Social distancing as a precaution due to COVID-19 has catalyzed the growth of telehealth. As per McKinsey’s COVID-19 Consumer Survey, consumer adoption [of telehealth] has skyrocketed, from 11 percent of U.S. consumers using telehealth in 2019 to 46 percent of consumers now using telehealth to replace canceled healthcare visits. There were many advocates of telehealth and the efficacy it can bring about in the healthcare sector in the pre-COVID era. However, the lack of providers and access to the internet and technology were hampering its progress. Fortunately, companies like Let’s Talk Interactive (LTI) rose to the challenge of telehealth’s rapid adoption by developing the technology base and network of medical experts for more than two decades.
Charlotte-based LTI provides highly customizable cutting- edge telemedicine solutions to help its clients make quality healthcare accessible. The company offers its telemedicine software platform, a nationwide network of providers, and telehealth hardware available in telehealth kiosks, transportable telemedicine kits, and med carts as well as other telehealth-related services. “Our HIPAA compliant offerings are developed to follow the workflow of our clients,” says Arthur Cooksey, Founder, and CEO, Let’s Talk Interactive. “We’ve also created APIs to integrate our software platforms into client’s EHR, EMR and other similar programs.”
LTI is focused on providing ease of use of the technology so that its clients can focus on providing quality healthcare. More than 20 years in the telehealth sector have enabled LTI to create and develop software and hardware solutions based on the industry’s needs. The platform is device and browser agnostic, thus, creating many ways to access LTI’s services. This is particularly helpful in locations where the broadband services
offer limited connectivity. The offerings are not just limited to hardware and software.
Through its network of over 29,000 doctors across the U.S., LTI can provide ‘boots on the ground’ for any organization in need. They’ve also got mental health professionals and psychiatrists in their networks, which are in high demand due to the current mental health crisis in the U.S.
The mental health crisis, Cooksey says, has been there for decades, and COVID-19 has exacerbated it. LTI has experience in addressing mental health issues in the pre-COVID times when Hurricane Michael devastated the Florida Panhandle in 2018. More than 300 children were diagnosed with PTSD and needed access to mental health services. With the roadways blocked and ruined in many areas, the journey to visit healthcare professionals was taxing. "We provided the services that enabled Florida to provide remote mental health services,” says Cooksey. “Through our partner in Tallahassee, we were able to attend to 300 children in less than 30 days who were on a waiting list for months.”
In addition to Florida schools providing mental health support to students, Florida jails have partnered with LTI to provide mental health kiosks and medical med carts to assist with medication- assisted treatment (MAT) programs. LTI is also working with jails across the country to install telehealth portals and kiosks that provide behavioral health screening assessments and access to mental health support. “Telemedicine fills the need for evidence- based treatment programs in prisons--enabling faster diagnosis and treatment with the goal of helping to reduce recidivism for inmates and supporting recovery for those suffering from addiction and mental health issues.”
Last year, LTI partnered with the 2nd Alarm Project and Florida Universities to provide firefighters in the Florida Panhandle access to a 24x7x365 professional mental health network. The company has also partnered with the non-profit organization Soldier On, which provides transitional housing and supportive services to homeless veterans. LTI supports Soldier On in five northeastern states for their mental health needs. The organization’s ability to provide services has gone up from about 15 sessions a week to 40 to 50 sessions a week. The company is now working with Soldier On to incorporate these telehealth health and wellness rooms in their apartment buildings with a dedicated space for kiosks and cameras.
This dedication of LTI to propel the adoption of telehealth services across the country has garnered them the inaugural Zoom ISV Trailblazer Award in 2020. The award has motivated the team at LTI to spearhead their cause of providing the primary human right - access to quality healthcare.