Summary: Inexpensive and easy to access, video conferencing is set to explode. Will it become the future of healthcare? iTunes: cs.co/tnp - Listen to past episodes, subscribe or write a review. TRANSCRIPT for "Video Conferencing Meets E-Health" written by Kerry Doyle: We’re moving into a "perfect storm" of healthcare-related issues. Just look at the aging population, reforms such as the Affordable Health Care Act and an increasing premium on healthcare workers. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the demand for physicians in the US is growing, with a predicted shortage of over 130,000 physicians by 2025. Yet medical advances and technical innovations, such as mobilization, also represent the perfect intersection of opportunity for healthcare providers and patient/consumer health. In fact, mobile technology is a large part of the curriculum for trainees at the Weston, Massachusetts-based Regis College School of Nursing. It mandates that every incoming student adopt an iPhone. Students at Regis use their mobile devices as reference tools at the point of care and as a way to interface with electronic medical record systems. Face-to-face video conferencing is one more extension of that mobile innovation set to transform how healthcare providers interact. Today, cloud-based services and Web browsers offer video conferencing access to anyone with a mobile device. That’s because technology advancements such as cloud services, wireless connectivity, mobility and browser-based conferencing are making video inexpensive and accessible, moving it closer to the brink of widespread adoption. Gone are the underused video conferencing rooms found in many hospitals. Those dedicated room systems are expensive to maintain, requiring staff expertise and maintenance. They're also limited by built-in fixed capacity and an inability to communicate across platforms. For example, a PolyCom user may not be able to communicate with a ShoreTel user and vice-versa. In contrast, cloud services and browser-based video conferencing allow inexpensive face-to-face interoperability, regardless of the system being used. In a healthcare environment, texting can be crucial in certain situations due to its brevity and fast response times. However, video conferencing offers a richer, more nuanced collaboration possibility for a wide span of providers, from nurse practitioners and caregivers to neonatologists, cardiologists and other acute-care specialists. In terms of patient care, video provides access to telemedicine for remote locations that otherwise lack access. The electronic transmission of images could also be beneficial for consultation and examination purposes in fields of medicine such as teledermatology and opthalmology. Nurses and care providers, especially, are at the center of an information network related to patient health. Lab results, tests, patient requests and physician interactions all rely on effective contact with these primary caregivers. In the age of mobility, cloud services and web access enable clinics and smaller facilities--even doctor’s offices--to match the communications capabilities of large hospitals with sophisticated IT teams and ample budgets. And remember house calls? Physicians can now check in with patients at home who have a smartphone or a PC with internet access, providing an additional level of assurance for both doctor and patient. But while the long-term prospects of video conferencing in healthcare continue to develop, issues still need to be resolved. Currently, doctors are allowed to consult with patients only in the state in which they’re licensed. This impacts wider adoption, especially in denser regions. In terms of further deployment, service providers must work with healthcare advocates and professional associations to quantify the benefits of video conferencing and to account for the widely differing healthcare systems. Service fees and reimbursements also re
