AV Technology - November/December 2008 - (Page 41)

heart education videos available. A newly diagnosed diabetic will find insulin information and how-to videos among his choices. With over 400 patient education videos in the system, physicians are still reviewing all the videos to make sure the content is correct. Once approved, nurses can assign the videos to patients as needed during treatment. Since the system is IP-based, no actual TV tuner is required, so every patient room has a 37-inch LG 3701 LCD monitor on the wall accompanied by an Amino set top box. Optimal converted the standard pillow speaker in every room to act as a remote, so when a patient clicks a button on his pillow speaker, the STB picks up the signal through a custombuilt interface box. The interface translates the speaker protocol to a language the STB will understand. AT WHAT COST Putting a price tag on the project is difficult, according to Lewkowski, because there are so many different components to the system, which Metro Health paid for through its building fund. “We went out and contracted for satellite service, then bought the patient education videos,” says Lewkowski. “We also bought www.avtechnologyonline.com monitors for every room, so a lot depends on how large your system is going to be.” Scott King says the addition of VSI 220 encoder blades saved on both money and space. “VSI delivers the best cost ratio for each TV channel you want to stream live, giving us 15 megabits per second bandwidth — basically DVD quality. Before we were introduced to VSI we had to either build our own encoders or use another company’s encoders, which were higher cost. Visionary’s chassis-based solution saves a lot of space on the racks as well.” King also feels the system is more robust since the VSI encoders use hardware, not software, to convert analog to digital. Visionary Solutions president Will Bakewell says this project was a perfect fit. “The extensive access and control delivered by the Optimal Solutions middleware really adds value to a system like this. IPTV saves money in terms of infrastructure, and it definitely enhances the hospital’s patient care.” One of the largest cost savings occurred this summer when Metro Health opened a new cancer center across the street from the hospital. Since the new building already required an IP network, expanding for patient entertainment was simple. “Adding TVs to the eVideon system was like adding a computer on a network,” says Scott King. “No big deal. If they’d had a traditional coaxial system they wouldn’t have been able to offer TV over there without a whole new head end or massive costs to extend the one they had.” INFINITE POSSIBILITIES The hospital plans to have all patient medical records stored electronically by the end of 2009, which opens up even more possibilities for this system. “I see that integration growing,” says Art King. “As we get full electronic medical records, we’ll be able to see what patients have viewed, or still need to view, as they come in or out.” “This system is both expandable and versatile” says Lewkowski. “This is absolutely the way patient technology is going in the future.” In the meantime, Lewkowski is sure the hospital’s patient satisfaction ratings will remain high. “We would like this to be as pleasant a stay as if you are staying in a nice hotel. You should have a lot of services at your fingertips. You’re in the bed. We might as well give you something to do.” Wendy Ellis is a freelance writer with extensive experience in the AV and broadcast industries. She can be reached at wlellis1@comcast.net. CONTROL OPTIONS FOR THE DISABLED O ne unique feature of the Metro Health entertainment system is its ability to give some control to patients with very limited abilities. At least 42 Michigan Assisted Breathing Center patients live long-term at Metro Health, many of them quadriplegics and on ventilators. By switching their systems into eVideon’s “Easy Access Mode,” these patients have choices. “Some of these patients have no control of their extremities,” says Scott King. “They have minimal control of their environment through things like the sip and puff device. Basically they breathe in and out of a straw to accomplish some simple day-to-day tasks. Or they may have a switch taped to their forehead. When they move the muscles in their forehead it presses the button that lets them call the nurse, or control some things in their environment. Now they also have control over our whole eVideon system with the same devices.” Because the Easy Access Mode is sequential, the hospital limited the number of choices they would have to shuffle through. “We gave each one a list of choices and channels available to them and, with the help of their nurse, they selected maybe 10 or 15 things that they were interested in watching,” says King. “Then we programmed their rooms to have those things assigned to the TV. Now, through this single little twitch connection, they can turn the TV on, go through their choices, and turn the TV off. It gives them quite a bit to choose from.” METRO HEALTH: www.metrohealth.net EVIDEON: www.evideon.com OPTIMAL SOLUTIONS: www.optimalinternet.com VISIONARY SOLUTIONS, INC.: www.vsicam.com LG ELECTRONICS: www.lge.com november | december 2008 | AV TECHNOLOGY | 41 INFO http://www.metrohealth.net http://www.evideon.com http://www.optimalinternet.com http://www.optimalinternet.com http://www.vsicam.com http://www.lge.com http://www.avtechnologyonline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AV Technology - November/December 2008

AV Technology - November/December 2008 Contents Precedent Corporate: Finishing with Style Government: It’s Still About People Education: Surviving Budget Cuts Applying Metrics to AV ROI Selecting Room Scheduling Software Six Things You Need to Know About Webcasting The Way I See It: Becoming an Internet Native Casino Uses AV for Dramatic Impact Just What the Doctor Ordered The Loneliest Help Desk in Town Product Forum Product Spotlight Tech Horizons New Products Ad Index AV MO

AV Technology - November/December 2008

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