IT WORLD CANADA – UniDoc’s health clinic “cubes” are now being tested in Ontario pharmacies

By Samira Balsara – March 16, 2022

UniDoc Health is now testing its virtual care technology in three pharmacies in Ontario, as part of a deal with Ontario’s OnPharm-United, an organization for independent pharmacies.

UniDoc’s platform is a kiosk that acts as a remote health clinic. It enables real-time, remote doctor and patient engagement with full diagnostic capabilities, replacing the need for a walk-in clinic visit.

With the OnPharm-United deal, patients in Ontario can now try out the kiosk at certain pharmacies. UniDoc will train employees of any OnPharm-United member pharmacy in which a Virtual Care Solutions Models kiosk is placed to ensure trained staff are available to assist kiosk users.

Pharmacies located in Wallaceburg, Scarborough, and Etobicoke will be testing UniDoc’s kiosks.

Successful tests of UniDoc’s technology could ultimately result in over 300 pharmacy installations in Ontario.

The concept was developed in efforts to improve telemedicine, chief executive officer Antonio Baldassarre said.

CEO Anthony Baldassarre

“We wanted to go beyond just a Zoom call or a phone call. UniDoc’s mission is simple. We want to remove barriers between the physicians and the patient,” he said.

Alleviating strain on health care systems

Over the course of two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the health care system.

“What the pandemic has done was really drive most clinics or doctors’ offices to either on the phone or a Zoom call. Some of the issues with that is that the system has limited diagnostic capabilities,”  Baldassarre said.

Data security issues are also present, as data is not transmitted through an authorized EMR system on a Zoom call. In addition, the pandemic has also made health care less accessible.

“If I’m not familiar with how to use a computer, or I have a disability of some kind, like a deaf or blind person, I can’t really communicate as well. So, a lot of people probably have not gone to the doctor for two years,” he said.

UniDoc’s kiosk helps solve some of these problems. The cube is designed to be much more accessible than a Zoom call.

According to Baldassarre, all of UniDoc’s cubes are American with Disabilities Act (ADA) approved. There is wheelchair accessibility, the monitor features captions for calls with the doctor, and the kiosk also comes with a keyboard for a patient to type back to the doctor.

Here’s how the UniDoc kiosk works:

UniDoc’s virtual health clinics

Patients can phone in or walk into a pharmacy to book an appointment, just as they would when scheduling a regular doctor’s appointment.

The system will then automatically tell the patient which doctors are available and if they can see them right away.

Once a doctor is ready, the patient will walk into the “cube” or kiosk and a nurse will be readily available to work with them.

The nurse will record the patient’s weight, blood pressure and vitals. All of that information is sent to the doctor through the electronic medical record (EMR) system, which is an authorized and legal way of transmitting medical data. This way patient data is stored safely, as opposed to the way it is handled in other forms of telemedicine like a Zoom call, where it may not be properly protected.

The doctor has the ability to remotely join the appointment anytime and interact in real time with the patient, control the instruments, and even call in a specialist if the patient requires one.

UniDoc’s goals

UniDoc’s main goals are to reduce wait times in doctors’ offices for patients and doctors, as well as save time in the emergency room (ER). Patients can visit a UniDoc cube before going to the ER if they have a headache or cut, for example, and will be advised if the concern requires a visit to the ER. Baldassarre said this tool is also cost saving for the healthcare system.

In addition, UniDoc is simplifying doctor checkups for people with chronic diseases. Asthma, diabetes and lupus, for example, can be life threatening if not continuously monitored.

“What we’re trying to do particularly with OnPharm-United and their group, is that someone can literally just go to the local corner pharmacy to do these kinds of tests rapidly without having to commute and without the long appointments. The system will upload it so their doctor would get all the information that they need to continue a certain lifestyle,” he said.

Expanding UniDoc

UniDoc is already planning the future of its technology, hoping to expand globally for travellers. If a Canadian is visiting Italy for example, all they would need is their health card and they would be able to set up an appointment with their doctor back home through the kiosk.

“Healthcare should be accessible to everyone. We really believe healthcare is not a privilege, healthcare should be a right,” Baldassarre said.

Source: https://www.itworldcanada.com/article/unidocs-health-clinic-cubes-are-now-being-tested-in-ontario-pharmacies/476063

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Austin Thornberry

Director

Mr. Thornberry is a seasoned finance professional with a background in advising new companies in the venture capital market. He brings extensive experience working with high-growth companies across numerous industries through his past work in the technology and innovation banking group at the Bank of Montreal and in the financial services arm of Ernst & Young advising on multiple capital markets transactions. Mr. Thornberry has split his time working in Toronto, Ont., and Vancouver, B.C. He obtained his bachelor of commerce at McGill University and has held the CPA, CA, designation since 2019.

Matt Chatterton

DIRECTOR

Mr. Chatterton brings over 18 years of experience in development and execution of complex projects. His  expertise includes project management, facility management, logistics, and supply side processes and  procedures at a number of operations in Canada and internationally. He has  been involved in the public markets for the last three years managing IPO processes and transitioning  businesses to post listing operations. Mr. Chatterton is a Professional Engineer and graduate of  Canada’s Queens University with a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Chemistry (2001) and Master’s degree in Chemical Process Engineering (2003).

Sina Pirooz

Director

Mr. Chatterton brings over 18 years of experience in development and execution of complex projects. His  expertise includes project management, facility management, logistics, and supply side processes and  procedures at a number of operations in Canada and internationally. He has  been involved in the public markets for the last three years managing IPO processes and transitioning  businesses to post listing operations. Mr. Chatterton is a Professional Engineer and graduate of  Canada’s Queens University with a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Chemistry (2001) and Master’s degree in Chemical Process Engineering (2003).

Dr. Sazzad Hossain, PhD

Chief Scientific Officer

He is the former Chief Scientific Officer of InMed Pharmaceuticals Inc., a leading public Canadian bio-pharmaceutical company. Previously he worked as Senior Scientist at Biotechnology Research Institute of National Research Council Canada. Working with the Canadian government he helped establish the pharmacology laboratory to evaluate safety and efficacy of cannabinoid-based and other drugs under development for cancer, cardiovascular and ocular diseases.

Jacob Moshinsky

Chief Operating Officer

Jacob is the CEO & founder of MoviWear a GPS, fall down detection & remote vital-sign monitoring platform, alerting caregivers of real-time emergencies. Jacob is a communications and technology expert with over 15 years’ experience in the field. the NurtureWatch health monitoring Smartwatch and MoviWearMED remote vital sign monitoring platform Prior to MoviWear, Jacob worked in both the Canadian telecom and the CPG industry. He led the Product Development and Business Strategy team at TELUS for the Small Business Portfolio. Jacob also worked in various product and service management roles within Rogers Communications where he launched and managed wireless and wireline products.

Antonio Baldassarre

CEO, President and Director

Mr. Baldassarre has held senior management and director positions of new business start-ups and established multinational organizations with over 30 years of experience in the Security, Information Technology and Communications industries. With leadership skills in management of international operations, shareholder exit strategies, and overall business development, he has utilized a wide range of strategic programs to maximize organic growth into specific industry segments through OEM, alliances, and direct multi-level distribution channels.

Mr. Baldassarre is able to plan, organize and direct all aspects of a Corporation from Operations, P&L oversight, product distribution, Product promotions, sales and development activities and initiatives utilizing my extensive marketing/sales senior management experience with developed abilities in team leadership and program/campaign development. Directly involved in the growth, branding and ultimately optimizing market share, product awareness, revenues, profitability and shareholder value.

Mr. Baldassare is also the President of LRG Security Canada Inc. and LRG Security Europe.

Franco Staino

DIRECTOR

Mr. Franco Staino is a business professional with over 40 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Mr. Staino has significant experience in drug safety, traceability and anti-counterfeiting measures and has designed and implemented programs for the Italy National Health Service, the Ministry of Health and the Polygraphic Institute and State Mint.

Mr. Staino currently holds multiple positions including being the control representative of Carlucci a leading company engaged in the production of self-adhesive labels for consumer goods with high specialization for the pharmaceutical sector, and President of the Board of Directors of Topharmacia, a company that deals with the integral management of pharmacies throughout Italy in order to improve their ability to provide social and commercial services, to connect industrial marketing policy to that of the pharmacy, to offer tools in able to guarantee the financial balance of the companies involved.