DOD seeks high-tech mobile units for brain trauma treatment

By Peter Buxbaum
Monday, December 08, 2008

Troops or veterans in remote areas could receive treatment for psychological and traumatic brain injuries from mobile units equipped with sophisticated telemedicine technology if the Defense Department's vision becomes a reality.

In a request for information released Dec. 3, the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity said it is considering acquiring van- or shipping container-sized mobile units for that purpose.

Industry sources said such mobile units are not currently on the market. “Nothing of this kind is directly available today,” said Gary Sharpe, government sales manager at Scotty Tele-Transport Corp. in Norcross, Ga., which customizes secure data and video transmission systems.

Laura Bennett, business development director at Amdex Corp., a developer of telehealth software based in Silver Spring, Md., said the technology being sought appeared to be pioneering — at the stage of university-level research and development.

The RFI was short on details, but it did indicate the military wanted units that supported videoconferencing, a variety of remote and face-to-face services, and Internet connectivity.

Gerald Perkins, an executive at Infomedia Group Inc., which provides telehealth products and services, said the RFI seemed to describe a telemedicine rather than a telehealth solution.

Telehealth involves providing software-assisted health advice over the telephone, Perkins said. “Telemedicine involves monitoring and treating a patient as if there is a doctor on location,” he added. “The system is connected to medical staff” located elsewhere.