That’s right, CPT Codes for Robots in the patient home, so all we need now are patients who have the robots (grin).  This is a further expansion of imagetelehealth.  These are for use in billing Medicare and Medicaid.  We have seen the robots used in hospitals that allow physicians to telecommute and this is the next step, in to the patient home.  The military even developed an all terrain robot for healthcare.  Unlike the ones in use at the hospitals, these do not appear to need a joy stick as they are “smarter” and made to be a companion in the home as well. 

Do you need to talk to your patient, send the robot in as it appears to be fully equipped and bill for it.   The video below is somewhat humorous in the fact that it reminds grandma to watch Jeopardy too.   The robot will carry bedpans around if needed and has a built in Blood Pressure monitor, Pulse monitor, or Oxygen if needed.  It appears now you will be able to bill for “robot time” as well as other telemedicine services that appear to be all tied into the code structure.  No word yet on the dollar amounts connected to the codes yet. 

How long before the CareBot talks to HealthVault too?  I had to add this in with all the other medical devices that now connect, so why not the robot too.  There are additional home monitoring devices included with the new batch of CPT Codes, such as items from Phillips, G.E. etc.  BD 

“The new CPT On-Line Service Codes allow payments to the physician such that a consumer can e-mail messages to a physician and/or they can receive payment for their review of medical information sent via a "home monitoring medical device."

“The Company's Mobile Security Robots (MSRs) augmented for Telemedicine allow health professionals and medical experts to remotely consult with patients and health care providers giving vital, cost effective, confidential medical services to virtually any location, rural or urban, national or international.   Using high quality cameras and data transfer, medical data, radiological images, sounds and patient records can be transferred from one site to another permitting physicians to consult with colleagues and specialized experts despite geographical separation.”

New Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes recently approved, for physicians only, will further enhance the cost/benefit ratios of personal companion robots for family care. 

These new CPT codes will increase physician productivity and revenue by billing for activities that have previously been considered unpaid administrative time for non-physical consultations such as telephonic or on-line consumer care using home monitoring medical devices. GeckoSystems is a dynamic leader in the emerging Mobile Service Robot (MSR) industry revolutionizing their development and usage with "Mobile Robot Solutions for Safety, Security and Service(TM)."

"The new Medicare/Medicaid payments for physicians' usage of home monitoring medical devices will cover multitasking, upgradeable personal companion robots such as the CareBot due to the cost effective, robust, and efficient coverage readily available with minimum modifications to the home itself other than the comparatively simple installation of WiFi coverage.

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Wall Street News Alert: Hot Stock to Watch: GeckoSystems Intl. - August 27, 2009 | PHP Developer's Journal

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