DVI Switching for the George Washington Medical Faculty Associates
The George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates (MFA) is the largest multi-specialty physician practice in Washington, D.C., with 550 physicians practicing in 47 clinical specialties. Among the MFA's more unique offerings is a Telemedicine service, offering instant and urgent medical counsel anywhere in the world - especially to doctors and other providers in remote locations lacking in medical resources. Subscribers range from cruise ship physicians, to oil riggers, to high net worth travelers. A subscriber to the service can speak directly to a physician without going through the typical nurse referral phase. Staffed by a team of ER-experienced MD's, MFA guarantees a minimum of three doctors available at any time.
In designing their Telemedicine system, the MFA chose to go beyond typical analog video signal quality and use pure digital DVI signals for patient information visualization. DVI (Digital Visual Interface) provides the highest quality and color accuracy to support diagnostic images from fluoroscopy, MRI and CT scans.
When a subscribing member calls the service, the responding physician can view all the information required for diagnosis and treatment advice. Three secure computers with dual head DVI graphics cards allow tracking of client location, event monitoring and access to patient histories. This information is displayed on two 52" and one 37" high- definition LCD flat panel displays.
With multiple sources and displays, a DVI switcher was clearly required. The RGB Spectrum Linx became the obvious choice due to its robust feature set, including the most comprehensive EDID management system available. A physician controls the Linx 8x8 switcher from a wireless touch panel, calling up the desired patient information on specific displays. Alternatively, the Linx 8x8 switcher also offers an integrated front panel touch screen and built-in web server as additional forms of control. On-board cable equalizers eliminate the need for outboard devices simplifying design, installation and operation while supporting the 30-70 foot long DVI cable runs in the facility.
The system was designed and installed by CTSI, Chantilly, VA. According to the account executive in charge of the project, Steve Mills, CTS-D, ease of installation and programming were key benefits of Linx. According to Mr. Mills, "The Linx DVI Switcher from RGB Spectrum was a perfect fit for our requirements and from the beginning it has worked exactly as advertised." The MFA staff further added, "With Linx, we have easy to use, instant and seamless control of all diagnostic and patient information. We couldn't function at this level without it."
For more information, visit http://www.gwdocs.com and ctsi-usa.com
RGB Spectrum is a leading designer and manufacturer of mission-critical, real-time audio-visual solutions for a civilian, government, and military client base. The company offers integrated hardware, software, and control systems to satisfy the most demanding requirements. Since 1987, RGB Spectrum has been dedicated to helping its customers achieve Better Decisions. Faster.™
