Medical Solutions - statwatch screening

Telamon Medical Solutions launched the digitized health screening system - statwatch screening - on Thursday, March 27 at the Indiana Statehouse. In partnership with the Indiana Commission on the Social Status of Black Males (ICSSBM), Telamon's statwatch screening solution - a tablet paired with bluetooth enabled medical device peripherals (blood pressure, blood glucose, and weight scale) powered by Telamon's proprietary mobile application, stat, and dashboard, watch, will debut on Saturday, April 5 at the 4th Annual Black Barbershop Initiative. statwatch screening solution kits will be deployed at 59 black barbershop sites across the State of Indiana - ICSSBM and Telamon hope for a significant increase from last year's total number of screenings.

statwatch tablet & peripherals

The idea to develop a digitized health screening system materialized from competitive product review in the remote patient monitoring and telehealth space. There are many competitive products in the space focused on chronic disease management, telehealth and telemedicine - comprehensive systems that focus on complex use cases and very sick patients. However, none that offered the simple functionality of screening without the diagnosis. Telamon then undertook a detailed market analysis of the opportunities in various healthcare segments - free health screening providers (community health centers & non-profits), employer based wellness programs, clinical trials and post market surveillance, and found there was a true market need to deploy a functional, digitized screening utility. Thus, statwatch screening was born.

Look to more news from Telamon Medical Solutions as statwatch screening debuts at more local and community based health screening events!

Telecom Solutions - Recap from Recent Tradeshow Visits

It’s that time of year again…………No, not Springtime or college basketball – it’s tradeshow season. If you have followed the other Telamon blogs, you would see that we attend many diverse tradeshows and conferences. Telamon’s five unique business units – Telecom, Industrial, Medical, Energy and Business Process – allow us to present our company to a multitude of industries. Since the beginning of the year, I have been able to attend and participate at Distributech, SCE Bidders Conference and the California Communications Association conference. Next month will be even busier with National Association of Broadcasters, Electrosonic Tech Days, Tridium Niagara Summit and Utilities Telecommunications conference. Here are thoughts about each of these events and how Telamon participated:

Distributech is a huge show catering towards the utility industry. Telamon has gotten very involved within the utilities with our Telecom and Energy groups mainly because the utilities have data/telecom networks that rival carriers in their sophistication and they are very serious about energy conservation for themselves and their customers. I was a guest of Electrosonic – a systems integrator of premium control and data center solutions – and was able to meet with several decision makers.  Electrosonic and Telamon have successfully partnered to provide our network design, telecom and low voltage expertise while utilizing our Minority Business status for DBE spend credits. I was also able to meet with several of our OEM customers and partners to further our relationship and find additional synergies where we can work together. What I found interesting from this years show over last year is this: in 2013, there was a huge focus on distribution automation – a term I was not familiar with – which is basically the collection of data. Smart meters, galore! This year, the focus was, “well, now you have the data, what are you going to do with it?” This brought up many discussions of privacy, security and bandwidth requirements. It will be interesting to see what the emphasis is next year!

Booths at Distributech.

The SCE Bidders Conference was held to discuss the upcoming RAM5 – Renewable Auction Mechanism – for solar projects of minimum 3mW, maximum 20 mW as well as the REMAT program for systems smaller than 3mW.  Telamon has been actively looking for projects since our very successful commissioning of the 10mW ground mounted system at the Indianapolis International Airport. The first phase was completed in October of last year and we are working on the second phase, another 10mW.  Since commissioning the airport, we have involved our partners in several RFP’s for airport projects as airport managers are interested in solar as a revenue stream for their airports from a land usage standpoint. 

The California Communications Association caters to the telecom carriers within California.  The forum addresses concerns and issues specific to California and is much more useful than the larger shows which tend to have a broad base. This was an opportunity for Telamon to introduce ourselves to the community and highlight our telecom experience as well as our partnerships with Electrosonic and Tridium – an IP based Enhanced Monitoring System (EMS) favored by the largest telecom carriers. These carriers are moving into a “Software Defined Network” mentality and are pushing equipment vendors to make their products more software based rather than forcing wholesale network upgrades which Tridium supports beautifully. I also had photos of our solar installation at the airport for those who might be interested in utilizing renewables for backup power. California is especially receptive to renewables and carriers are very interested in lowering utility bills.  Many CalCom attendees were unaware of the vast expertise we have in engineering, installation and supply chain management and appreciate the need to engage MBE firms to satisfy DBE spend requirements as well as their stakeholders diversity goals.

Tabletop at CalCom.

The upcoming shows, National Association of Broadcasters, Electrosonic Tech Days, Tridium Niagara Summit and Utilities Telecommunications, will again give Telamon the opportunity to highlight our capabilities and almost 30 years of experience in telecommunications. Several of these shows will be a “joint effort” – Telamon enjoys many strategic partnerships with many diverse businesses and specialties and frequently share booth space which only adds more value to our customers. As these customer networks grow and become more sophisticated, Telamon will be there to support that growth as well as  the OEM manufacturers we are partnered with.

-Suzanne Beck

VP Business Development

Telecom Solutions - Telamon Corporation

Industrial Solutions - Cummins Midrange Engine Plant

Telamon employees from the Industrial Solutions business unit had the pleasure of visiting the Cummins Midrange Engine Plant (CMEP) in Walesboro, Indiana in February. Employees were divided into 4 different groups and were able to see one of the locations where Telamon assemblies are installed on Cummins diesel engines. Upon arrival, the Telamon groups were surprised to see a very interesting and unique facility because operations are under ground level and parking is on the roof. During the tours, employees were able to observe highly sophisticated manufacturing technologies from the engine blocks, the short block and long block lines where over 400 components are assembled onto the engine, and the paint process for engines.

CMEP manufactures the 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel engine that is primarily used in the Dodge Ram pickup truck. In December 2013, CMEP was recognized for building the 2 millionth pickup engine for Chrysler. The first truck that came off the Chrysler assembly line in 1988 with a Cummins diesel engine is also on display at CMEP. 

What a great experience for our Industrial Solutions employees!

The first Dodge pickup truck provided with the Cummins 6BT engine.

6.7L diesel engine for the Dodge Ram truck.

-Brian Cummings

Account Manager

Telamon Corporation - Industrial Solutions

Energy Solutions - Bombshells, Wedding Bells & O.P.P.

Those of you familiar with Bible stories may remember the story of Jacob, who worked seven years so he could marry a girl. On the morning after his wedding, he realizes he has been tricked by the father who gave Jacob an older sister with "weak eyes". He got a bombshell alright, just the not-good-explosive kind. There was no way out, except through. He worked another seven years for the other sister, and "Weak Eyes" caused him nothing but problems.

The lesson of the story - make sure you peek under the veil. Or, as Ronald Regan said, "Trust but verify." I share this story for perspective on an energy-related bombshell that could make those of you who are energy-conscious take serious note.

One of the shining standards in Energy is LEED certification. A building's LEED status has been used to shoo many an energy salesperson away with a "We already have this under control" voice. The U.S. Green Building Council has done a remarkable job of positioning and spinning LEED status as the Gold Standard in energy.

A new study by the Environmental Policy Alliance just popped their balloon. Large buildings that are LEED certified and privately owned in Washington, D.C. use more energy than uncertified buildings. Let that sink in for a moment. Why is this a big deal?

Big Deal #1: The average lay person may assume that energy equilibrium is a destination. And because LEED certification is associated with energy efficiency, one certification is obtained - the journey is complete and they patiently wait for a voice saying "You have arrived at your destination". Energy bliss, nirvana...call it what you will - it is a verb. It is a continual process of PLAN, DO, CHECK, ACT. You will never arrive at your destination if you are doing it correctly.

Big Deal #2: Misrepresentation damages the reputation of the industry. It causes market confusion and it emboldens those why try to dismantle the progress that has been made in being more sustainable in our approach to energy.

Big Deal #3: If LEED certification does not lead to increased energy efficiency, why would the government mandate participation in the program? One idea would be the $5.2M in fees that Washington, D.C. government has collected since mandating LEED participation in 2010. Again, it just gives more ammunition to those who already have an axe to grind.

Washington, D.C. is one of the few cities that requires LEED certification for new construction, and they've collected over $5.2M in fees since 2010. It bleeds developers and companies of money that could be used for real energy projects simply so they can hang a plaque on the door. Another finding that is more ironic than stunning. Washington, D.C. buildings are actually less energy efficient than the national average.

Including energy in your sustainability efforts is simply the right thing to do for companies today. It is a strategic play that has larger implications for the economy, improves our national security position, and helps alleviate challenges with an aging electrical grid (excess capacity, less congestion).

These are the types of problems that create uncertainty when it comes to creating energy policy. That uncertainty delays decisions, which slows the market down, which prevents economies of scale from being achieved, which causes the need for "O.P.P" (other people's property...in this case, money) in the form of rebates, mandates, taxes, etc. And while you may be "down with O.P.P.", long-term goals cant' be achieved by relying on that approach.

That's why you should check out Telamon's approach to energy management. We maximize your existing investments and provide complete visibility and control over your energy portfolio. We make sustainability sustainable. We help "being Green" make green. We're making O.P.P. (optimal powering possible).

Mark "you down with O.P.P.? Yeah, you know me" Brown
Telamon Corporation - Energy Solutions

Business Process Solutions - Chasing Paper Isn’t A Good Business Strategy

Telamon's Business Process Solutions division assists durable medical equipment (DME) and home medical equipment (HME) companies stay lean in the competitive bid environment. As the squeeze tightens over the next 24-36 months, "payer" reimbursement cuts will drive down the maximum allowable charges by 20-30%. Medical equipment businesses need to adopt innovative solutions to ensure quick, consistent cash flow.

Survival in the competitive bid environment will require business skill and intuition about the medical equipment marketplace. Telamon offers a sound business solution directed at improving the management and tracking of required DME/HME documentation, such as Certificates of Medical Necessity (CMN's). Streamlining workflow improves cash flow by reducing the cycle time associated with HME/DME document management. Telamon transforms the document collection process into a virtual workflow solution dedicated to pursuing the required DME/HME documentation. Telamon's data entry clerks, project managers, and IT experts combined with cloud technology maintain receipts, audit, track, and alert duties while the clients' managers remain centered on the status of the documents. Telamon handles the mundane tasks while the client targets the revenue-centric responsibility.

Delivering value as profit margins continue to shrink is not a new challenge, however, for some medical equipment companies, the thought of outsourcing segments of the revenue cycle workflow seems daunting. The inhibition quickly disappears once the efficiency of the new approach kicks in. Business leaders see the value of shortening their longstanding accounts receivables or inconsistent payment cycles commonly associated with the medical equipment-billing paper chase.

Medical Solutions - Technology & Telecommunications in Direct to Patient Care

Technology & telecommunications in direct to patient care is a term represented by Telamon's newest business unit, Medical Solutions. A few weeks ago, Sunny Lu, General Manager of Telamon's Medical Solutions business unit, presented on this topic at the Health Informatics Tri-State Summit at the University of Southern Indiana. Read on for a review of her presentation & for some very interesting stats!

Setting a Premise: 

• Focus on the patient as a consumer, a user, and in the home environment. 
• New definitions to derive new meaning. 
• It's all commercially viable. 
• Technology, as a tool. 
• Telecommunications, as a delivery method. 
• It's the program, not the product. 

Technology Tools - Social Media 

Social media drives the fastest, least expensive form of adoption. The most important factors of the patient adoption path include demographic, content,  and usage.

Technology - Usage 

Below you will see the top 5 smartphone operating systems, shipments and market share from Q1 2013. 55% of the US population uses a smartphone with the most popular operating systems being Android & iOS. 

Units in Millions

Telecommunications - A Nod to Engineering & Evolution 

 

Telecommunications Delivery System 

• Mobile Wireless Competition 
• Tier 1 Carriers: AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile 
• Federal Communications Commission (more devices in use than population of US) 
• Fixed Broadband Competion
• Carriers: AT&T, Comcast, etc. 
• Demographic 
• 34% of adults live in wireless-only households
• 500 Megabytes of data consumed per month per user

To download a copy of Sunny's full presentation, please click here.

Telecom Solutions - The Internet of Things

Many of us are familiar with the term “Internet of Things” but may not stretch the concept to understand how this will play a major part in the present and future world of telecommunications.

IoT – as it is abbreviated – is a term that has been around since 1999. As soon as “identifiers” – in the form of radio frequencies, barcodes and QR codes – became attached to objects, these objects could be traced, tracked and monitored. It is estimated that 26 billion devices will have some kind of embedded identifier by the year 2020. Up until recently, devices that could be identified were mainly collecting data, lots of data. What does this mean to a telecommunications company? As technology improves within the telecommunications industry with the massive deployment of fiber optic infrastructure and high speed broadband equipment, this data could be accessed faster allowing real time decision making. Time is money and customers demanded faster access to information, which forces constant upgrades to this telecom infrastructure. 

But, as with everything, things are changing. Where once the data was collected and decisions were made in a reactive mode, now data has been coupled with logic and patterns to make proactive decisions. Google recently acquired the Nest product line which, based on patterns of usage, will intuitively know when you come home and adjust the temperature of your house. Once all of our devices (doors, appliances, etc.) have been equipped with “identifiers”, you could walk into your home at the end of the day and your favorite music may come on, a fire lights in the fireplace and a glass of wine has been dispensed from your smart refrigerator.  It would be awesome if somehow these devices could have the children fed, bathed and put to bed but that’s another blog entry……

So, what is the industry doing to prepare for the continued onslaught of data? Just today, IBM and AT&T announced a partnership to develop products and services to address the growth of the Internet of Things. AT&T, one of the world’s largest telecommunications providers and IBM, a software services giant, both recognize that there is immense value in the data that can be gathered by “things”. This data is already being used by major utilities in the further development of the Smart Grid. As we stretch our imaginations to dream up what can be done in the not too distant future, there are already great minds out there putting these plans in place.

-Suzanne Beck

VP Business Development

Telecom Solutions - Telamon Corporation