VRI combats VoIP problem in medical monitoring
By SSN Staff
Updated Thu May 1, 2008
DAYTON, Ohio-Valued Relationships Inc., a provider of medical alarm monitoring, announced on March 3 a VoIP-compatible PERS unit, Digicare. "It's software and hardware that our technology guys here developed so that we could essentially bypass the receiver and operate on the VoIP-type service," said Darren Torrence, director of marketing for VRI.
"A surprising amount of seniors have switched, and are switching, over to bundled services to save money," thanks largely to a push in the Midwest by companies like AT&T to get customers to switch to bundled services, which combine phone, Internet and cable services into one package, he said. Customers switching to these digital packages often eliminate their POTS line, which causes alarm units to either stop reporting or report bad data, he said.
The solution requires some modification and upgrades at both VRI's monitoring center, Care Center, and the customer's panel. "All the software and hardware is on our end, but we have to go out and program the alarm panel so it functions properly," Torrence said.
Currently, VRI's Digicare VoIP solution only works with GE's CareGard unit, but Torrence said the company is working to add other manufacturers' panels. ssn
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