Xealth launches a tool to help doctors provide OTC product recommendations

Xealth Digital Care

Xealth is launching a new tool that allows doctors to digitally send over the counter (OTC) product recommendations to patients so they can purchase them from their favorite retailer — either online and or in store.

“We created Xealth with the mission to vastly improve physician efficiency and patient experiences,” Mike McSherry, CEO of Xealth, said in a statement. “This product prescribing feature represents the best of that vision. By digitizing clinical workflows, we reduce the friction patients feel when buying recommended products for their care.”

Already, doctors are recommending OTC products such as ice packs, shower chairs and knee braces to patients manually — often by providing print outs, handwritten notes, or by copy and pasting links. Using Xealth technology, physicians can now digitally recommend these same items, right from their Electronic Medical Record (EMR). Patients can then access this list and purchase items from retailers like Amazon. This reduces physician time, increases accuracy, and provides a much-improved, more convenient method for patients to get the care they need to get better.

In addition, the tool can also significantly reduce the amount of back and forth between patients and clinicians, saving time for all involved. Future examples of product recommendations could include breast pumps, anti-colic bottles, breastfeeding pillows for pediatrics; cortisone cream, hypoallergenic bath products, acne treatment, and sunblock for dermatology, and items such as healthy food cookbooks, humidifiers, and back support pillows for general primary care.

Providence St. Joseph Health (PSJH) and UPMC are the first health systems to go live with the service. PSJH is incorporating it into its Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute, and UPMC into maternity and orthopedic care. In addition, this functionality is set to roll out at several other health systems in the near future.

OTC product recommendation is just the latest exciting development of the Xealth platform, which also enables clinicians to recommend digital services, apps, and relevant content.