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InPlace Medical Solutions Announces Advanced Medical Services for Offshore and Remote Locations

Posted on: Monday, 16 February 2009, 09:00 CST

HOUSTON, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- NuPhysicia, LLC, the nation's leading provider of telemedicine health services, today launched InPlace Medical Solutions, the first offshore medical service that connects remote workers with physicians through live, two-way videoconferencing. InPlace Medical Solutions combines advanced telemedicine technology and medical services to improve workforce health and safety and lower risks. Offshore rig and remote workers gain access to advanced healthcare, direct physician attention and improved medical technology.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090216/DA71158LOGO)

Shannon Caldwell, NuPhysicia's executive director of Offshore and Remote Services, said, "Using InPlace Medical Solutions, any rig with Internet capability can have instant attention from world-class board-certified physicians through telemedicine. Physician-driven care allows injuries and illnesses to be assessed properly on the rig and managed better, reducing the number of unnecessary helicopter evacuations and the risks associated with them."

Caldwell said, "With InPlace Medical Solutions, patients are evacuated only if medically necessary, and their care is better managed while a helicopter is en route. A significant portion of helicopter evacuations from drilling units in the Gulf of Mexico in 2007 were due to non-work related medical incidents ranging from ear infections to heart attacks."

InPlace Medical Solutions' delivery model places the right resources on the rig: specially qualified medics, advanced equipment, medical-quality videoconferencing, and an electronic medical record (EMR) system for recordkeeping. Rigs are supplied with 128 prescription medications, including vaccines and 20 types of antibiotics. Unlike a medic supported by a doctor by telephone, the live, two-way videoconferencing allows the physician to see and talk to the patient and do examinations with video scopes and a digital stethoscope.

InPlace Medical Solutions was developed by the University of Texas Medical Branch, which created and developed the remote medical system through 13 years of use in locations such as Antarctica - the South Pole.

Caldwell added, "InPlace Medical Solutions also provides services previously not easily available on rigs - voluntary health risk assessments, occupational medicine, preventive care, and health and wellness programs."

InPlace Medical Solutions is available with five levels of service on a day-rate basis.

Dr. Glenn Hammack, president of NuPhysicia, said, "InPlace Medical Solutions raises the bar for offshore and remote medical services. It is well recognized that multinational oil companies are grappling with a shortage of specialized labor for offshore rigs that promises to get worse. InPlace Medical allows them to have confidence that their offshore workforce safely stays where it needs to be - keeping the rig productive - rather than being diverted by minor medical issues."

Additional information about InPlace Medical Solutions is available at http://www.inplacemedical.com.

About NuPhysicia, LLC

NuPhysicia, LLC, is a privately held medical services solutions provider specializing in telemedicine concepts developed and proven by the University of Texas Medical Branch. NuPhysicia offers four product lines focusing on specific markets: InPlace Medical Solutions (for offshore and remote locations), Medicine at Work (onsite healthcare for workplaces of all sizes), Walk-In Telemedicine Health Care (physician healthcare in retail settings) and NuPhysicia Technology (devices and consulting for remote medical care). NuPhysicia is based in Houston, Texas. For more information about NuPhysicia, visit http://www.nuphysicia.com or call 713.358.9270.

BACKGROUNDER: InPlace Medical Solutions

InPlace Medical Solutions provides better health to employees while reducing risk for offshore oil and gas operators.

History of NuPhysicia and InPlace Medical Solutions

In 1995, the University of Texas Medical Branch took on one of the biggest healthcare challenges facing the state of Texas: How to make quality healthcare available in locations where it takes hours to get to the nearest doctor. This was the same year the Internet came of age, so a digital network was created, based on high-resolution imaging and teleconferencing. It virtually put patients and doctors in the same room, even though they were miles apart.

This telemedicine system has been proven to deliver high-quality medicine to more than 3,000 workers in Antarctica, and over 120,000 inmates in over 100 correctional facilities in Texas. NuPhysicia's systems also are on offshore oil production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico and on pipe-laying ships worldwide. In 2008, more than 60,000 patients were treated using this approach to healthcare. Now, we are introducing InPlace Medical Solutions (http://www.inplacemedical.com), so that companies, organizations, and institutions all over the world can benefit from high-quality, accessible healthcare any time, anywhere.

Reduce offsite visits without compromising the quality of care

Approximately 75% of helicopter flights to and from offshore rigs in the Gulf of Mexico are due to non-work related medical incidents because minor medical complaints often are treated as having the same risk as a heart attack or traumatic injury. Offshore evacuations are commonplace, but the vast majority are unnecessary, costly, and increase the risks associated with offshore operations.

Comparison of medical and injury evacuations, Gulf of Mexico, 2007 This report is one evacuation provider, not the total of all Gulf of Mexico evacuations. Cause of Evacuation Number of Evacuations Percentage of Total Illness (Medical Condition) 481 72% Trauma (Injury) 190 28% Total Evacuations 671

Most remote locations have some healthcare services onsite, ranging from first aid to a complete medical facility. At one extreme, these services are severely limited, and at the other, they are not cost-effective. InPlace provides a real-world, real-time solution: An onsite combination of innovative medical instruments, telecommunication equipment, and qualified professional medical help.

InPlace offers telemedicine hardware that fits in existing spaces, training for offshore staff, proven care protocols, and electronic medical records (EMR). This provides a comprehensive supporting health system for the delivery of medical reviews, health/wellness checks, and injury and illness assessments. InPlace's installations offer 24/7 access to emergency physicians and other specialists who can evaluate urgent or emergency situations, such as chest pains.

High-quality outcomes allow employers to manage more effectively. Employers also can expect to see more expedited return to work, more informed management of medical transits, less medical risk, and far more employee uptime.

Who should think about adding InPlace?

In extreme locations where offsite medical visits are expensive, logistically challenging or potentially dangerous, InPlace is an excellent investment, even for small populations. In short, anywhere there are people who could benefit from having fast, easy access to high-quality medical help, InPlace is the preferred solution.

Today's successful global businesses deploy their people around the world. To get the best people to work in remote locations, especially in regions where medical services and facilities can be questionable, employers need the best health and medical services available. No matter where employees are deployed, InPlace brings them high-quality medicine.

With InPlace, employees get instant access to doctors who perform examinations, answer questions in real time via two-way video, and bring peace of mind. Even in urgent situations, InPlace provides the best information, which helps make the best decisions for each employee.

How InPlace Medical Solutions works

At the remote location

No new structures or rooms need to be built. InPlace works in existing medical care facilities. A trained medical professional works with the patient using special instruments for examinations. Medical-quality images are sent to the doctor via a secure Internet connection, allowing full diagnosis and treatment - all in a real-time conversation with the patient and paramedic or other onsite medical professional.

The remote location is fully equipped with a medical-quality videoconferencing system that includes:

• Digital stethoscope sending unit
• Document video camera with fluorescent front lighting, and back lighting for radiographic films, for documents and x-rays
• A multi-purpose medical scope with halogen fiber-optic
• An otoscope with insufflators, a dermoscope, and a laryngoscope

At the InPlace physician's location

Using two-way video, the doctor conducts the examination, in a real-time conversation with the patient and onsite medical professional.

With a special electronic stethoscope, the doctor listens to the patient's heart and lungs, abdomen, and various blood vessels. Special illuminated instruments let the doctor examine inside the ears, nose, and throat, and view the skin with high resolution magnification.

The onsite paramedic is trained and equipped to perform electrocardiograms and laboratory analysis onsite at the doctor's request. The physician's studio includes a calibrated high resolution monitor and a stethoscope headset linked to the remote location by video.

Performance and security

An electronic medical record keeps all the health information safe, organized, and accessible over any distance, and eliminates the problems and delays of a paper-based record system. Strict control over authorized access to the EMR keeps all patient information secure.

InPlace Medical works with the customer's telecommunications team to ensure optimal connectivity, with secure links that protect patients' privacy. Once configured, the devices are tested for maximum performance, and the connections are certified for medical use.

All telemedicine devices are supported by a full service or replacement plan, providing the customer with a one-call solution to technical problems.

InPlace Medical Solutions service levels

Because each remote location has its own unique needs, InPlace Medical Solutions are configurable, with models and service level packages available at day rates that scale to budget and program needs. Depending on the service package,

InPlace Medical Solutions services include a combination of:

• Telemedicine unit (suitcase or T Cart) and service
• Hire and train medical staff
• Provide standard inventory for telemedicine
• 12 lead EKG
• Point of care laboratory analysis units
• Oversight for medical staff
• Medical staff or trained wellness coordinators
• Electronic Medical Record
• Physician directed wellness service
  • Wellness plan tailored to individual company needs
  • Exercise and nutrition
  • Smoking cessation
  • Stress management
  • Preventative medicine
  • Immunizations
  • Disease management
• All transportation and hospital logistics are arranged
• Dedicated physician assigned to your company as 24/7 medical director and medical advisors for all business decisions requiring medical expertise.

NuPhysicia bios

Shannon Caldwell - Executive director, Offshore and Remote Services, NuPhysicia, LLC

Shannon Caldwell is the executive director of Offshore and Remote Services for NuPhysicia, LLC. Caldwell was formerly with Noble Drilling, where he served as the corporate HSE advisor for Eastern Hemisphere Operations covering three continents. His responsibilities included oversight for health and safety programs and implementation for more than 3,000 workers. Prior to working for Noble, Caldwell held emergency medical services positions, including remote duty paramedic for KBR in Iraq, FEMA disaster response paramedic during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and helicopter flight paramedic for PHI Air Medical. He also was an adjunct faculty member at San Jacinto College and Lamar University. Caldwell holds a Bachelors of Science degree in occupational safety and health, a certificate in industrial hygiene management and paramedic certification. He served on active duty in the US Air Force in various locations around the world.

Oscar W. Boultinghouse, MD, MPH, FACEP - Senior Vice President for Telemedicine Program Development and Primary Care Services

Dr. Boultinghouse directs primary care and urgent care services, as well as paramedic training and management. He is a board certified Emergency Medicine Specialist and former Medical Director for UTMB's Life-flight Program. He has managed many Gulf of Mexico and international offshore medical issues. He has spent the last 14 years on the University of Texas Medical Branch Medical School Faculty developing the emergency and primary care services of the UTMB telemedicine program, recognized as the world's largest. Dr. Boultinghouse is the former Chief Medical Officer for the UTMB Electronic Health Network and a former board member of the American Telemedicine Association. He has domain expertise in the utilization of telemedicine to provide surge capacity in large-scale public health events. He continues to train paramedics and serves as the Medical Director for two Emergency Medical Services in the Houston-Galveston-Ship Channel area. Dr Boultinghouse received his medical training at Baylor College of Medicine and the Harvard School of Public Health.

Michael J. Davis, MD, MBA, FACC - Senior Vice President for Telemedicine Program Development and Specialty Services

Dr. Davis directs the eCareGroup specialty care with specific focus on cardiology but directs all specialty care management. He has been active in remote health care and telemedicine for a decade, and held previous positions as Director of Cardiology, Digital Medical Services, UTMB Correctional Managed Care and then Associate Director of Medical Specialties, Director of Cardiology Services for the UTMB Electronic Health Network. Dr. Davis has been engaged in the integration of digital peripheral devices in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disorders utilizing telemedicine as a platform. His work in this area has also included evaluation of point-of-care testing devices aiding in the diagnosis of cardiac illness. Dr. Davis has also directed his work to the application of telemedicine and the electronic medical record to treat and manage chronic diseases. He is recognized as the one of the nation's most experienced cardiology telemedicine practitioner, his direct patient care experience utilizing telemedicine includes thousands of care episodes to remote locations thereby enabling enhanced access to a specialist for patients with cardiac disorders. Dr. Davis was a faculty member in the Division of Cardiology at UTMB from 1988 through 1997, where his principal emphasis was cardiac catheterization and interventional cardiology. He was a faculty member at Stanford University School of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology from 1986 to 1987, where his primary focus was teaching as well as practicing cardiac catheterization and interventional cardiology. Dr. Davis is board certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease, and he is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology. He completed an MBA degree in 1998. Dr. Davis holds a clinical appointment at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston, where he was the recipient of the Cardiology Fellowship Teaching Award in 1999 and 2005.

Glenn G. Hammack, OD, MSHI - Chair and President, NuPhysicia, LLC

Glenn Hammack is the founding President of NuPhysicia, LLC, developing it as a spinout company from the University of Texas. Previously, he served as Assistant Vice President of the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) and founding Executive Director of their Electronic Health Network (EHN), developing and managing their telemedicine programs. Before 2004, Dr. Hammack served as Director of Health Informatics and Telemedicine, leading implementation of a large-scale electronic medical record system and creation of a statewide system for primary care and specialty telemedicine. He received his OD Optometry degree from the Michigan College of Optometry at Ferris State University and his MSHI Master of Science in Health Informatics from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a Telemedicine internship at Massachusetts General Hospital.

SOURCE NuPhysicia, LLC

Source: PR Newswire

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