5 Tips to Understanding Audio Visual Technology

admin — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 10:31:05 +0000

Audio visual technology can be extremely beneficial in most environments, it can cut costs and help improve productivity because at the end of the day, it’s all about improving communications. In order to utilize AV technology, you must understand it.

Video Conferencing:

Video conferencing is one of the most effective ways to cut costs and improve productivity. Face to face communications is often needed to strengthen business relations but if your client isn’t local this may cause problems. Video conferencing is not a new technology but it is becoming more advanced and more affordable. An important half an hour meeting at the other end of the country can easily consume a whole day in travel alone, a video conference maybe just as effective and consume just a fraction of the resources. Video conferencing can also help improve communications in-house, particularly if an organisation has several offices, although telephone conferencing may be more acceptable in this circumstance, video conferencing can offer several advantages over telephone conferences including the ability to make presentations.

Digital Signage:

Digital signage is similar to video conferencing in that it is still communicating through a visual tool except digital signage is just one way. This can also be a highly effective tool. A reception area of an organisation may have a plasma or LCD screen displaying a welcome message and information about that organisation. A call centre providing services for several organisations may have screens to display stats like call waiting times etc. An organisation that has several screens throughout the offices can be handed over to the CEO to deliver important messages or presentations to the employees.

Costs:

Although new technology is often associated with a high price tag, this is not necessarily the case with AV technology. When you think of your return on investment, how much is the time you spend traveling to meetings worth to you and your organisation? How effective is your current form of mass communication to your employees or customers? If you just need AV technology as a one off, for a trade show for example, it may prove more cost effective to rent the required technology through a trusted event management company.

AV Specialists:

Like any industry you’re not sure of, it can be difficult to know whom to trust. Although there is no required accreditation scheme in the UK, an organisation in America called InfoComm, the have an accreditation system called Certified Audio Visual Solutions Provider (CAVSP), most reputable AV specialists in the UK have gained accreditation from this scheme, which assigns either a bronze, silver or gold level to their certificates. As with any new supplier, check for references, they should be proud to show examples of their previous work. Make sure they provide a full service. Although you can buy audio visual solutions over the internet, a specialist AV supplier or consultant will be able to understand exactly what you want to achieve from your new technology and design and build a system around that need. They will then integrate and project manage that system for you as well as providing any after care needed. Although you can buy your new technology in box form or over the Internet and it maybe initially cheaper, your long term ROI would benefit from an AV specialist.

Future:

One of the biggest worries an organisation might have when it comes to investing in any new technology is its shelf life. With new technology being developed all the time how do you know your new technology won’t be obsolete tomorrow? The best way to combat this is research, if you employ an AV consultant it’s their job to not only know today’s market inside out but tomorrow’s market too. The market is expanding, nowadays web cams are commonplace in the home, and the Internet is not only expanding the market in general but is developing global collaboration too.

Understanding How Hospitals Buy Medical Technology

admin — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:31:17 +0000

Modern hospitals depend heavily on medical technology to diagnose, treat and prevent diseases. A typical mid-sized hospital has hundreds of items of medical equipment, from simple stethoscopes and blood pressure monitors to highly sophisticated MRI machines and linear accelerators. Hospitals are complex enterprises with entire departments dedicated to technology planning, assessment, acquisition, maintenance, upgrade and replacement at the end of the product life cycle. They have elaborate systems, programs, policies, procedures and protocols in place for purchasing new medical equipment. To sell successfully to healthcare providers, marketing and sales professionals have to be well versed in the buying processes that healthcare providers use. Medical device marketing is quite different from any other marketing. Typically, hospitals have a review process to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate their medical technology needs. The review’s scope depends on the cost of the technology, and may involve many departments. For expensive equipment, the review most likely will be elaborate. For less expensive and disposable items, the review may simply assess the department’s current needs, and the proposed purchase’s operational and financial impacts. In either case, a market survey and literature search take place to some extent, and this is supplemented with extensive data collection and analysis when needed. This is why white papers and case studies published by medical device manufacturers are very useful during the review process – the decision-makers look for every bit of information they can find. Hence, white papers and case studies can significantly influence the decision-making process. A typical review process includes the following phases:1. Strategic planning 2. Assessment 3. Acquisition 4. Utilization 5. Repair and maintenance 6. Replacement and disposalThe process starts with strategic planning. In this top-level phase, the relevant stakeholders (e. g. , Directors, Professors, Managers, Doctors, Engineers, Purchasing, etc. ) review key issues, success factors and resource allocation, and assign responsibilities for sustained improvement in technological performance. They identify the services their facility provides, and the technologies that would complement their existing services. The typical questions to answer are: Where are we? Where do we want to be? How are we going to get there?Because medical technology greatly impacts the cost and structure of healthcare delivery, hospitals include technology assessment in their planning process, which typically includes cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analyses. Cost-benefit analysis calculates the costs of applying the technology and compares them to the benefits resulting from its application. It provides criteria upon which to base decisions of whether to adopt or reject a proposed device. The device is adopted if its benefits exceed its costs. However, one limitation of this analysis is that it expresses all benefits, including therapeutic effects, in monetary terms. Hence, hospitals also conduct cost-effectiveness analyses to quantify therapeutic effects in terms of reduced patient hospital stays, and compare these to the costs of the technology’s implementation. Although at first glance the chosen technology may seem to have limited impact on other facility operations, stakeholders also examine the likely effect of the new equipment on existing services. Other aspects of cost-effectiveness analysis include assessment of long-term replacement strategies and identification of emerging technologies. Since medical devices have finite longevity, hospitals have replacement plans to minimize the effects of unforeseen capital replacement. By identifying emerging technologies that fit into the projected plans of the hospital’s service area, the hospital tries to avoid investing in nearly obsolete technologies. Purchase of a new technology is justified only when an increase in equipment’s cost-effectiveness is clearly demonstrated. The typical questions asked during the analysis are:* Will the new medical device increase the volume of the service? * Will it raise the costs of the service? * Will the device generate additional revenues and, if so, how much? * What is the new device’s expected lifespan? * What is the device’s reliability and the costs associated with its repair and maintenance? * How reliable and reputable is the manufacturer? * What impact will the new device have on routine operating costs? * What will the disposal cost be? * How easy is the device to operate?Once the technology has been assessed and the decision to purchase has been made, the next phase in the process is technology acquisition, which typically includes the following steps:* Preparation of general and functional specifications * Clinical, technical and cost evaluations * Review of proposals and evaluations, and making a final decision on a device manufacturer * Contract negotiation for the device’s acquisition * Preparation and issuance of a purchase order * Contract awardA contract award is the green light for the medical device company to deliver and install the product.

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5 Tips to Understanding Audio Visual Technology

Understanding How Hospitals Buy Medical Technology