Case Study | Origin Healthcare Delivers High-Acuity Care at Home With Eko’s Telehealth Platform

The Problem

Serving rural communities means navigating both access and acuity. Origin Healthcare wanted to provide high-acuity care at home, but early on, they encountered a major challenge.

Nurses were performing in-home assessments using standard stethoscopes. Physicians, however, were remote. Clinical decisions often relied on secondhand descriptions of breath sounds and heart findings rather than direct auscultation. In complex pulmonary cases, that gap can determine whether a patient stays home or requires transfer to a hospital.

For high-risk patients, relying solely on verbal reporting or patient self-assessment was not sufficient. The team needed a way for physicians to directly hear and evaluate lung sounds in real time. As one clinician described it, they needed technology that would allow the doctor to “see and hear the patient almost as if they were standing there.”

The Solution

The turning point in closing that gap came with the adoption of Eko’s CORE 500™ Digital Stethoscope and Telehealth platform. And the impact was immediate.

" The first time we used the Eko Telehealth solution, I was floored by what it was able to provide me — things I didn't even know I was missing. The way that I could hear breath sounds...the way that I could confirm auscultation that the nurses were telling me. And the patients LOVE this."

Christine Lum Lung, MD, MBA
Physician and Founder – Origin Healthcare

The Origin Healthcare team has seen a range of benefits so far:

• Real-time, clinical-grade auscultation: Using Eko Telehealth, nurses in the field stream high-fidelity lung and heart sounds securely to remote physicians. Instead of relying on secondhand interpretation, physicians hear exactly what the nurse hears during the exam. 
• Increased diagnostic confidence in high-acuity situations: The CORE 500™ provided amplified, clear auscultation and allowed physicians to confirm pulmonary findings during active care decisions. This improved diagnostic confidence and reduced unnecessary escalations to hospital-level care.
• Greater patient satisfaction: Patients responded positively when told that the physician could hear everything the nurse was hearing. Knowing that both providers were connected during the exam increased comfort and trust, particularly for patients who were anxious about their condition or hesitant to go to the hospital.
• Alignment with hospital-at-home care models: Eko’s Telehealth capabilities allow Origin Healthcare to deliver advanced care outside traditional brick-and-mortar facilities while maintaining clinical integrity and secure data transmission.

The Outcome

The impact became clear in a high-risk case involving a patient diagnosed with acute hypoxic respiratory failure. Her oxygen levels were dangerously low, and she initially refused hospitalization. In a traditional model, limited remote visibility into her pulmonary status may have required transfer to a medical unit out of precaution.

Using Eko Telehealth, the physician could hear her breath sounds directly and maintain a strong grasp of her pulmonary status throughout treatment. The team was able to deliver appropriate interventions in the home environment.

Four days after care began, her condition improved significantly. Watch this video to learn more.

According to the Origin Healthcare team, the ability to keep her at home while delivering high-acuity support may have changed the trajectory of her outcome. Patients who otherwise would have required hospitalization were instead treated safely and effectively at home.

Beyond this single case, Origin Healthcare has seen a broader impact. Patients report greater comfort knowing both the nurse and physician are connected during examinations. Clinicians feel more confident making decisions remotely because they are no longer relying solely on description or self-report.

With Eko Telehealth integrated into its workflow, the organization is positioned to continue scaling high-acuity, hospital-level care in the home. For rural communities in particular, this partnership demonstrates how clinical-grade teleauscultation can bridge geographic gaps and deliver safe, effective care wherever patients are.