Tag Archive for Telepathology

RMT & Nikon Instruments Partner To Offer New Telepathology Solution

February 24, 2011 Technology, Telepathology, USCAP One comment

“Forget everything you believe about the limitations of remote presence” is the tagline of  Nikon’s new partner, Remote Meeting Technologies (RMT).  Together RMT and Nikon will launch an HD telepathology system called “Be There Be Anywhere” at the USCAP annual meeting this week.  Although Nikon has not been seen as a traditional player in the digital pathology market, they continue to make significant efforts to use digital technology to improve  the practice of pathology.

The Be There Be Anywhere HD Telepathology System eliminates the need for special hardware and client software downloads, is easy to use, and is the only Telepathology system on the market (that I’m aware of) to offer true 1920 x 1080 HD resolution of live images.  The “Be There Be Anywhere” system can even go with you and be moved to any location with the “Phone Home” module.  Phone Home can increase flexibility and reduce the costs necessary to set up and support other locations.

This week I saw a demonstration of “Be There Be Anywhere” and  spoke with RMT founder & CEO, Don Marchon. Don, a Hewlett Packard veteran, is very passionate about his products.  During our conversation he confidently stated,

We are the best kept secret in telepathology!

Although I only had time for a short demonstration, I was very impressed!  Don was using a Nikon 50i microscope, to deliver live, real-time images of a thin prep cytology slide.  The 50i was equiped with RMTs iMEDHD package; the key component of Be There Be Anywhere.   During the demo we launched our webcams, talked via VOIP, and I watched Don (from the comfort of my living room) deliver a powerpoint presentation via RMT’s web conference that could easily rival WebEx or GoToMeeting.  The speed was amazing, but the image quality was like nothing I’ve seen before in telepathology! It really was HD!

Oh, and did I mention that RMT’s solutions are IT friendly? Don, with his wealth of knowledge from Hewlett Packard, designed his products to be secure, scaleable, and able to preform live audits of users and participants.

To learn more visit Nikon’s booth, #348, at USCAP or email Don Marchon for an online demonstration.

Onshoring & Telepathology with Digital Pathology

November 23, 2009 Digital Pathology, Onshoring, Telepathology, Teleradiology Comments Off

The Dark Daily issued an article on Friday about a virtual dermatopathology lab, called Dermatopathologyconsultations.com, where they specialize in second opinion consultations worldwide with a focus on sub specialties like dermatopathology and head, neck and ophthalmic pathology. Their innovative workflow, which uses Digital Pathology, streamlines the consultation process.

With the rapid growth and adoption of Digital Pathology, many pathologists have fears of offshoring.  These fears stem from the offshoring boom that occurred with the adoption of digital radiology.  However, what a company like Dermatopathologyconsultations.com illustrates is that onshoring is a business that can work and that outsourcing is something that should be embraced and seen as a resource to provided better quality and patient care.

Risk vs. reward is often a hot topic when radiologists discuss the use of outsourcing and/or offshoring.  But what are some of the risks and rewards in pathology?

Risk(s)

  • Outsourcing too many or the wrong cases
  • Patient confidentiality & legal factors
  • Loss of patient contact and the opportunity to build physician-patient relationships
  • Continuity of Care

Reward(s)

  • Increased productivity
  • Turn-around-time (TAT) for a patient diagnosis in off hours
  • Grow your service portfolio with rapid access to sub specialty pathologists for second opinion diagnoses/consults
  • Case allocation to cover under staffed facilities, vacation time, and excess case volume
  • Cost savings

Although telepathology is not routinely used or endorsed for primary diagnosis today across state lines or healthcare systems, I believe, it is only a matter of time.  With that change will come a growth in USA based outsourcing and onshoring of routine pathology.  This is a business growth opportunity in pathology and a possibly a better way to practice pathology.  I guess we’ll see what happens, but bravo to Dermatopathologyconsultations.com, for a step in the right direction.

To read the Dark Daily article, visit: http://www.darkdaily.com/meet-the-virtual-dermatopathology-lab-doing-global-business-from-boston-120

To learn more about teleradiology visit: http://www.diagnosticimaging.com/imaging-trends-advances/teleradiology

 
%d bloggers like this: