Dr. Rajnikant Shah, a cardiologist in Pennsylvania, is passionate about, and determined to bring, medical care into the 21st century. With that in mind, he has developed a telemedicine system that brings patients and healthcare providers face to face virtually, not just to discuss problems but also to diagnose some conditions through high resolution pictures made possible by Canon technology. His long-term goal is “to get the entire system into a small box so any patient can buy it and see a doctor wherever they want,” he told the Philadelphia Business Journal.
“Superior healthcare begins with easy access to providers via SmartCareDoc,” his company, based in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, declares. These systems are conveniently located at community pharmacies but are also accessible anywhere that a computer is can be accessed.
Among other things, SmartCareDoc provides online video visit with providers; medical examination via diagnostic devices at the pharmacy site; access to specialists including dermatologist, opthamologist, dentist, etc.; a home healthcare program including telemonitoring services; medication therapy management; long term care; helping build and maintain relationships with local physicians and consumers; and enable physicians to take part in it or create regional networks.
The care delivery is grounded on a comprehensive clinical documentation and management system that conforms with government regulations in various spheres of medical care.
In May, Forbes magazine featured Dr. Shah’s “Telemedicine Diabetic retinopathy Screening” system, where a powerful, easy-to-use camera takes high resolution images of the eye to help doctors detect early signs of diabetes and provide timely treatment, all done online. The same technology can be used for dermatological care and many other illnesses, he says.
Shah is an associate professor of clinical medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine. Though a cardiologist by profession, Shah told Desi Talk he was always passionate about introducing high tech to medicine. He founded Telemed Ventures, and took the initiative to establish what he considered is a scalable telemedicine healthcare system. His diabetic retinopathy detection system was adopted by Temple University, and 200 patients have been screened over two months.
Way back in 1975, when he began his cardiology practice, Dr. Shah began adopting and integrating technology to enhance the efficiency and delivery of medical care. He was one of the first doctors in the region to computerize his practice using the then the existing rudimentary electronic electronic medical record system in 1982. In 1995, while studying for his MBA, he conceived the idea of using the Internet to provide patients with 24/7 access to their medical records. Three years later in 1998, he built and launched Patient Passport, one of the first Web-enabled personal health record systems. In 2000, Dr. Shah began to explore the viability of patient examinations remotely. This concept later became the basis for Telemed Ventures, which he founded in 2009.
Shah is president of Heartcare Associates, a ten physician cardiology and internal medicine group serving the greater Philadelphia area. He received his medical degree with distinction in 1970 from the M.S. University in Baroda, and got his graduate training in internal medicine and cardiology at the University of Pennsylvania from 1971-75.
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