At UC Berkeley’s Innovation Forum, West Cancer Center & Research Institute and Proto Hologram announced the first holographic doctor-patient visits, addressing disparity in oncology care for rural communities
West Cancer Center is first to beam doctors to patients via hologram
Berkeley, CA, Sept. 13, 2024 – West Cancer Center & Research Institute and Proto Inc. announced the first holographic doctor-patient visits at UC Berkeley’s forum on Global Healthcare Innovation. Memphis-area’s West is the first healthcare facility in the country to launch doctors’ visits via hologram – giving patients at their rural locations access to specialized oncologists based at their Germantown headquarters. The visits were first tested earlier in the year and following positive patient and doctor feedback, have become a regular offering at West’s Paris, TN location. Proto is the original hologram device and AI-powered spatial computing platform.
Memphis is a city known for entertainment greats such as Elvis Presley, Justin Timberlake and Morgan Freeman, to name a few, and Proto is often known for its use by network television, Hollywood studios and pro sports leagues. But the partnership underlines the serious benefits of life-like, volumetric communication as a way to bring people closer together for some of the most important moments in life.
According to Mitch Graves, CEO for West, “Within a 150-mile radius of our Germantown location, there are over 4.7 million people and over half live in rural towns. One positive that came from the pandemic is the acceptance and increased use of telemedicine, but with Proto the patient and doctor experience is substantially different.”
“My mission has always been to connect people in meaningful ways,” said David Nussbaum, Inventor and CEO of Proto. “From the very beginning, I envisioned a future where doctors and patients could communicate seamlessly as holograms, breaking down barriers and enhancing the patient experience. We’re thrilled to see this vision come to life at West Cancer Center.”
One of West Cancer Center’s first patients to experience a hologram appointment said, “I’ve had dozens of virtual visits on my cell phone and this holographic experience doesn’t compare. It feels just like I am talking with my doctor face-to-face.”
Chief Medical Officer for West, Dr. Sylvia Richey said it best, “We are always looking to improve on technology and thought what it would be like if we could beam our specialists to offices in rural communities and with Proto and this Holographic technology, we can do just that.”
“Working with the team from Proto to bring to life, what several years ago would have seemed impossible, is now going to allow West Cancer Center & Research Institute to pioneer options for patients to get highly specialized care without having to travel to large metro areas,” said Graves. “Our Paris, TN clinic is one of our 11 locations and we are already expanding to a second location in October and I can see us expanding to several others in the future. The opportunity to live our mission that began 45 years ago, to provide clinical and research excellence for all cancer patients, is further validated with the addition of Proto Hologram.”
Proto’s Nussbaum added: “We didn’t rush into this – knowing that helping health care providers would have important privacy concerns, we made a serious engineering investment and earned our SOC Type 2 security certifications so that people can trust their communications are safe. We’re very proud that the distinguished team at West Cancer Center and its real need to reach rural patients is the first provider to establish a program for hologram care.”
The UC Berkeley Business Innovation Forum event, “How Emerging Healthcare Technologies and Business Models May Transform Our Future” was organized by the Garwood Center for Corporate Innovation’s Executive Director Professor Solomon Darwin. The talks and presentations, which took place at the Haas School of Business, UCSF and Stanford University, were attended by executives from Medtronic, Intel, Dell, Microsoft, HPE, NVIDIA, Apollo Hospitals, INTEC Japan and more.
For more information about West Cancer Center & Research Institute contact: jflanery@westclinic.com
