From pacemakers to prosthetic limbs, technology is a routine part of modern medical care.
But Nortel Networks is using a prototype medical clinic at its Richardson offices to demonstrate something a little different.
Brian Taler, a senior manager with Nortel, says more doctors are embracing the technology found in consumer electronics for treating patients. Nortel features its health care products at a prototype medical clinic in Richardson.
Rather than using technology to create new clinical tools, Nortel is using software and hardware to make hospital visits shorter, more productive and less nerve-wracking.
A tour of Nortel's new facility is eye-popping both for the ingenuity of the products and the relative simplicity of the underlying technology.
Forget 3-D holograms or electronic prescription pads or robot doctors.
Instead, Nortel's vision is built on tried-and-true consumer technologies such as Wi-Fi, cellular phones and RFID.
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Wes Durow, Nortel's vice president of enterprise marketing in Richardson, said the technology in the clinic, which went live just a few weeks ago, is designed expressly to help health care companies make and save money.
"How do you overcome the nurse shortage?" he said. "How do you overcome the doctor shortage? How do you help a hospital that can't raise capital in this market do more with less?"
While the technologies are designed to make life easier for hospitals and doctors' offices, patients should be among the biggest beneficiaries.
For example, Nortel executives say that one of the biggest bottlenecks in a hospital is the patient discharge system.
So the company has established an electronic notification system that allows doctors to sign off on discharges much quicker.
That sounds mundane, but the average hospital bed is expected to generate about $2 million in patient revenue per year, according to Nortel. Having a healthy patient using that bed as a waiting room is a cost many facilities can't afford.
Nortel, which already has more than 7,000 health care customers worldwide, is just starting to market its new services to potential buyers.
The Richardson location is the first of three planned prototype clinics, with the other two set to go online in London and Dubai later this year.
But Brian Taler, a senior manager in health care solutions marketing with Nortel, said his company has been working on these technologies for years.
And, he said, doctors are increasingly eager to take advantage of the systems.
"That perception that doctors are resistant [to new technology], although that still does exist, it's starting to balance out more," he said.
"Doctors, like other executives, are expecting the technology they use in their lifestyle to be used in their workplace."
But Nortel Networks is using a prototype medical clinic at its Richardson offices to demonstrate something a little different.
Brian Taler, a senior manager with Nortel, says more doctors are embracing the technology found in consumer electronics for treating patients. Nortel features its health care products at a prototype medical clinic in Richardson.
Rather than using technology to create new clinical tools, Nortel is using software and hardware to make hospital visits shorter, more productive and less nerve-wracking.
A tour of Nortel's new facility is eye-popping both for the ingenuity of the products and the relative simplicity of the underlying technology.
Forget 3-D holograms or electronic prescription pads or robot doctors.
Instead, Nortel's vision is built on tried-and-true consumer technologies such as Wi-Fi, cellular phones and RFID.
Also Online
Blog: Technology
More personal technology news
Wes Durow, Nortel's vice president of enterprise marketing in Richardson, said the technology in the clinic, which went live just a few weeks ago, is designed expressly to help health care companies make and save money.
"How do you overcome the nurse shortage?" he said. "How do you overcome the doctor shortage? How do you help a hospital that can't raise capital in this market do more with less?"
While the technologies are designed to make life easier for hospitals and doctors' offices, patients should be among the biggest beneficiaries.
For example, Nortel executives say that one of the biggest bottlenecks in a hospital is the patient discharge system.
So the company has established an electronic notification system that allows doctors to sign off on discharges much quicker.
That sounds mundane, but the average hospital bed is expected to generate about $2 million in patient revenue per year, according to Nortel. Having a healthy patient using that bed as a waiting room is a cost many facilities can't afford.
Nortel, which already has more than 7,000 health care customers worldwide, is just starting to market its new services to potential buyers.
The Richardson location is the first of three planned prototype clinics, with the other two set to go online in London and Dubai later this year.
But Brian Taler, a senior manager in health care solutions marketing with Nortel, said his company has been working on these technologies for years.
And, he said, doctors are increasingly eager to take advantage of the systems.
"That perception that doctors are resistant [to new technology], although that still does exist, it's starting to balance out more," he said.
"Doctors, like other executives, are expecting the technology they use in their lifestyle to be used in their workplace."
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