Secure Interactive Telemedicine Via State-wide Internet

描述（由申请人提供）： 交互式远程医疗与其他替代品的竞争力与电信服务和设备的成本直接相关。大多数交互式远程医疗系统所使用的综合业务数字网（ISDN）已被证明是昂贵和不灵活的，导致部署有限。快速扩展的互联网协议（IP）网络和大规模生产的视频会议设备降低了远程医疗成本，但也带来了安全和服务质量（QoS）方面的问题。IP网络和安全设备已经被设计用于数据传输（例如，电子邮件），而不是用于时间敏感的交互式音频-视频。 AZ Technology，Inc.拥有直接适用于远程医疗的基于IP的远程科学方面的专业知识。Internet 2提供高带宽、可靠性和对亚拉巴马大学伯明翰分校（UAB）医疗设施的访问，以支持具有成本效益的远程医疗核心网络。第一阶段将在UAB医学院中心站点和远程诊所之间建立一个测试平台，用于解决安全和QoS问题。第二阶段将利用因特网2和公共因特网进行远程皮肤科医生培训和病人检查。长期目标是通过公共互联网覆盖该州最偏远的地区，这些地区的医疗服务最少。项目的成功将加速通过宽带互联网部署远程医疗。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The competitiveness of interactive telemedicine with alternatives is directly related to the cost of telecommunications services and equipment. The Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) used in the majority of interactive telemedicine systems has proven expensive and inflexible, resulting in limited deployment. Rapidly expanding Internet Protocol (IP) networks and mass-produced videoconferencing appliances reduce telemedicine costs, but introduce problems with security and quality of service (QoS). IP networks and security devices have been designed for data transmission (e.g., e-mail), rather than for time-sensitive interactive audio-video. AZ Technology, Inc. has expertise in IP-based telescience, which is directly applicable to telemedicine. Internet 2 provides high bandwidth, reliability, and access to University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) medical facilities around the state to support a cost-effective telemedicine core network. Phase 1 will establish a testbed between a UAB-School of Medicine hub site and remote teleclinics for use in resolving security and QoS issues. Phase 2 will utilize Internet 2 and public Internet to perform teledermatology physician training and patient examinations. The long-term goal is to reach even the most rural areas of the state with the least access to medical care via the public Internet. Project success will accelerate deployment of telemedicine via broadband Internet.