CHAPTER 8. PRODUCTS

The world is in the midst of a significant technological change and health care providers must be prepared to move at the speed of technology. Products selected for your telemedicine program should be standards compliant (to the extent standards have been established), and modular in design to promote flexibility in the future expansion or modification of your program. Finally, for personal computer ("PC") based systems, significant advantages can be derived if devices are "interoperable", i.e. a single PC, whether desktop or laptop, can be used as the platform to operate multiple devices, and "integrated", i.e. have common software and communication interfaces to permit efficient data collection, transmission and storage.

Incorporation of flexibility into the system provides significant future benefits. As technology evolves, you may want to replace only selected items within your telemedicine system. When selecting products, try to obtain from vendors a prediction of where technology is moving, a disclosure of new products under development, and an understanding of how your product selections may be affected by future technology changes.

Even though technology is changing rapidly, providers that design a telemedicine system with flexibility in mind seldom derive an advantage by delaying system purchase and implementation. First, technology will be constantly evolving, so change can always be expected. The mere prospect of technology changes should not be a basis for a delay in program implementation, unless you are seeking a core technology where a major advancement is expected. Second, parties that introduce telemedicine often obtain a "first in the market" advantage. Where the Competition Model applies, those first in the market often establish professional relationships and establish referral patterns, which are difficult to displace. In health care, relationships are seldom terminated solely for economic reasons, unless the economic advantage is overwhelming. In telemedicine, perceived quality of service and access to, and responsiveness of, consulting professionals can play a significant role in the maintenance of established relationships.

As a final consideration in the selection of products to support your telemedicine program, consider the availability and timeliness of technical support. Your telemedicine program may need to be available seven days a week, and you cannot afford extended down time due to technical failures.

As the leading source for telemedicine devices, AMD is dedicated to the development of a complete suite of telemedicine products which meet the goal of modular design to promote flexibility. In addition, AMD is focused on the concepts of interoperability and integration - to assure that your telemedicine program can continue to expand or change with a minimum of future cost. Finally all AMD products are "AMD Certified". They are rigorously tested to assure hardware and software compatibility with other AMD devices when operated on a single PC platform, and compatibility with equipment of major video conferencing and telecom vendors and industry standard operating software and applications (e.g. Windows). Please visit AMD's Products Directory to review the AMD product selection.