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Medweb to Display at Telemedicine Expo in Spring of 2018

2/2/2018

Dr. Peter (Pete) Killcommons serves as CEO of Medweb, a supplier of telemedicine solutions that he founded in 1992. In the spring of 2018, Dr. Peter Killcommons’ company plans to display its innovative products at the Annual Conference and Expo of the American Telemedicine Association.

Scheduled for April 29 to May 1 in Chicago, the American Telemedicine Association’s Annual Conference and Expo (ATA18) brings together diverse healthcare and technology professionals for an event that aims to reshape the delivery of healthcare. ATA18 marks the 25th year of the annual gathering.

Exhibitors at the Expo portion of ATA18 have the opportunity to place their products and services in front of thousands of interested attendees. Half of these attendees, according to ATA, have near-term plans to purchase telemedicine technologies. Last year’s gathering welcomed close to 5,000 guests, and ATA reports that 96 percent of past exhibitors have ranked their Expo experience as either “valuable or highly valuable.”

ATA plans to release a mobile app in early April allowing attendees to view a list of ATA18 exhibitors. This list will include Medweb, which will present at Booth No. 1202. To learn more about the app, as well as the rest of the Expo portion of ATA18, please visit ATA18.org/Expo.

West African Island Country Blessed with 11 New Telemedicine Centers

7/16/2017

Since 1992, Peter "Pete" Killcommons has been running Medweb, a San Francisco, California-based medical software and device company. When he’s not overseeing the company’s radiology and telemedicine divisions, Peter Killcommons supports the International Virtual e-Hospital Foundation (IVeH), which implemented a program for the creation of telemedicine centers in the West African island of Cabo Verde.

Cabo Verde was considered an ideal location to implement the Integrated Telemedicine and e-Health Program. The country had only 282 doctors and 87 nurses. There were just over 1,000 hospital beds, spread out across the country's sparse islands. Patients seeking medical treatment often had to travel long distances by boat and spend valuable resources to access basic healthcare services. The innovative program would allow for the remote treatment of patients through the use of telecommunications technology.

In 2012, IveH and its partner organizations implemented the telemedicine and e-health program, which saw 11 telemedicine centers built on nine of the country’s islands. Training was provided to a majority of the country’s medical staff to help them support critical telemedicine disciplines such as telecardiology, teledermatology, psychiatry, and neurology. The staff was trained to use video conferencing and teleconsulting to support clinical activity. These telemedicine centers provide the island’s citizens easier and less expensive access to quality healthcare services.

December 01st, 2016

12/1/2016

Today we are chatting with Peter Killcommons, an expert in the field of implementing telemedicine solutions, especially in rural or challenging environments such as Afghanistan.

Q: What are some of the main challenges of using telemedicine in rural areas?
A: The most basic challenge is to have a platform for communication to exist. This means reliable and reasonably affordable internet access in the area. Without a convenient way to communicate back and forth, patients need to travel either to a larger town or directly to a healthcare facility, which defeats the purpose of telemedicine.

Q: How can telemedicine operate in such areas in the long term?
A: One persistent challenge is finding ways to train local physicians on how to use the technology properly. Many western nations are supporting telemedicine initiatives in the developing world, but there can be challenges once they set the system up and leave an area. Without some supervision and proper training, the telemedicine might not be adopted quickly enough to gain widespread acceptance. Telemedicine cannot simply replace the current area’s healthcare system; it needs to be complementary and implemented slowly so that all the kinks can be worked out.

About the Inaugural Armenian International Congress on Telemedicine

2/17/2016

The first ever Armenian International Congress on Telemedicine and eHealth (ARMTELEMED), in 2011, involved 287 participants, including invited keynote speakers like Peter M. Killcommons, MD. ARMTELEMED took place in Yerevan, Armenia, over three days and was co-hosted by such organizations as the Union of Information Technology Enterprises and the Armenian Association of Telemedicine. On the second day of the Congress, Peter Killcommons delivered an address about his experience in deploying telemedicine technology in Eastern Afghanistan.

In all, the event involved representatives from the United States, Russia, Moldova, Georgia, Germany, and many other nations. Of those who participated, over 50 percent were either clinical practitioners or students. The remainder hailed from sectors like academia and the information technology and health care administration industries.

In addition to its international impact, ARMTELMED permitted local Armenians who worked in the telemedicine field to present their research to a diverse audience and to receive feedback from top professionals. The event also provided a forum where like-minded people could come together and begin partnerships that may yield joint projects and other kinds of positive collaboration.

What Physicians Learned from Hurricane Katrina, By Dr. Peter Killcommons

1/19/2015

In August 2005, the United States experienced a major disaster that would have a lasting impact on the delivery of medical services. When Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast, the region’s health care system was already fragmented and overwhelmed. Areas with the poorest residents, such as New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward, were more seriously affected by the storm than were more affluent neighborhoods. The Lower Ninth Ward, which was largely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, was near two major medical schools, but had substandard resources on par with those in isolated rural regions. Along the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi, several hundred thousand citizens were displaced from their homes and previous sources of medical care for months.

Doctors also felt the effects of the storm on their lives and businesses. Many lost their own homes and office space, and their medical records were destroyed. Few private physicians had previously obtained business interruption insurance, and even when they had, insurance companies were often slow to pay claims.

In the aftermath of the storm, a few points became clear. Medical professionals and policymakers need to establish a more focused and coordinated delivery system for heath services and to plan for health care needs both before and after a disaster. Physicians should provide optimal levels of patient education and proactively prepare their patients to be full partners in their own health care. Governments, medical professionals, and patients alike need to increasingly make use of mobile medical technology and electronic resources for storing and retrieving records and information. As Hurricane Katrina tragically proved, access to medical information and services can mean the difference between life and death.

About the Author:

Dr. Peter Killcommons is CEO of the San Francisco-based telemedical company Medweb, a leading provider of medical telecommunications services and humanitarian aid in conflict and disaster-stricken regions across the globe, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Haiti. After Hurricane Katrina, Medweb provided support to Touro Hospital in New Orleans.

Dramatic Growth Predicted for Telemedicine

1/3/2015

Dr. Peter “Pete” Killcommons, founder and CEO of Medweb, has contributed to the field of telemedicine for more than 20 years. Dr. Peter Killcommons served as a keynote presenter at the First Armenian International Telemedicine Conference in 2011 and since that time has continued to share Medweb's resources with practitioners.

Over the course of 2014, the expansion of health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act has dovetailed with the prevalence of mobile medical technology to create an ideal atmosphere of growth for the telemedicine industry. According to a recent industry report, telemedicine is likely to expand at an 18.88 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2014 and 2019. Those tracking industry growth see product innovation as well as a rush to improve the quality and reach of communications.

Thus far, compliance and insurance reimbursement have provided the industry with its greatest challenges. Recently, however, major insurers have begun to offer coverage for off-site patient monitoring and telemedicine consults. Governments in states with widespread rural populations are also becoming aware of what telemedicine has to offer their constituents and are encouraging development efforts on an official level. With the private and public sectors joined, the industry stands ready to take its place as a mainstay of care.

Fisher House Foundation Aids Military Families

9/24/2014

The founder and CEO of www.medweb.com, Peter Killcommons has created innovative telemedicine platforms that have been used in remote areas in Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as in various United States military projects. Peter Killcommons supports a number of organizations dedicated to military service members, including the Fisher House Foundation, a nonprofit that provides free or low-cost lodging to veterans and their families while they are receiving medical treatment.

Among the Fisher House Foundation’s various assistance programs is Hero Miles, a program that allows individual airline passengers to donate their frequent flyer miles. The program utilizes the miles to purchase round-trip airline tickets for wounded and ill service members who are undergoing treatment at a VA or military medical center, or those who are attending an authorized event.

Tickets may also be given to close friends and family members who are visiting military patients at authorized medical centers. The Hero Miles program works in partnership with major airlines such as American Airlines, Delta Airlines, US Airways, and United Airlines. Since its creation in 2005, the program has helped more than 46,000 wounded and ill service members and their families.

Understanding Telemedicine

7/30/2014

As chief executive officer of Medweb, Peter Killcommons, MD, oversees the company's telemedicine operations. A burgeoning field, telemedicine involves transmitting medical information by electronic means with the express purpose of improving patient care. Business people and medical professionals like Dr. Killcommons advocate the use of telemedicine for the potential benefits it may yield for health systems around the world.

One such benefit centers on cost. Research has shown that telemedicine reduces health care expenses by cutting travel times, diminishing hospital stays, and even promoting enhanced chronic disease management. Also, telemedicine satisfies consumer demand. With a fully functional telemedicine infrastructure, patients may not need to incur the cost of long-distance travel to access their doctor, and research demonstrates that telemedicine yields results as good as or better than traditional in-person health care.

Telemedical services encompass a wide range of solutions, including the storage and transmission of video clips and diagnostic images. It can also mean doctors consulting with one another through live video conferencing. Further, telemedical techniques can involve remote patient monitoring and using technology to send health data to various facilities for interpretation.

An Overview of Telemedicine

6/8/2014

Peter Killcommons, MD, founded Medweb, a medical imaging and telemedicine company, in 1992. In his position as chief executive officer, Dr. Pete Killcommons presides over the telemedicine, radiology, philanthropy, and disaster response divisions. At the First Armenian International Telemedicine Conference held in October 2011, Dr. Peter Killcommons presented a keynote speech on the successes and stumbling blocks inherent in utilizing telemedicine technology in Eastern Afghanistan.

Thanks to numerous advantages in technology, the world is shrinking. No longer do medical experts need to meet in person or coordinate phone calls across several time zones to exchange information. Telemedicine makes use of prolific and speedy Internet connections to transfer medical information from one part of the globe to another, with the goal of improving a patient's health.

Telemedicine dates back over 40 years to humble beginnings. Originally, representatives from hospitals would travel to out-of-the-way regions to lend their expertise in healing and science. As Internet connections became widely available, hospitals, private practices, and patient homes gained the means to share information electronically.

High-speed Internet allows all sorts of information to reach those in need more efficiently. Through telemedicine, professionals can hold video conferences with patients and peers, monitor vital signs from thousands of miles away, and continue their education from anywhere.

Dr. Peter Killcommons Supports Afghanistan Through Medweb's Philanthropic Outreach

3/18/2013

A leading medical technology firm, Medweb works with various charitable and government organizations to bring relief aid and other services to countries throughout the world. This effort ranges from assistance offered following Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana to an ongoing program in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. As the Chief Executive Officer of Medweb, Dr. Peter Killcommons spearheads the Philanthropic Outreach program.

In 2009, Medweb collaborated with the Synergy Strike Force and the La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club to begin a humanitarian aid program in Afghanistan. Dr. Killcommons traveled with the group to the city of Jalalabad. They established a Medweb Deployable Telemedicine Clinic and supplied it with equipment such as a laptop and portable ultrasound as well as staff training and support. They also visited other hospitals in the area with the Assessment Team to survey the technical and medical needs of the various facilities.

Dr. Peter Killcommons possesses more than two decades of experience in the medical field. He has traveled widely through the Philanthropic Outreach program, including three trips to Jalalabad, Afghanistan.