File Access

Going to the doctors, for some, is usually a last resort, especially in this economy. The time, money and effort put into actually making an appointment and then going to the doctor’s office is sometimes more painful then the actual complaint. Although, there are cases when a doctor’s visit is required, which is almost always preceded with a follow-up visit that amounts to a nod of approval and then the patient is on their way.

 

However, a technology that is currently being used in prisons for medical purposes, among other services, could potentially branch out for public use. The state of Michigan is saving hundreds of thousands of dollars, improving worker productivity and bolstering public safety with high definition (HD) telepresence solutions from Polycom (News - Alert), Inc., a global telepresence, video and voice communication solutions provider, state officials said.

 

The Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) and the Michigan Department of State Police are now using HD visual communication, which allows them to cost effectively serve facilities scattered across 58,110 square miles to the most remote corners of the Upper Peninsula, linking its broad network of 48 correctional facilities via a network of Polycom visual communication infrastructure.

 

The MDOC has 85 video conferencing locations, providing a range of services using Polycom’s telepresence solution including telemedicine, parole hearings, judicial hearings and administrative hearings.

 

The agency's telemedicine program enables physicians in Detroit, Lansing and Jackson to evaluate patients, provide follow-up care, and prescribe treatment and medications to prisoners located at any MDOC facility, officials said.

 

In 2007, the MDOC conducted more than 1,000 telemedicine visits, producing an estimated savings of $125,000 in transportation costs alone. "The savings we're seeing -- both in money and in time -- would be impossible to achieve without video conferencing," said Lynette J. Holloway, video conferencing coordinator for MDOC's Bureau of Fiscal Management.

 

The telemedicine program also reduces transports of potentially unstable and violent "Level 5" prisoners to local health care facilities -- a move that Holloway said helps keep communities safe, "A Level 5 prisoner is the last person you want to put in a car and drive to another location."

 

Polycom’s video conferencing system has also changed the way the MDOC’s parole hearings process by eliminating travel time for parole board members. In 2007, 13,000 video interviews were conducted. Before, Holloways says, it "took two weeks for parole board members to arrive at a decision, now it takes two days."

 

In addition to assisting inmate procedures, Polycom HD videoconferencing network which includes Polycom HDX 4000 personal telepresence solutions, Polycom HDX 7000 room telepresence solutions, and multiple Polycom VSX 3000 personal video conferencing systems, is helping scientists at the Michigan State Police (MSP) Forensic Science Division.

 

Nearly 1,000 times a year, MSP forensic scientists deliver expert testimony at criminal trials around the state. "We receive between 75 and 100 blood alcohol cases a day," said Inspector Greg Michaud, assistant division commander for MSP's Forensic Science Division. “And even though testimonies usually last just 15 minutes, traveling to and from the courts can keep an analyst away from the bench for up to three days. That has contributed to a growing case backload, while budget cuts have left the department with less money for travel and overtime.”

 

Thus far, Polycom’s telepresence system has been a huge success.

 

"I'm seeing great value in it," said Mark Esqueda, chief assistant prosecutor for Delta County, which has prosecuted more than a dozen cases using remote expert testimonies. "It's efficient, and it works so well."

 

Esqueda said the quality of the Polycom UltimateHD video and audio technology makes all the difference. "It's almost as if the person is there live," he said. "I've spoken with jurors after trials and they didn't have a problem that the witness wasn't physically there in the room."