InTouch Health® Partners With Cardiovascular Institute Of The South To Offer Telecardiology Services

Combination of cardiology and cardiovascular expertise with leading telehealth network expands medical service offerings in acute care settings

Santa Barbara, CA /PRNewswire/ - InTouch Health, the leading enterprise telehealth platform, announced today a partnership agreement with Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS) to provide remote medical services geared towards emergent and general cardiology expertise in acute settings, adding a fourth service line to the company's physician capacity management offering. CIS will increase breadth and depth of adoption of InTouch Health's services, and extend its cardiology expertise to InTouch Health in two critical ways: (1) addition of cardiologists to InTouch Health's physician capacity management offering, and (2) collaboration on development of workflow solutions to drive best practices and allow for standardized quality of care in telecardiology settings.

"Successful implementation of telemedicine across every point of the patient care continuum – from primary care to acute care to post-acute care to home again – will increase patient safety, improve care quality, address physician shortages, expand access and reduce the cost of high-quality care. Cardiology affects one in four Americans, costs the United States almost $300 billion each year and drives approximately one-third of Medicare costs in this country, so it is prime for disruption and innovation," said Joseph DeVivo, CEO of InTouch Health. "We are excited by CIS' advancements in telecardiology, and are looking forward to our own expanded capabilities within the cardiovascular setting, afforded by this partnership."

"Telemedicine has the ability to transform the way cardiology care is delivered, through expanding access across rural areas, managing bed capacity, easing travel burden on sub-specialties, improving collaboration between sub-specialties and expanding our own coverage internationally," said Craig Walker, MD, founder of CIS. "Our partnership with InTouch Health is going to allow us to take a global approach to the delivery of cardiovascular services and reach patients who currently don't have access to a cardiovascular specialist."

"We see this partnership as a major milestone in our growth strategy," added David Konur, CEO of CIS.

The new partnership will cover emergent cardiology services in the hospital emergency department, as well as more routine consults on an inpatient floor. Boasting cardiologists that represent nearly every specialty in heart and vascular medicine, CIS is at the forefront of advancing the detection, prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. CIS hosts a comprehensive heart and vascular program with specialized medical professionals trained in nuclear cardiology, electrophysiology, prevention services and lipid management, as well as interventional cardiovascular procedures.

As InTouch Health continues to develop its virtual sub-specialty care model, key partnerships with innovators like CIS and other acute care physician sub-specialists will continue to position InTouch Health as a leading, comprehensive enterprise offering in the telehealth industry. To learn more please visit: www.intouchhealth.com.

About InTouch Health
InTouch Health provides its world class 24/7 monitored InTouch Telehealth Network, comprised telehealth systems, clinical workflow solutions and software, and managed services to hospitals and health care systems for the delivery of clinical care, anytime, anywhere. Today, InTouch Health supports more than 130 health care systems, 5,800 network users and 1,600 care locations around the world as they deploy telehealth programs across their enterprises. InTouch Health has surpassed 850,000 network sessions, and 760,000 potentially life-saving telehealth sessions over the InTouch Telehealth Network, and is forecasted to manage more than 270,000 clinical sessions in 2017.

About Cardiovascular Institute of The South
Founded by Dr. Craig Walker in 1983, Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS) is the largest single specialty cardiology practice in Louisiana. CIS cardiologists represent nearly every specialty in heart and vascular medicine. CIS is a world leader in preventing, detecting and treating cardiovascular disease. The institute offers a comprehensive heart and vascular program with specialized medical professionals trained in nuclear cardiology, electrophysiology, prevention services and lipid management, as well as interventional cardiovascular procedures. CIS is also world-renowned for making significant advancements in the development of non-surgical treatments to treat peripheral arterial disease (PAD). CIS has earned international acclaim as a leader of research, development and education. With a team of more than 600 dedicated members, CIS provides comprehensive cardiovascular care to 15 communities in south Louisiana, with locations in Mississippi and Alabama as well. CIS consistently positions itself at the forefront of technology by providing the most up-to-date technology coupled with compassionate care. This mission has guided the institute for more than 33 years of service to our communities. For more information about CIS, call 1-800-425-2565 or visit www.cardio.com.