The Covid-19 pandemic crystallized the viability of taking many in-person activities into the virtual space. The most obvious case study is remote work — employers that shunned any mention of work-from-home had to adapt quickly if they wanted to keep the lights on while offices were closed. Much to their surprise, and even under extreme and sudden circumstances, many benefited from increased productivity — the exact opposite of what was often predicted.
Telehealth is another area that, out of necessity, grew from an occasional option to a relied-upon resource. While medical offices have mostly reopened, usage of telehealth resources has stabilized around 38 percent higher than pre-pandemic levels, indicating that many routine check-ups and check-ins can be adequately performed without ever leaving home. The benefits to this are significant — giving doctors time to see more patients, opening up the potential for faster diagnoses and providing an enhanced availability to deliver care. When processes get more efficient, they also often get less costly, expanding access to individuals who may previously have been excluded.
These possibilities are what drive the company mission at 98point6. In Justin Kaufman’s experience as principal engineer, there is significant potential for innovation when physicians are paired with technology. “By empowering our physicians to take on a meaningful, collaborative role in how care is delivered,” Kaufman said, “we’re not only increasing day-to-day satisfaction and engagement, we’re giving them the chance to have a long-standing impact on the future of healthcare.”
By giving industry experts the opportunity to weigh in on critical needs and areas for improvement, Kaufman’s team is looking ahead and aiming for telehealth’s highest potential.
What's the coolest project you've worked on recently? What made this project so innovative or exciting?
When the Covid-19 pandemic began, I was tasked with creating an interactive tool to assess patient risk for contracting the virus. At the time, the CDC guidelines were changing every week, which resulted in a lot of churn for the engineering team.
As a result, I decided to try something different, and began work on a platform that would enable the non-technical folks at 98point6 to make changes to the feature directly without needing to involve an engineer at all.
A year and a half later, teams across the company utilize this platform to be able to work autonomously, and we even have a dedicated team of iOS, Android and back-end engineers working to expand the platform’s capabilities.
I believe the best innovations in our industry are the product of deep partnerships between doctors and engineers.”
What do you envision for the future of your industry? How is your work helping to shape that future and bring it to life?
I believe the best innovations in our industry are the product of deep partnerships between doctors and engineers. At a time when primary care providers nationwide are stretched thin and physician burnout is its own epidemic, my work offers an opportunity to enable physicians to get back to doing what they love — caring for patients — without sacrificing their own well-being.
