Off-Net Video Allows for Life-Saving Consultation

It almost sounds like a riddle, or a brain teaser that you would tell at a party: How can two surgeons reside on opposite sides of the country yet operate on the same patient? The answer off-net isn't particularly tricky or funny, but it's real. Imagine this scenario: one surgeon is on the East Coast performing a risky operation, while a colleague is on the West Coast watching the procedure on video, acting as a consultant. If a complication were to arise, the connection between the two surgeons would allow for real-time collaboration. Increasingly, off-net video ("net" referring to Intranet, "off" meaning off the Intranet) is being utilized by medical personnel for this and similar situations. The medical field, in fact, is a prime mover in this area of technology: for the last few years, there has been a clamor for an off-net solution for hospitals and physicians to stream video content out on the Internet, allowing them to provide tutorials and lectures, much like a virtual classroom. In major healthcare institutions, video is increasingly becoming an essential element for improved patient care, as well as physician training and collaboration. What's more, a doctor who might have privileges at multiple hospitals could be at Hospital A on Monday, but still consult on a surgery at Hospital B.