVs, allowing patients to access primary care in their homes.

As a nationwide virtual healthcare provider, HealthTap centers its efforts around providing Americans with accessible and affordable healthcare. The organization includes a network of 90,000 volunteer doctors who connect with patients through mobile and desktop applications.

Through the new partnership, HealthTap will work alongside Samsung to add its primary care services to Samsung smart TVs. Through the service, patients can view doctor biographies and credentials to help point them to a US board-certified doctor who can best meet their medical needs. Once they have selected a physician, they can schedule an appointment and participate in the visit through the smart TVs.

“Developing a primary care relationship is critical for all Americans, and the ability to conveniently access telemedicine through a TV screen empowers everyone to take care into their own hands,” said Sean Mehra, CEO and founder of HealthTap, in the press release. “Together with Samsung, we are leveraging the simplicity and power of technology to make it easier for Americans to get the healthcare they need without the worries of transportation, work conflicts or lack of available physicians in their area.”

The organizations believe the partnership will be especially beneficial for the senior population. According to the press release, older patients need proactive and consistent care, and connecting with clinicians from their living rooms can help enhance access to that care. 

“This collaboration represents the joining of two powerful and loyal consumer brands: Samsung, the leader in consumer electronics and innovations, and HealthTap, a beloved, consumer-centric virtual care platform, to improve healthcare access and health outcomes through the delivery of telemedicine in Samsung devices,” said Sean Park, project management at Samsung, at the 2022 Samsung Developer Conference where the partnership was unveiled.

In recent years, the telehealth arena has evolved, enabling access to virtual care through various types of technology.

In October, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Amedisys, and Contessa partnered to create a comprehensive suite of care-at-home services that focus on recovery, rehabilitation, palliative care, primary care, and home health. The methods used to provide these services include remote patient monitoring devices, along with in-person and virtual visits from a care team.

Another virtual care strategy implemented at Northwestern Medicine and funded by the National Cancer Institute aims to track smoking, obesity, and inactivity among cancer patients through an app system.

Further, in a recent study, researchers found that video observation effectively increased rates of observed at-home methadone dosing while limiting exposure to respiratory illnesses.