Frequent Questions
1. Why was wired.MD® formed?
wired.MD was formed to empower healthcare professionals to improve patients' healthcare experience and reduce healthcare costs by making patient education more engaging, effective and efficient to deliver. wired.MD also wanted to create content applicable to the masses, or the diversified patient population, regardless of literacy levels, educational levels, native language or technology accessibility.
2. How long has wired.MD been in business?
wired.MD is in its seventh year of operations. Since the company's inception, our sole focus has been the creation of more effective and engaging patient education content and unique delivery mechanisms for that content.
3. What is streaMed®?
The streaMed Patient Education Solution provides on-demand patient and consumer health education videos, handouts, animations and health websites both at the point of care and at home. streaMed is used in patient education resource centers, medical libraries, exam rooms, waiting rooms, nursing stations and patients' homes to better educate them on diagnoses, treatment plans and procedures in a more effective and engaging format.
4. What type of organization might be interested in using streaMed?
Hospitals, clinics, medical libraries, medical practices, health systems, IDNs, or any other healthcare organization or corporation wishing to improve the way they provide patient and consumer health education to their patients, patrons or employees.
5. What are the key benefits of streaMed?
The key benefits to streaMed include time savings, streamlined workflow, improved compliance and improved quality of care. These benefits are recognized both by the organizations utilizing streaMed as well as by their patients and patrons.
Time Savings-
Videos can help prepare for visits and decrease reschedules.
education via videos prior to physician encounters can save time.
Streamlined Workflow-
Patients can be educated via the internet prior to their visits.
Providers can provide education while working on other tasks.
Improved Compliance-
Videos can increase educational retention leading to compliance.
Education via videos can increase preparedness for procedures.
Quality of Care-
Videos allow for the education of a more diverse population.
Patient Site takes educational process beyond the point of care.
6. What makes streaMed better than other forms of patient education?
streaMed is more effective and efficient than other forms of patient education because it is the first full-circle patient education solution in which patients can be directed by their provider to evidence based multimedia and multilingual healthcare information before, during and after the visit.
Initially, streaMed helps prepare patients for a visit with information that is preventive or specific to their diagnosis, treatment plan or procedure. Patients can watch preparatory videos from home, in the waiting room, patient education resource center, medical library or the exam room prior to ever seeing their provider.
streaMed then allows for providers to supplement their one-on-one consultations at the point of care by allowing them to show videos as they explain conditions or procedures.
streaMed then carries the healthcare organization's brand and educational message home with the patient in the form of text handouts, Information Prescriptions™ and a customized website. This further enhances the relationship between the provider and patient.
Lastly, streaMed allows patients direct access to provider-directed new media videos and associated text handouts from their personal computer or from any Internet-connected computer following a visit. It even allows patients to complete customized feedback questionnaires and email questions to their providers (optional).
7. How is streaMed different than videotapes?
The streaMed "new media" videos are different than videotapes in their granularity (i.e., narrow focus on a specific condition), structure, capabilities and availability. Videotapes traditionally cover large areas of information on conditions such as Hepatitis and are 15 to 60 minutes in length. streaMed breaks down a topic such as Hepatitis into a series of shorter, more concise videos covering the various types of Hepatitis.
The structure of the streaMed videos are specifically designed to be shown in the patient education resource center, library, waiting room or exam room. They average 7 minutes in length allowing the patient to view 1 to 3 videos on any given visit without disrupting the clinical workflow.
The capabilities of the streaMed videos include real-time updating and package customization reinforcing the branding of your practice or healthcare organization.
Lastly, since streaMed is a web-enabled or completely web-based solution, the "new media" videos are always available wherever the healthcare provider delivers care, as well as from the patient's personal computer or from any Internet-connected computer. With videotapes, you can educate one patient in one room at one single time, whereas with streaMed videos you can educate hundreds of patients in hundreds of rooms at one single time.
8. What does "new media" mean?
"New media" is revolutionizing healthcare content. It integrates the proven retention-based elements of text, medical illustrations, pictographs and videotapes into a "new media" that significantly increases patient information retention and improves compliance. "New media" content is designed to meet the time constraints of the patient education resource center, library, waiting room and exam room. streaMed's "new media" streamlines the workflow vs. impeding the workflow. In addition, for the first time ever it also makes preventive patient education more accessible to the masses by presenting comprehensible video content in eight languages (English, Spanish, Polish, Vietnamese, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese and Russian).
9. Where does wired.MD get its content for the streaMed videos?
wired.MD works closely with expert physicians and nurses in various specialties to create original text and video content. All content is written and reviewed by physicians, nurses and other various healthcare providers and designed to be comprehended by the vast majority of patients. In addition, wired.MD has formed a strategic alliance with Mosby™ Publishing, the parent company of Harcourt Health Sciences™, and Ferri's™ Patient Teaching Guide. Mosby is considered one of the top text content providers in the world. Mosby's text content is the foundation from which wired.MD created many of its initial streaMed "new media" videos.
10. Is it possible to revise or change the content in the videos or text handouts?
streaMed is specifically designed with expert and credible content plus wide provider acceptance. streaMed's content, developed by physician and nurse experts, adheres to these high standards before entering the market. The Mosby text content, which serves as the text basis for many of the streaMed "new media" videos, is widely accepted as a staple in patient education. streaMed's content therefore is a reliable supplementary form of patient education that rarely needs modification. In the event that a video or a text handout requires modification to better serve a customer or a specific specialty, wired.MD will take steps to develop and release a revised version of that video or text handout.
11. What if our healthcare organization wants additional videos for our specialty?
wired.MD offers a "Content Contribution Program" enabling interested healthcare organizations to work with wired.MD to create additional videos by specialty. In some cases, wired.MD already has text content to serve as the foundation for the new videos. If a desired video is unique, or obscure in nature, then our medical team and copywriters along with the customer's healthcare providers, can create the text content together. wired.MD underwrites the development of these videos at no cost to the customer if the video titles are already planned for development. Otherwise, wired.MD can discuss co-sponsorship options with the customer in which development costs are shared.
12. What specialty videos are available now?
streaMed now offers "new media" videos for the following specialties: Allergy, Cardiology, Dermatology, Eyes, Ear, Nose, Throat, Emergency Medicine, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Genitourinary/Renal, Geriatrics, Hematology/Oncology, Neurology, Orthopedics/Rheumatology, Pediatrics, Psychology, Pulmonology and Women's Healthcare. streaMed also includes multilingual videos in 9 of the most prevalent languages in the United States.
13. What specialty videos are in development and when will they be available?
Specialty videos are constantly in development at wired.MD. The development schedule and content is driven by customers and their needs.
14. Can streaMed help with The Joint Commission compliance?
Yes. streaMed's content is written and developed with the patient in mind in order to meet PF standards of The Joint Commission regulations. The streaMed text content also assists in charting and file management. With proper use, streaMed can improve continuity of care within your practice or healthcare organization and ease preparation for a The Joint Commission audit.
15. Is streaMed HIPAA compliant?
wired.MD works to always keep the streaMed Solution, and all of the streaMed derivative products, HIPAA compliant. wired.MD takes patient security to the highest degree by leaving the patient completely anonymous throughout every process of the streaMed educational cycle. No identifiable patient information is transmitted or saved, nor is any medical coding utilized.
16. How does the healthcare provider use streaMed in the healthcare organization?
The healthcare provider uses streaMed by allowing patients to view videos before, during or after their consultation dependent on the ideal workflow solution. streaMed's "new media" videos are selected by the provider and then played on a computer either in the patient education resource center, library, waiting room or exam room on a computer.
The basis for showing the videos can be preventive care, seasonal care, chronic condition care or procedural preparation. After the provider has shown a video or multiple videos to the patient, they can then provide them with an associated text handout or an Information Prescription. These streaMed content tools allow the patient to have the information repeated to them at least one additional time, plus get access to the video and text content from their personal home computer or from any Internet-connected computer.
The healthcare provider also uses streaMed after patient visits to track the healthcare organization's usage of the videos at the point of care and beyond; to view feedback questionnaire responses by patients; and to communicate with patients via email (optional).
17. How do patients access streaMed videos from home?
Patients access videos from their personal computers by connecting to the Internet and going to www.patients.wired.md. Then they simply enter an 8-digit Information Prescription code provided to them by their provider via a text handout or an Information Prescription. It is that simple.
The web address www.patients.wired.md is printed clearly on text handouts and is written on the Information Prescription. Medical practices and healthcare organizations can have their Patient Site imbedded within, or accessible through, a link on their current practice or corporate website if they wish. In these cases, both the text handouts and the Information Prescriptions are customized with your specific URL (e.g. www.yoursite.com/education). This sends patients to your site to further build upon your web presence.
18. Can we try streaMed before we decide whether to buy it?
Yes. Simply contact sales@wired.md or call toll free at 866-WIRED-MD (866-947-3363) to receive more information about how your healthcare organization can take advantage of any promotional streaMed offerings currently in effect.
19. How do implementation, training and support work?
Implementation and training are as simple as streaMed itself. The intuitive nature of streaMed and its single page user interface technology allows providers to begin using it immediately. Since streaMed is a completely web-based application, customers need only to have an Internet connected computer with Microsoft Internet Explorer® and the Adobe Flash® plugin.
Due to streaMed being completely web-based there is no need to load any streaMed software as wired.MD will enable your organization to play streaMed videos-on-demand and to print streaMed text-on-demand from your computers through an Internet connection. You then simply utilize a provided username and password to access streaMed.
Following implementation, wired.MD provides free "Phone Training Sessions" or "Onsite Training Sessions" dependent on the location of your healthcare organization. Multiple training sessions can be run for larger organizations. Average sessions usually last from 60 - 120 minutes.
20. What are the hardware and software requirements for using streaMed?
streaMed was designed to be easy to use and easy to implement. As long as the computer you are using for streaMed has an Internet connection, is running a Pentium 4 processor, has a standard video card and a standard sound card then you will be able to run streaMed. The only software you need is Microsoft Internet Explorer and Adobe Flash 7.
21. Do we need to have computers in specific rooms to use streaMed?
No. streaMed works in any environment. You can use streaMed as long as your healthcare organization has a single Internet connected computer. streaMed is utilized by our customers in patient education resource centers, medical libraries, waiting rooms, exam rooms and in provider's personal offices as well as in the patient's home. streaMed will allow your healthcare organization to customize the manner in which you provide patient education so that it meets your technology infrastructure and your clinical workflow needs.
streaMed provides you the ability to offer your Spanish-speaking patients branded text handouts after visits or demographic-based preventive care videos in your exam rooms. Your wired.MD representative will assist you in determining the ideal utilization of streaMed for your environment.
22. What are the issues associated with streaming video quality?
streaMed simply requires a High-bandwidth connection (DSL, Cable, T1 or T3) that has consistent levels of Internet connectivity of approximately 100 Kbps. If these connectivity levels are maintained then you should not experience quality issues.
Patients can access the streaMed content from their personal computer at both High-bandwidth (DSL, Cable) and Low-bandwidth (Dial Up) connections utilizing either the RealPlayer® or QuickTime® plugin. streaMed videos do stream at connection speeds as low as 45 Kbps, though wired.MD recommends that your patients have at least a 56 Kbps connection.
23. What security protection is there in using streaMed?
Because streaMed only uses standard Internet connections (http, port 80), there is no additional risk to using the streaMed product. streaMed is designed to stream over of the Internet, therefore there are no executables which could interfere with other applications on your server. Lastly, all patient information is kept anonymous, so there is no risk of any patient confidentiality being breached at anytime.
24. What is the technical architecture of streaMed?
streaMed is offered either as a completely web-based product offering. This means that streaMed uses the Internet to deliver and update information for both the practice or healthcare organization and the patient.
streaMed is unique in that the healthcare organization owns a customized Patient Site and can direct patients to view specific "new media" videos, from their personal computer or from any Internet-connected computer, before or after a visit. This Patient Site brings valuable "new media" content and communication tools to the healthcare organization, while at the same time it helps further brand the healthcare organization.
25. How much storage space does streaMed require?
streaMed does not require any storage as it is a completely web-based product offering.
