Medical imaging company I-Med has teamed up with Optus to roll out a AU$1.2 million virtual private network (VPN) connecting rural medical practices to expert radiologists in major medical centres.
Radiological images such as CT scans can be huge, constructed with up to 1,400 individual images that are combined to create digital 3D models. These images can now be transmitted in minutes, according to Dr Paul Davies, co-chairman of I-Med.
-For smaller and regional practices that do not have on-site radiologists, this will save precious time, eliminating the need to courier x-ray film or transport patients," said Davies. There are 39 clinics already connected, with plans to extend to 110 sites throughout Australia.
This project is indicative of a wider trend in the telecommunications industry of a move to VPNs to connect geographically dispersed offices and workers. According to IDC analyst Joel Martin, 50 percent of companies have or plan to have a VPN by the end of 2002, with that number increasing to 70 percent by the end of the year, despite security concerns.
According to Martin, small business will make up a sizable portion of that increase, as recently introduced do-it-yourself kits make it cost effective for small business to deliver VPN capabilities to remote workers.
-The ironic thing about this has been small businesses have a greater proportion of workers away from the office," said Martin.
