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Keeping you in touch with Remote Presence |
InTouch Health and Karl Storz announce |
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Santa Barbara, Calif., March 17th, 2009 - InTouch Health®, the world leader in Remote Presence health care solutions, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement with KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America, Inc. (KSEA), a world leader in minimally invasive endoscopic technologies and fully integrated operating room solutions.
Under the agreement, InTouch Health will adapt certain functionalities of its Remote Presence technology into a telementoring device that is compatible with the KARL STORZ OR1® integrated operating room solution. This combined technology, called VisitOR1™, will enable surgeons located in different geographies to perform state-of-the-art surgical mentoring, providing a valuable physician training and collaboration tool. The VisitOR1™ system will also be compatible with InTouch Health's existing Remote Presence robotic system (RP-7®), providing remote physicians with seamless connectivity to hospital emergency departments, critical care units, and now the operating room environment. The integrated Remote Presence device, combined with the InTouch Health ControlStation and proprietary SureConnect® connectivity platforms, will enable a remotely located surgeon to project his/her presence into a KARL STORZ OR1® integrated operating room. The connection will be made via a high speed Internet connection and provide high quality, real-time bi-directional audio and video communication. The surgeon will have the ability to remotely control the VisitOR1™ system above the surgical field. The system is intended to provide surgeons with a fully immersive and collaborative experience within all KARL STORZ OR1® installations incorporating Remote Presence technology. OR1® is the comprehensive operating room integration solution from KARL STORZ that seamlessly combines high-performance surgical and imaging technologies, as well as data management to offer a range of advanced capabilities. Touchscreen panels feature a realistic user interface for intuitive icon-based control, giving surgeons and OR teams complete command of system settings and functions. OR1® integrated suites encompass a broad selection of the most advanced surgical technologies, including the most advanced FULL HD video imaging system available. "For more than 60 years, KARL STORZ has maintained uncompromising leadership role in the industry and a commitment to offering unsurpassed quality," said Charles H. Wilhelm, President & Chief Operating Officer, KSEA. "We look forward to our new association with InTouch Health and the development of VisitOR1™, which will enable us to combine our most innovative technologies to give surgeons unprecedented capabilities and achieve a tremendous advance in development of telementoring solutions for today's health care environment." "Our partnership with KARL STORZ further expands InTouch Health's vision of bringing Remote Presence to all areas of the hospital," commented Dr. Yulun Wang, Chairman and CEO of InTouch Health. "The RP-7 Robot is currently being used in applications in ICU's Emergency Departments and on patient floors. We are excited to work alongside an industry leader like KARL STORZ to advance Remote Presence into integrated operating rooms and extend the continuum of remote care. This OR1® integrated device furthers our vision of developing a health care delivery network that enables the right expertise to be at the right place at the right time, thereby improving patient care."
InTouch Technologies®, Inc. (d.b.a. InTouch Health) is a privately held company based in Santa Barbara, CA. The company has pioneered Remote Presence technology for health care providers. Through its RP-7 Remote Presence Robotic System, a proprietary mobile robotic and communications platform, doctors are able to consult with hospital-based patients and staff more easily and frequently. The InTouch Health solution leverages the time and expertise of health care professionals across multiple care facilities, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of care delivery. The Company has over 200 RP-7 systems deployed in acute care settings that are utilized for a range of clinical applications including stroke and multi disciplinary outreach, remote critical care coverage, on-call services and rounding. |