Some North Texas tech firms are stepping up amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dallas-area companies with ties to health care-related technology are offering some help – and at no cost – during the crisis. This week a handful of firms have made public announcements about their efforts.
The offerings cover assistance for patients, social organizations and health care providers as they cite needs around the new coronavirus. While their products can reach around the world, the pandemic is being felt more and more near their own home bases.
VitalTech, a Plano startup that raised $8 million in a Series A investment last year, said it’s offering health systems, physicians and their patients free telehealth access through its VitalCare platform. The initiative is implemented through a partnership with Concord Health Partners, a health care-focused investor that backed the firm.
With the feature, physicians and patients can connect for video chats, calls or messaging. Doctors can monitor patients' self-reported vitals, nutrition and medication intake remotely.
"We feel it's incumbent upon our company at this time to help," VitalTech CEO James Hamilton said in a prepared statement. "The technology available with the VitalCare platform can help increase the safety of patients and care teams by decreasing the risk of exposure for vulnerable populations.”
In Dallas, Pieces Technologies said it’s offering free case-management software. The company, which raised more than $25 million around the start of this year in a B round, is making it available to qualifying non-profit social and health organizations.
The service helps groups better manage their clients as they receive social services across a community. Pieces “Iris,” a database, is used by communities so that health and social organizations can share information and refer folks to resources, such as food, housing and transportation.
"We understand that many of our customers serve the most vulnerable populations," Pieces CEO Ruben Amarasingham said in a statement. "With the growing concern over the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting organizations like these to better serve their missions is critical to the continued health of many individuals."
At Plano’s T-System, the company is providing complimentary health care documentation tools for health care providers.
The flu and COVID-19 “T Sheets” are point-of-care options designed to support documentation, diagnosis and treatment of patients.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has stressed resources for emergency departments, urgent care centers and telemedicine providers," said Robert Hitchcock, executive vice president, in the statement. "T-System is proactively taking steps to ensure healthcare providers can document care effectively and efficiently."
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