Jul 30 2010
The Los Angeles Times recently ran an article by Hugo Martín about the travel industry. Specifically, the travel industry’s response to a recent directive issued by the Obama administration calling for government employees to commute and travel less.
How did they feel about it? No, sir, they didn’t like it.
And we can understand why. The National Business Travel Association has members from the automotive, transportation, hospitality and other industries that would be negatively impacted if government employees, corporate executives, sales people and other business travelers decided to put down their passports, stick their suitcases in the closet and stay in their offices. As an association, you need to look out for the combined business interests of your members, and the members of the NBTA would lose business and money should road warriors become desk warriors.
In a press release that was issued by the NBTA in response to the administration’s calls for reduced government travel, Michael W. McCormick, Executive Director and COO of NBTA, stated, “President Obama’s recent statements calling for a reduction in government travel are troubling…they are part of a pattern of negative and misguided comments from the Administration that hurt the travel industry at an incredibly challenging time…they seem to imply that cutting travel is the goal.”
Our question is, why shouldn’t the federal government’s goal be cutting travel? In these “incredibly challenging times,” the federal government is faced with increasing and almost unfathomable amounts of national debt and in an unenviable position of trying to make government operate more effectively, inexpensively and efficiently. In addition, the Obama Administration is facing pressure to set a precedent for the rest of the country, and globe, by making the government greener.
By discouraging government travel and working to reduce the unnecessary globe-trotting of executives from companies that took government bailout dollars, the Obama Administration is cutting the amount of taxpayer money being put towards airfare (including those fun baggage fees, aisle seat fees, peanut fees, etc.), hotel rooms, meals and per diem. The resulting decrease in air and car travel will also go a long way towards shrinking the federal government’s carbon footprint and helping the environment.
We understand that face-to-face communication is important in the business environment. It helps encourage collaboration and innovation in the public and private sectors. However, this need to hop in a cab to the airport, skip through the terminal, jump on a plane and shake someone’s hand to effectively do business is antiquated. With video teleconferencing (VTC) solutions and unified communications, the ability to collaborate with people face-to-face is no longer limited to individuals in the same room.
By discouraging travel by government employees and corporate executives from companies that accepted bail-out dollars and instead embracing new technology to interact, all we lose is the handshake. Travel costs will decrease and save taxpayer money and less pollutants will enter our atmosphere and destroy the Earth. Also, these once road-warriors will be able to take all of the time they wasted in line at customs, preparing to go through security, sitting on a plane and staring at their watch waiting for connections and spend it on doing their jobs, or playing with their kids. That means a happier, healthier and more productive workforce.
VTC solutions and new unified communication technologies are breaking down the walls between the federal government, a greener planet and a cheaper, more productive workforce. We say, “bravo,” to the Obama Administration for taking a stand for responsible government. And to the NBTA we say, “don’t be hatin’ on the Administration for trying to drive positive change.” There will always be a need for some business travel, but thanks to new technology, it’s no longer the only option.
Jul 27 2010
Here at Break Down the Walls, we’ve talked extensively about the benefits that telemedicine via video teleconferencing (VTC) could bring to America’s healthcare system. From increasing access to specialists for patients in remote or rural areas, to decreasing the cost of managing and monitoring chronic conditions, telemedicine via VTC can save lives and money for Americans in need of medical care.
Despite the obvious and extensive benefits, the rapid adoption one would expect as technologies improve and the possibilities increase has failed to materialize.
Why? Well, somebody has to pay for it.
The existing fee-for-service model being applied by the traditional healthcare insurers makes this difficult since the “payers,” as they are called, have failed to close large holes that exist in coverage for telemedicine procedures.
Some positive steps have been made. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has expanded covered clinical service codes and added about 15 telemedicine services as eligible for reimbursement. Unfortunately, this falls far short of the best case scenario, where all clinical telemedicine services, performed from any location and provided by any type of appropriate health professional are covered.
These roadblocks could begin to disappear as insurance companies start to take a new approach towards reimbursement and coverage. The fee-for-service model is losing favor for the treatment of certain individuals and conditions, and being replaced with a single payment system.
In this model, a single payment covers individual lives, certain medical conditions and episodes of care. This creates flexibility for doctors and enables them to use VTC and other telemedicine services whenever they make sense.
By shifting the traditional way services are charged and paid for in the healthcare community, we can break down the walls slowing the adoption of telemedicine. With a new way of paying, we will bring about a new way of caring.
Jul 22 2010
As the northeastern-most extension of the United States, the State of Maine is a bit isolated, sandwiched between New Hampshire and New Brunswick, Canada. Although known most for putting lobster, toothpicks and blueberries on America’s dinner tables, Maine is bringing something even better to the table for its residents…a better education.
With large swaths of rural land, Maine’s public schools suffer many of the same problems that schools systems in Middle America and other rural areas face. Smaller, rural schools often find themselves with less resources and teachers than schools in larger, more urban areas. These schools struggle to offer the advanced educational opportunities that their larger counterparts can offer.
So how best to level the playing field for all students in the state, and bring previously-unavailable educational opportunities to their students? Networkmaine, a unit of the University of Maine system that operates a research and education network for K-12 schools and public libraries throughout the state, began looking for a technological solution.
Working with the state’s K–12 schools and a non-profit professional organization known as the Association of Computing Technology Educators (ACTEM), Networkmaine sought funding for video teleconferencing (VTC) equipment via Rural Utilities Service (RUS) grants. The grants enabled them to bring TANDBERG VTC equipment to more than 400 schools and libraries in Maine.
Since the installation of the VTC solutions, schools are augmenting their curricula with virtual fieldtrips and visits from a range of subject-matter experts, from marine scientists to NASA personnel. They are also bringing previously unavailable programs like foreign languages to students in rural school districts.
VTC is also being used for administrative purposes and to save money for the school districts. Principals within single districts, as well as superintendents across districts, meet regularly over the TANDBERG equipment, and this reduces the time and money needed to facilitate travel and in-person meetings.
VTC is breaking down the walls between Maine students and a better education and empowering a new way of teaching in the nation’s most northeastern state. How could your state’s education system benefit from VTC?
Jul 20 2010
Last week, the House of Representatives passed legislation that is expected to provide a much needed spark to increased adoption of telework in the federal government.
The bill, which passed by a vote of 290-131, is similar to a bill that was passed by the Senate in May. It requires federal government agencies to establish a position for a telework managing officer, who would work to establish and promote telework initiatives within the agency.
This is a huge first step in increasing the adoption of telework in federal agencies. It not only will save the government millions in lost production due to inclement weather and other emergencies which may close offices, but will also lead to a more productive workforce and reduction in government expenditures on office space and resources.
We’ve talked extensively about the benefits that telework will bring to the federal government in previous posts on Break Down the Walls, and we’re truly excited to see legislation being passed to expedite its adoption. However, there is more that federal government agencies can do to not only increase telework in the government, but to improve both its effectiveness and efficiency.
One of the ways that government agencies can help drive telework adoption is the implementation of technologies that can allow government employees to better communicate and collaborate when teleworking. One of these technologies is video teleconferencing (VTC).
VTC technologies enable individuals to communicate as if they were in the same room, no matter how much distance separates them. This eliminates the fear many government agency managers express – that teleworking employees are unable to communicate or be supervised effectively.
By implementing VTC technologies, government agencies take their telework cost savings even further. VTC solutions effectively reduce the need for travel by enabling face-to-face meetings between individuals miles apart. This can help reduce expensive plane travel, hotel and per diem costs.
VTC is breaking down the walls to a more effective, efficient, greener and inexpensive government. Now that’s a new way of governing.
Jul 15 2010
Since taking office, the Obama Administration and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) have been pushing federal agencies to adopt telework initiatives. This emphasis on telework is expected to alleviate a large number of issues currently facing the government, including:
Despite all of the positives that can come from the introduction and increased adoption of telework, many agencies have been slow to embrace it. However, a recent article in Government Executive shows that some government agencies are not only embracing but championing telework.
The article quotes top executives from the State Department, Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs and the Education Department who discuss why telework initiatives have been so successful for them, and why they feel that telework is necessary in today’s government.
By enabling telework and increasing collaboration, VTC technologies are breaking down the walls to a more effective and efficient government. Through telework and VTC solutions, the federal government is ushering in a new way of working, and working to overcome some of the largest obstacles and challenges facing it today.
Jul 13 2010
Jefferson County, Ala., covers 1,134 square miles and is home to more than 700,000 citizens. It’s the largest county by territory in the state, and it needed a better way to coordinate emergency management and protect the county inhabitants, especially along the Gulf Coast.
So, Jefferson County turned to TANDBERG. The County’s Emergency Management Agency (EMA) decided to invest in TANDBERG videoconferencing equipment. “We needed to have a common operating picture,” Allen Kniphfer, EMA Coordinator, told Break Down the Walls. “We chose TANDBERG because they offered the best solution and the best price for what we wanted to do.”
Jefferson County EMA has been using TANDBERG video for a number of years. During Hurricane Gustav in 2008, video helped coordinate the smooth intake of more than 7,000 evacuees in a matter of hours. Since then, it’s become more and more integral to the day to day operation of the agency.
Videoconferencing has drastically cut training expenses, saving time and money formerly needed for travel. Video captures and records meetings, so they can be archived and used for re-briefing. Video also enhances the power of contingency planning, allowing all conference participants to review the same maps and charts simultaneously.
Now the EMA is taking its video capability on the road. It has secured multiple licenses for Movi, TANDBERG’s personal videoconferencing solution. Movi allows anyone in a video-enabled organization to connect from a PC with just a USB camera.
“We hope to have more and more counties in the state tie into the system. With Movi, they can use their laptops to call in and use the system without dedicated equipment,” said Kniphfer.
Using video to increase disaster preparation along the Gulf Coast – now that’s a new way for public safety!
Jul 08 2010
The writers of Break Down the Walls have been deeply saddened. We recently read a report regarding government telework efforts by the Partnership for Public Service and Booz Allen Hamilton. According to this report, there has been “insufficient progress and action” for telework implementation for government workers.
For those of us who telework on a regular basis, we find this very frustrating. Not only do we save time with our daily commute, we also save money on gas and parking and reduce our carbon footprint. For anyone who has sat in traffic on I-495, I-66 and I-95 in the Washington, D.C., metro area, I’m sure you agree with us.
What we found most interesting in the report were the five myths of flexible work environments in the government. While we’ve talked before about all of these myths on Break Down the Walls, it’s depressing to see them all listed as to reasons employees are still not given the option to telework. Here are the myths:
While 62% of federal employees are eligible to telework, less than 6% of full-time federal workers actually do it at least one day a month, according to the report (citing data from the Office of Personnel Management). No wonder there is so much congestion in the D.C. metro area.
We applaud the Partnership for Public Service and Booz Allen Hamilton for keeping the spotlight on this failure, and urging the government to be more aggressive about implementing telework.
Jul 06 2010
On Break Down the Walls, we’ve discussed the importance of video teleconferencing technology for people across the county who live in rural areas. Even for the Department of Veterans Affairs, there is a shortage of medical professionals in rural areas. This becomes a major problem when people need access to healthcare, which is located hours away.
A recent article in eWeek, the VA is a major adopter of telehealth technologies, including video teleconferencing. This allows doctors and patients to communicate regarding healthcare issues over long distances, breaking down the walls for easy access to the care veterans need.
For many of our veterans, a barrier to seeking healthcare is distance. Forty percent of veterans, about three million people, live in rural areas. So accessing VA healthcare is difficult, if not impossible, without driving for hours.
Video obliterates distance. The VA has been working hard to improve healthcare access for veterans, and is working on mobile applications for clinical consultation, patient and provider education, research, biosurveillance and disease management. No wonder the VA has established the largest telehealth program in the world. Now, that’s a new way of delivering care.
Jul 02 2010
Here’s more data to support the move to telework, just before we all head out for our Fourth of July barbeques. Last week Brittany Ballenstedt of Nextgov’s Wired Workplace moderated a panel on the state of telework across the federal government. She spoke with Jennifer Carignan, associate manager for research at the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, and Danette Campbell, senior telework advisor at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Here’s the link, and you can view the archived webinar if you’d like.
According to Brittany, 64% of webinar participants said they are not allowed to telework at all, although 90% of them said their agencies had the technology to make it happen. C’mon, federal managers! As you’re enjoying your Fourth of July picnics and giving thanks for our freedoms, how about giving your workers a little freedom on the job? Studies prove they will be MORE productive if you do, not less!
Jul 01 2010
The TANDBERG Public Sector team just rolled out of beautiful Denver, CO, where the weather was wonderful and this year’s International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Conference and Exhibition was in full swing.
In addition to enjoying Denver, and the requisite buffalo prime rib at the Buckhorn Exchange, we’re in town to discuss the benefits that video teleconferencing (VTC) technologies can have on the educational experience of children across America. The ISTE conference was the perfect forum, since the organization sets forth national standards for technology in learning.
In addition to having our VTC solutions available at the Cisco booth for educators to see and experience, the TANDBERG team was working with the Interactive Video Communications (IVC) team to deliver remote guests and speakers to the conference, and even deliver the conference to educators unable to make it out to Denver.
During the course of the conference, we had many great conversations with educators, many of whom were truly excited about the recent addition of TANDBERG to the Cisco family. Many told us they felt this addition meant that the technology was going mainstream, and about to see rapid adoption across the education. This is exciting for a handful of reasons:
1) Professional development – When teachers want to be taught something themselves, they often have to miss class or request funds for travel that just aren’t there in today’s stretched education budgets. By attending training via VTC, teachers don’t have to miss valuable class time and don’t need to spend any money on travel expenses.
2) External resources – As we recently discussed on Break Down the Walls, the use of VTC solutions enables teachers and schools to bring in experts, professionals and other resources that previously would have been difficult or impossible to bring to the students. The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Heart of a Hall of Famer program, which brings hall of fame players right into the classroom, is a great example.
3) Student-created content – Student-created content enables students to research, learn, record and share their own educational content. The process of them recording this content not only is an incredible learning opportunity for them, but also enables them to teach others the same lessons they are learning. This is also a great way to break down the walls between students of different cultures and in distant geographies.
The excitement around TANDBERG and VTC at ISTE is evidence that video enables a better education for America’s future. By breaking down the walls between students, professionals and teachers, we’re empowering a generation and a new way of teaching.