Hawkeye MedTech releases portable telehealth station to increase healthcare access

Hawkeye MedTech Inc., an Mtech Ventures incubator company dedicated to bridging the gap between clinicians and patients through medical technologies, has released its new portable telehealth station, which offers consumers expanded access to healthcare, especially in remote communities.

The Portable TotalCare Telehealth Station consists of a computer tablet loaded with Hawkeye’s software, along with a connected blood pressure cuff and a pulse oximeter. Through the station, users can complete virtual medical and mental healthcare appointments, as well as manage chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer, Parkinson’s disease, obesity and more, according to Hawkeye CEO Ashok Kapur.

“We saw the promise of telehealth for serving rural, inner-city and senior Marylanders with limited access to healthcare,” said Kapur. “We also know that access to computers, a fast internet connection, and smartphones can be hard to come by in some communities. By offering a low-cost healthcare station to locations like libraries, assisted living facilities, community health offices, and schools, we can make care more accessible to these communities. Telehealth cannot remove every barrier to access, but it can make a significant impact." 

Patients using Hawkeye’s station can visit doctors of their choice, as well as maintain continuity of care over time, said Kapur. The company’s TotalCareTM telehealth software platform, which runs on the new stations, went live October 2019 and has many healthcare providers and patients enrolled and using it. 

The Portable TotalCare Telehealth Station is available now for a monthly fee, paid for by a hosting facility. The device is slated for installation soon in senior assisted living facilities, an activity center in southern Maryland, as well as an adult day care center.

Hawkeye worked with Frederick-based Kiosk Group Ltd. to fabricate the stations, through a $10,000 grant from the Maryland Business Innovation Association (MBIA).

The company also received a $100,000 grant from TEDCO through its Rural and Underserved Business Recovery from Impact of COVID-19 (RUBRIC) program. 

Hawkeye was founded in 2015. The company joined Mtech Ventures as a virtual incubator company that same year.

“Mtech Ventures has been good for our company,” said Kapur. “In addition to giving us a UMD address, we have benefited from the incubator’s networking events and seminars, as well as I-Corps.”

Kapur has participated in two separate UMD I-Corps cohorts, one in 2015 just after launching his company, and one in 2019 that he viewed as a refresher.

But I-Corps’ value early on was equally important. “I-Corps is great because as an entrepreneur, you learn how to ask the right questions from the right people, then use that to design your product and create a prototype that is actually useful,” he explained. ”It teaches you how to solve pain points for your customers and give them what they really need.”

Hawkeye plans to add more features to its system, potentially including a separate wristwatch that checks your heart rate, respiration, body temperature, blood oxygen saturation level, and EKG, according to Kapur. Other devices could also be added, he said, as well as improved artificial intelligence, to give more power to patients to manage their healthcare effectively. Additions would also give more data to providers so they can offer better diagnosis, assessment, and treatment plans for patients.

The company is commencing a Seed Round of funding for $5 million.

July 28, 2022