Hospitals and health systems across the country are rolling out or expanding virtual and remote monitoring tech initiatives to keep physicians safely connected with their patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here are four hospitals that have launched tech initiatives:
1. New York City-based Northwell Health is expanding a program to equip COVID-19 patients' rooms with Amazon Echo devices, according to CNN. The two-way audio and video devices allow providers to communicate with patients virtually, helping reduce their exposure to the virus.
2. Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital workers created makeshift video portals by attaching iPads to IV poles, allowing employees to communicate with COVID-19 patients in isolation rooms, according to ABC affiliate KMIZ.
3. Mount Sinai Health System in New York City adapted its stroke platform to remotely monitor and connect with COVID-19 patients. Patients simply text "Precision Recovery" to 332-213-9130 and a physician will then chat with the patient via video.
4. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Brunswick, N.J., installed "video robots" in its pop-up tents that transmit a video of the patient to a physician inside the emergency room. The robot features an electronic stethoscope to monitor the patients' breathing.