Aug 31 2010
As a writer for Break Down the Walls, I naturally keep an eye out for news stories focused on the video communication market. I read an interesting one this week published by the stock advisory site StreetAuthority.com – here’s the link.
Full disclosure – no one here at BDTW would ever call themselves a stock expert, so we aren’t focusing on financial issues here. That said, this piece made all of us here extremely bullish about the future of video.
New moves by industry heavyweights Hewlett Packard and Microsoft demonstrate the vitality and the promise of video conferencing. Of course, we’d love people to look to Cisco/TANDBERG first for their video conferencing needs.
But whichever provider you choose, video is the future and the train is leaving the station. To borrow a phrase from another well-known company – Just do it!
Aug 26 2010
Since the Race to the Top contest has concluded, with nine states and the District of Columbia receiving 3.4 billion in federal education dollars, a lot of people are wondering what they are going to do now. The winners, who will get between $75 million and $700 million each were: D.C., Hawaii, Rhode Island, Maryland, Massachusetts, Ohio, North Carolina, Georgia, New York and Florida.
So, what will they do with the funding?
One thing that many of these states have in common is an amazing socioeconomic dichotomy. Some regions are large cities, surrounded by suburbs. Other parts are rural where farms can outnumber traffic lights.
This creates a situation where different resources aren’t always equally available. Rural areas may not have large enough student populations to warrant having the same courses and teaching resources. Urban areas often find themselves with larger fish to fry and often can’t afford to provide everything needed to educate the sheer number of children in their region.
Instead of activities like paying stipends to parents for attending events, these states should use their Race to the Top funds to invest in technologies that will level the playing field, such as video teleconferencing (VTC). By implementing VTC in schools, teachers and other educational resources can be shared between schools. This means that high-performing teachers can be delivered via video to under-performing schools across the state. Or, foreign language and arts teachers can be delivered to rural schools where they are unable to hire specialist faculty.
In addition, these technologies cut costs for schools and help them operate more efficiently for more students, which means future federal funds may be unnecessary.
Not all of the states facing the dichotomy outlined above are receiving Race to the Top, though. New Jersey is the perfect example of a state that has concentrated urban areas (ie: Newark, Camden, Trenton, etc.) surrounded by suburbs and rural areas (it is the Garden State after all). New Jersey didn’t qualify for a handful of reasons, but they could still benefit immensely from implementing VTC in the state’s schools, especially considering their ongoing budget issues.
Luckily for New Jersey and other states, there are other grants and funding available. If your state is thinking of acquiring VTC or other technologies that could help cut education costs and improve the educational experience, programs like eRate may be able to help make them available at very little cost.
VTC is breaking down barriers between students and a better education. Drop us an email or comment if you’d like to know more, or would like to work with the TANDBERG grant team to identify funding and grant opportunities that might be available for your state.
Aug 25 2010
To be consistently recognized for operating some of the top hospitals in the United States by well-respected reporting organizations including U.S. News & World Report and the Leapfrog Group, an organization that rates hospitals, you have to have a pretty impressive staff of capable, knowledgeable doctors.
Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) has received such honors, and they do have an incredible staff. Unfortunately, when you operate three hospitals and several community-based health centers in high-traffic regions of Pennsylvania, much of that staff of more than 1,100 physicians spends a significant amount of time on the road between facilities. This is a problem since doctors behind the wheel are doctors that aren’t treating patients.
In an effort to reduce travel and increase the time doctors were spending with patients, Lehigh Valley Health Network hired Dr. Joseph Tracy as vice president of Telehealth Service and asked him to implement a telehealth program. Dr. Tracy has since installed TANDBERG HD video teleconferencing (VTC) solutions that allow doctors to see patients and each other regardless of the distance between them.
The results of the new telehealth program have been amazing.
One of the first specialties that began utilizing the new VTC solutions was Psych Emergency Services (PES). The LVHN has been able to deliver their PES specialists in their Muhlenberg campus to emergency rooms across the network without the need travel. The PES specialists are now doing more than 40 evaluations a month via VTC.
The LVHN is also using VTC to deliver its genetic counselors in the Cedar Crest campus in Allentown to its other locations. These genetic counselors discuss family history, potential birth defects, and anything on an ultrasound that’s abnormal with expecting mothers labeled as “high-risk.” The genetic counselors have been using their TANDBERG VTC solution five days a week and have seen more than 400 cases via video during the past year. This is exceptionally beneficial since women with “high-risk” pregnancies often shouldn’t be traveling.
Overall, VTC solutions being used for telehealth applications have helped the LVHN operate more effectively and efficiently. They’ve improved the patient’s access to life-saving and specialized care and have reduced the need of excessive travel for doctors and patients.
What can VTC do for in your health network or hospital?
Aug 20 2010
Something truly interesting and rather unprecedented occurred in Washington, D.C. about a week ago. Members of Congress actually cut their recess short, returned from their summer vacation, albeit temporarily, and sat down to pass a bill that would deliver $26 billion in federal dollars to states.
This aid bill was intended to help states struggling with reduced tax revenue due to the economic downturn keep 161,000 teachers and thousands of police, fire and other local government workers from being laid off.
Unfortunately, the bill hasn’t completely gone according to plan. According to multiple news sources, many schools are not rehiring pink-slipped teachers and instead using the money as a safety net in response to fears of further economic downturns.
Aside from the unintended outcomes, isn’t this a symptom of a much more fundamental problem? Is the solution to keep throwing money at the same troubled system? Are we just buying time for the economy to get better so we can go back to the way it was?
Unfortunately, the budget situation isn’t expected to get better soon. In fact, according to Frederick Hess, director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, things are only going to get worse. In a recent article featured on AOL, Hess was quoted as saying, “The whole collapse of the last few years probably won’t filter though until 2013. I think it’s much more likely that you’re [going to] be looking at tight budgets into 2014 and beyond.”
There is a better solution! Instead of simply throwing money at states and schools in hopes of making it through the recession, the federal government could instead be working to change the way education does business. By reevaluating and identifying ways it could be more effective and efficient, we could streamline the system, cut costs overall and not need to write the first of what will inevitably be many checks.
One way to accomplish this is to look at the new technologies available to schools that enable them to do more with less and operate more efficiently. Video teleconferencing (VTC) is a great example.
VTC increases the range of teachers and enables them to teach more students, even over long distances. This enables schools to pool resources and share teachers. It also ensures that all schools have access to the same resources as others and levels the playing field. VTC can also cut the costs for professional development in schools by eliminating the need for teachers to travel for conferences and classes.
With 21st century skills and “flat-world” learners dominating education, can it ever go back the way it was? We think not.
Aug 17 2010
Anyone who lives, works or drives through the Washington, D.C., region has probably had firsthand experience with D.C. traffic. It’s evil, unforgiving and soul crushing. And we’re not exaggerating.
With the federal government accounting for a large percentage of the workforce in the District, it’s fair to say that federal employees are a large part of the car traffic choking the major roads and highways surrounding D.C. during rush hour.
The effect of federal employees isn’t limited to just the area immediately surrounding Washington, D.C., however. Military bases and other large federal employers can cause similar situations in other regions.
Take for example a recent letter to the editor sent to the Free Lance-Star by a local Virginia man who travels to work along I-95. In his letter, the gentleman discusses the traffic he sees during his commute, and how the exit for the Marine Corps base at Quantico backs up onto the very major thoroughfare every morning. With his wife working at Quantico, he’s nervous that someone not paying attention will slam his car into the line of traffic backed up onto 95 and potentially hurt someone he loves.
In addition to the threat of an accident and potential harm that could come from it, this kind of daily commute through traffic is a nuisance and a time-suck. How much happier and more productive would these employees be if this could be avoided most mornings?
By embracing telework and advanced technologies like video teleconferencing (VTC) and telepresence that enable telework, the federal government could create a more productive workforce and do its part to keep traffic flowing across the country.
By breaking down the walls between public servants and telework, VTC is enabling a new way of working. So, why hasn’t your agency embraced telework?
Aug 13 2010
Weekly rounds at the University of Kentucky’s (UK) Chandler Hospital have been a bit different lately.
In addition to those physically in attendance, doctors from King Abudullah Hospital in Irbid, Jordan; Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia; Sirio Libanes Hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Morehead Clinic in Kentucky have been in attendance via video teleconferencing (VTC).
A recent lecture by Dr. Joseph Berger on Behçet’s disease, a rare neurological disorder most commonly found in the Middle East and Asia, is one example of how UK is fulfilling its mission of bringing education and learning to the world.
With a population of 80 million and only around six neurologists, countries like Ethiopia can benefit greatly from the expertise and teaching of doctor’s like Dr. Berger. The education provided is functioning to train new specialists, as with the neurology program at Addis Ababa which just graduated its first doctors.
In addition to helping train new doctors, the use of VTC technology is also helping to keep doctors in other countries informed and up-to-date with the latest treatments and research. This is extremely important for training doctors in countries without the benefit of journals, workshops and seminars.
Although UK using telemedicine to increase the global presence of their neurology department is a relatively new program, the university has been using telemedicine extensively. Telemedicine has been used at Chandler Hospital to conduct 40,000 patient exams a year.
The use of VTC at the UK’s Chandler Hospital is a great example of video breaking down walls to allow the world’s collective medical knowledge to be shared across borders. Now that is a new way of teaching and caring.
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 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 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.
Jun 24 2010
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking for the Schools and Libraries Program of the Universal Service Fund (E-Rate) and is currently seeking comments on what products and services are eligible for E-Rate funding.
If you’re a member of the education community or avid reader of Break Down the Walls, you know the benefits that video teleconferencing (VTC) can have in schools. Now, you have a unique opportunity to help increase the adoption of VTC in our public schools, and improve education for America’s students.
We encourage everyone in the education sector, including teachers, administrators, staff and vendors, to submit an electronic comment and ask for expanded support for managed video services, distance learning services and video teleconferencing solutions. To post a comment, follow THIS link.
VTC is a technology that helps level the playing field for schools across the country and provides the tools and resources that they need to increase performance and graduation rates. VTC allows schools to share resources and teachers. It enables them to bring real-life experts into the classroom, take students on virtual fieldtrips and provide valuable and otherwise unobtainable educational opportunities to students.
E-Rate, which is administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) under the direction of the FCC, is in place to help schools afford various technologies.
E-Rate effectively separates all products and services into two levels of priority. “Priority 1” products and services are considered everyday needs, such as telephone lines and Internet access. The entire public school and library system is eligible for discounts on “Priority 1” products and services.
Other products and services, such as managed video services, distance learning services and video teleconferencing solutions are considered “Priority 2”. Discounts on “Priority 2” products and services are offered on a sliding scale based on the poverty level of the schools. This system is designed to ensure that the highest poverty schools receive the largest discounts, but always results in the budget being expended well before all schools receive a slice of the pie.
With VTC solutions such an integral and important part of providing a better educational experience, it’s time to ensure that the funding is available for all schools to have access to them.
By making these products and services “Priority 1”, we are ensuring that every school and student has access to a better education. VTC is breaking down the walls between students and a better education, and leveling the playing field for all students in America. By submitting an electronic comment HERE, you can help us empower a new way of teaching.