Unlike having a web based event, I had the opportunity see first hand Cisco Systems, Inc. TelePresence, or now as they are branding HealthPresence for the healthcare vertical. Being in the space for many years I listened. The more I listened, the more I understood that they are perhaps crossing chasm and figuring out how to really provide solutions to improve healthcare. Not that this company has not provided a huge amount of infrastructure in the healthcare space; but Cisco Systems, is now driving toward how to take all their connectivity and infrastructure integration experience, adding a middle ware of business intelligence thus ultimately driving real business value. This is not marketing hype, but it seems a lot of hard working folks that are focused on listening to those on the front line, working daily to understand the pains to not only provide the right "connectivity experience", but becoming a real business solution to add lot of value and actually make the EMR model work better. None of this could have happened if you did not have engineers out there on the front line listening and understanding what people have to do on a day to day basis, versus throwing technology out there. Also this could not have happened if you did not have true surgical quality video and viewing of that video. (HDTV). However, what is more important is looking at this from the clinical angle. For instance when a clinician desires to provide the "check-up" on a series of patients a small two event just needs to happen. The clinician just logs into the Cisco desktop phone. This then identifiers him/her. Then they can simply scan the series of 1D/2D bar codes for the series of patients. ( I would prefer 2D as this can provide just as about the information that is found in RFID, at an acceptable enterprise technology pathway.) That is it. All physiological parameters, i.e. Sp02, NIBP, EKG, Temperature are taken. Once all the parameters have been taken, they (and get this), without user intervention, they are pushed through a XML 2.0, via standard HL7 output (this through their embedded server). Any EMR can now take this now output. It should be noted that this can be done and/or completed via wired/wireless and also ported out (or used), as mobile model. Finally it seems a technology provider has paid close attention what actually happens day to day, using technology to free up the hassle factor of the clinician. All of this means saving time, energy, decreasing risk and errors, reducing costs, and improving the clinical giver to patient care experience. OK, and finally, this whole solution got an FDA 510K approval 24 months ago. (Should set the bar or standard going forward with any "medical device connectivity project".) When you deliver real value of the application helping the business on a day to day basis, the infrastructure behind the scenes to make this happen is a given.
