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Common Forms of Home Health Care

1/16/2019

Peter (Pete) Killcommons, MD, leverages nearly three decades of experience in the medical industry as the CEO and founder of Medweb in San Francisco, California. As CEO, Dr. Peter Killcommons regularly travels to locations such as Cabo Verde, Africa, to expand the use of telemedicine.

Recently, Dr. Killcommons also visited Japan to expand the use of Medweb’s health services for home health care of the elderly. Home health care encompasses a variety of in-home services that typically help elderly individuals maintain their independence. Moreover, home health services help delay the need for institutional care, such as nursing homes, and help the elderly remain in their own homes longer.

Some common forms of home health care include personal care and companionship, which provides support for basic, everyday activities. Another form, private duty nursing, provides more intensive care for individuals dealing with a chronic illness, injury, or disability. Last, physician-directed home health care is a short term form of caring for patients in their own home. Also known as intermittent skilled care, it supports patients as they recover from a recent injury or illness.

About the Fisher House Foundation

1/25/2018

Prior to initiating his career, Medweb CEO Dr. Peter “Pete” Killcommons graduated summa cum laude with a BS-MD from the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education at the City College of New York. In conjunction with his professional responsibilities, Dr. Peter Killcommons participates in various forms of medical philanthropy, including engaging with the Fisher House Foundation.

The Fisher House Foundation is a charitable organization that focuses on providing no-cost lodging for family members of military service members and veterans near the VA hospital where their loved ones are receiving treatment. Additionally, through a program called Hero Miles, the organization covers round-trip airfare for family members to the cities where VA hospitals are located. To date, this program has sponsored more than $88 million in flights.

There are many ways that individuals can support Fisher House, including donating funds, old cars, frequent flyer miles, and hotel reward points. To learn about other volunteer and fund-raising opportunities, contact your local Fisher House representative through the organization’s website at www.fisherhouse.org.

Rotary International Sponsors Peace Centers

11/13/2017

Peter Killcommons serves as the CEO of Medweb, an organization that provides the technology for connecting medical staff and diagnostic testing to people in remote areas. Outside of his work at Medweb, Peter "Pete" Killcommons works at hospitals throughout Afghanistan through nonprofit organization Rotary International.

Founded in Chicago in 1905, Rotary International now consists of 1.2 million members on six continents. The organization works for human development through such programs as Rotary Peace Centers, which have graduated over 900 peace fellows.

Each year, Rotary chooses some 100 peace fellows, for whom it funds master’s degree fellowships in peace, conflict prevention, and conflict resolution at premier universities around the world. Fellowships last between 15 and 24 months and include a summer internship. Graduates from the Peace Centers go on to work for national governments, nongovernmental organizations, law enforcement agencies, and other entities.

For those with experience in a peace-oriented field who are looking to strengthen their professional skills, Rotary also offers a three-month certificate program to as many as 50 people per year at Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University. To learn how to apply for the master’s degree or certificate programs, please visit rotary.org.

Telemedicine Brings Doctors and Patients Together

6/5/2017

Dr. Peter Killcommons is the founder and CEO of Medweb, a California-based company that develops telemedical systems, helping to join doctors with patients who are not in the same location. As both a surgeon and philanthropist, Dr. Peter (Pete) Killcommons has participated for over 20 years in the evolution of telemedicine, which has seen rapid development over that time with the advent of the Internet and other modern communications technologies.

In addition to allowing doctors to apply their skills and expertise to patients beyond easy reach, such as those from rural communities, telemedicine can accelerate the medical examination process for patients in any circumstances. Cameras and other remotely operated devices, in combination with powerful encryption and network-connection tools, can allow doctors to study scanned images and diagnose patients across an electronic connection with the same accuracy as a personal examination. This not only helps to preserve hospital access and resources for emergencies, it allows doctors to be better prepared for a patient’s arrival on such an occasion and begin administering treatment sooner.

U.S. military medics particularly appreciate this aspect of the technology, since it allows them to examine a patient and transmit detailed information on the nature of an injury ahead of evacuation. This is far preferable to the previous method of simply filling out a card and tying it to the patient with a wire.

The possibility of being able to treat patients remotely is significant in other scenarios as well. NASA has long considered the possibility of an astronaut becoming injured or ill, and the agency being unable to abort the mission and return to Earth in time for treatment. At present, NASA is interested in the many applications of ultrasound technology for the crew of the International Space Station. This is because ultrasound can provide detailed tissue scans of patients, and it has been successfully used during the treatment of certain conditions like internal bleeding, potentially preventing death from a traumatic injury.

Georgetown University Medical Student Elected to AMA Board of Trustees

1/19/2017

Dr. Peter “Pete” Killcommons is the founder and CEO of Medweb, Medical Imaging, Teleradiology, and Telemedicine. A medical professional for over two decades, Dr. Peter Killcommons is a member of the American Medical Association (AMA).

The AMA recently held elections for its Board of Trustees. Medical students and physicians representing various medical societies voted in the elections that saw a Georgetown University medical student elected the youngest trustee on the board.

Georgetown University senior Omar Z. Maniya was among those elected. He had previously served two years on the association’s Council on Long Range Planning, where he was involved in conceptualizing new health-care delivery models, information technology tools, and new trends in medical education.

Maniya stated he was honored to be elected trustee of an association that has tirelessly strived to better the lives of patients and physicians. Being the youngest board member, he looked forward to bringing a new perspective to the changing health care sector.

The AMA Board of Trustees’ mission is to promote good public health and the science of medicine.

An Introduction to Telemedicine from Dr. Peter Killcommons

1/3/2017

Telemedicine refers to the practice of providing health care across large distances via communication technologies. Medical providers have been doing it for years via fax machines and telephones, but recent technological improvements have allowed telemedicine to expand rapidly. Telemedicine providers now use technologies like video telephony to provide services ranging from general medicine and nursing care to trauma triage and specialist services like psychiatry, radiology, and cardiology. As health costs rise and some areas suffer shortages of critical medical professionals, telemedicine has become an increasingly important part of medicine in rural areas and the developing world.

About the Author

Dr. Peter Killcommons has served as a leader in the telemedicine industry for more than 20 years. In 1992, he founded Medweb, a leading teleradiology, telemedicine, and medical imaging firm. Two years later, he linked several hospitals together using a grant from Pacific Bell and was recognized by the San Francisco Chronicle for pioneering the use of the Internet for medical imaging.

MedWeb a Finalist for the Saving Lives at Birth Grand Challenge

6/23/2016

With an MD from the City College of New York Medical College and a desire to help people all over the world, Peter “Pete” Killcommons founded MedWeb in 1992. This telemedicine and teleradiology company provides medical solutions to underserved areas worldwide. In 2012, Peter Killcommons’ company was recognized as a finalist in the Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development competition.

The Grand Challenge was created in partnership with USAID, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, KOICA, DFID, Grand Challenges Canada, and the government of Norway to find innovative solutions to help pregnant women and newborns in underserved and resource-poor communities worldwide.

Childbirth can be a very dangerous experience for women and newborns, and without access to medical technology and healthcare, there may be a high risk of death for both mother and child. For women in sub-Saharan Africa, for example, the risk of death in childbirth is 136 times higher than for women in developed countries.

Challenge winners will be recognized for thinking outside the box of standard methods of care, and must work sustainably and affordably so that they can make a long-term impact. Winners of the challenge will receive investment funds to develop, validate, or test the ideas put forward.

MEDICA 2014 Hosts New App Competition

1/7/2016

Medweb CEO Peter (Pete) Killcommons facilitates the development and delivery of telemedicine, teleradiology, and medical imaging technologies to military installations and underserved communities across the globe. Involved with numerous philanthropic and professional organizations, Peter Killcommons represents his firm at such events as the MEDICA 2014 World Forum for Medicine International Trade Fair.

MEDICA 2014 is set to take place from November 12-15 in Düsseldorf, Germany. As a key event for the international healthcare community, MEDICA is expected to draw more than 130,000 attendees from over 120 countries to the Düsseldorf Fairgrounds. In previous years, the event has hosted as many as 4,600 exhibitors across several exhibit halls, spanning over 1 million square feet of event space. In 2014, MEDICA will serve as the largest foreign trade fair for North American medical companies, hosting at least 450 firms from Canada and the United States.

The 2014 MEDICA forum will also offer a unique opportunity for developers of medical mobile applications. After passing initial nomination rounds, 10 developers will present their applications live during MEDICA’s on-site App Competition. An expert jury panel will judge the final submissions, examining applications created for daily use by physicians or within medical facilities.

First Armenian International Congress on Telemedicine and eHealth

2/23/2015

The founder of Medweb, Dr. Peter Killcommons leads as the chief executive officer of the medical imaging, teleradiology, and telemedicine company. Noted for his expertise in the field, Dr. Peter Killcommons was invited to give a keynote presentation at the First Armenian International Congress on Telemedicine and eHealth. Dr. Pete Killcommons spoke about the obstacles and achievements of integrating telemedicine technology in Eastern Afghanistan.

Supported by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia, International Society for Telemedicine and eHealth, and American Telemedicine Association, the First Armenian International Congress on Telemedicine and eHealth took place in Yerevan on October 14, 2011. The conference had an attendance of 287 people, of whom 150 were regular attendees and 76 were students. Additionally, representatives from 20 countries joined the event.

The conference program featured keynote speakers including the Deputy Minister of Health Dr. Sergey Khachatryan and Dr. Adriana Velazquez Berumen from the World Health Organization. Attendees participated in discussions about the future of eHealth and international initiatives, disaster management cycle, and legislative and logistics in telemedicine systems, among other pertinent topics. Following the conference, attendees received a Congress Certificate allowing them to claim 15 European continuing medical education credits from the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education.

Asynchronous and Synchronous Telemedicine Solutions

2/5/2015

Peter Killcommons is a longtime health care industry executive who has led San Francisco-based Medweb since 1992. Peter “Pete” Killcommons' firm facilitates global solutions in the areas of telemedicine, radiology, and disaster response.

There are two basic types of telemedicine – asynchronous and synchronous. The latter service enables real-time consultation between the patient and the medical provider, and a remotely-located specialist with treatment-specific expertise. This system enables specialists to be accessed around the world, without the expense of physically transporting a patient to a specialized hospital or clinic. Positive outcomes are supported through the use of state-of-the-art video equipment and medical cameras, with data encrypted and securely transferred. Medweb emphasizes the use of advanced synchronous technologies in its Telestroke system, which supports the time-sensitive needs of patients at risk of stroke.

Also known as “store and forward” applications, asynchronous telemedicine features delayed communications. Video, images, and other data are transferred to another site before they are uploaded, viewed, and responded to. Asynchronous applications have the benefit of being cost effective and simple to maintain and use.