Web-based real time communications (WebRTC) has been distinguishing itself as a major solution to several common business issues over the last several months, allowing not only improvements in accessibility for video conferencing, but also for collaboration purposes. It has gone well beyond being a business tool as well, making even inroads into private use and even gaming. But as a medical solution, it's also starting to find some ground in supporting telemedicine, or medicine practiced via remote solutions. Net Medical Xpress Solutions, meanwhile, is looking to gain some ground on that front with its new RTC Conference Switch.
With the RTC Conference Switch—the fourth WebRTC product released from Net Medical Xpress, according to reports--organizations using the system can take a standard website—like the kind most health care organizations already have—and add a video conferencing system directly to said website, which can then be accessed and used via a standard Web browser. It's specifically designed to be compliant with HIPAA, and therefore uses audit controls, a proprietary permission software, and both public and private key encryption methods to help keep the conversations, and the content represented therein, sufficiently quiet.
Those interested in seeing the RTC Conference Switch in action can schedule a demonstration directly with the company, and thereby get a better handle on whether or not this system will work for each individual concern.
A product like this has quite a few uses for healthcare providers, starting with the obvious of connecting doctors—perhaps even those in unusual specialties not commonly found outside major cities—with patients in more remote locations like rural settings. We've previously seen a lot of moves made toward bringing mental health practices to telemedicine, and suggesting that this could go beyond mental health issues into physical health issues really isn't out of line. Users could describe symptoms to qualified professionals, and said professionals could get a cursory look at surface symptoms. Things that are commonly out of the range of the layman--”Does this look infected?” or “Is this mole sufficiently irregular to be concerned?”--can be much better assessed by a trained professional who can at least see what's going on. That's a start, and a start that will no doubt prove welcome for all concerned.
What's more, such a system can also be used to connect not only doctors and patients, but also doctors and other doctors, or doctors and accompanying support staff. This allows doctors to more easily consult each others' expertise on matters where such is needed, complete with the ability to refer to visual evidence like pictures and video from the same platform.
Telemedicine is a rapidly growing enterprise with more and more uses being uncovered at a rapid clip. Bringing WebRTC into the picture only improves the likelihood of use, as WebRTC is increasingly available to Web browser users, particularly those on Chrome and Firefox. Connecting professionals to those in need of such services is part of what the Web was, essentially, designed for, and seeing Net Medical Xpress Solutions put WebRTC to work should prove both gratifying and useful.
Edited by
Cassandra Tucker
