Cieos Product Profile

The dental industry has seen strong growth in recent years in the utilization of digital diagnostic devices and practice management software.

While these advancements are bringing many benefits to both doctors and patients, they are also creating new problems for dental practitioners. Most dental operatories do not have room to accommodate the new digital equipment, and the devices themselves are not integrated into a universal clinical computing platform. Until now, there has not been a seamlessly integrated system in the dental office for integrating, archiving, retrieving and transmitting patient data.

Cieos has developed a solution! Using a unique blend of proprietary hardware and systems integration technology, Cieos can integrate all of the digital devices in the dental office with the practice management software on a Microsoft Windows platform. Immediately, patient information becomes available on workstations throughout the office, and for online transmission to insurance providers and dental consulting specialists.

Cieos has designed a specialized operatory computing platform, the Cieoport, that enables seamless point of care computing in the harsh environment of the operatories. As a system, the Cieoport is comprised of a completely sealed LCD based touchscreen display, a CPU control unit (wall mounted or stand alone), and a port replicator for image acquisition devices. Currently, the LCD displays that are deemed “Medical Grade” have a rubber gasket seal along the perimeter of the front face of the unit, thereby leaving the sides and back surface exposed to potential contamination by airborne microbes as well as aerosolized bodily fluid spray. Also, for the purpose of heat dissipation, current display monitors have ventilation openings on the back surface which prohibit the use of disinfectant solutions on the back surface. The Cieoport’s display is completely sealed to NEMA 4 specifications and utilizes heat sink technology to dissipate the heat generated from the LCD backlight. The complete sealing of the display enables thorough disinfection of the display between uses by using topical disinfectant solutions.

The decision to incorporate a touchscreen was predicated by a consideration of good ergonomic principles as well as an analysis of the interaction the clinical staff had with operatory computers. It quickly became apparent that automating the process of clinical data acquisition and dissemination would not be achieved by using standard computers with keyboards and mice as input devices. We identified two methods of input - Voice Recognition and Touchscreens. Voice recognition was eliminated because of software compatibility issues and inaccuracies in the recognition engine. The technical decision to incorporate a resistive touchscreen as opposed to capacitive or acoustic wave was based on the functional requirement that the end user should be able to actuate the touchscreen with a bare finger, gloved finger or any stylus type instrument. There are competitive touchscreen technologies that bind an antimicrobial agent to the surface of the screen but those touchscreens use capacitive technology and, therefore only a bare finger can be used. A combination of a resistive touchscreen sensor, a high definition – wide viewing angle LCD, and NEMA 4 sealing positions the Cieoport display as the ideal human/machine interface for point of care computing.

The rapid introduction of computer-based imaging and patient communication into existing dental operatories presented a problem. The typical solution of a cart mounted computer and monitor can result in undesirable crowding of the examination room. The power, display monitor, and camera cords further restrict movement when such equipment is in use. Where several systems are needed the problem becomes critical. What is needed is a way to integrate a computer into an examination room while minimizing equipment footprint and maximizing accessibility. The following key features contribute to the Cieoport’s installation flexibility:
The display has a standard VESA mounting plate that allows the use of any standard monitor mount. The display can be mounted to the chair, the cabinetry, or the wall.

The use of video signal amplification technology allows the display cable a length of up to 50 ft. This provides the option to mount the display anywhere within a 10 ft x 10 ft space and still be able to route the cable discreetly through the floor or ceiling.

The port replicator box, which can be mounted on the dental chair, has a 30 ft cable and allows the end user to interface the various digital imaging devices with the Cieoport without having to move away from the patient and go to the wall mounted control unit.

The CieOport comes fully configured with DVD drives, video capture cards, video card for second display, and a PCMCIA reader. All of this technology is neatly packaged into a case which is smaller than a standard medical textbook. In addition, there are a variety of mounting options that enable our customers to truly customize every installation to fit their particular operatory layout.

Our second product is the Computer Aided Intercom. We identified a need for an intra-office communication and messaging and designed a software based intercom system that will run on Windows based computer networks.

CAI
No more running down the hall to deliver a message CAI is CIEOS' intraoffice communication product that eliminates the need for expensive hard-wired light systems that often don't convey messages efficiently. The front office staff that uses CAI, can instantly send messages to the clinical staff and receive acknowledgements that the message was read by the recipient. Your staff members no longer have to run down the hall looking for someone to deliver a message.

Your practice can save up to two hours per week per employee by making intraoffice communication more efficient. Public, broadcast, and private messages (password protected) can be sent and received by all staff members. Text to speech technology enables your computer to read the message out through the stereo speakers.

CAI's vast array of features also include:
· Text-to-speech feature for message readout
If the text to speech feature is enabled, the target computer system reads out the message using a user selectable voice from a list in addition to just displaying the text message

· Large message scrolling for easy viewing
On all computer stations, a feature can be enabled to scroll incoming text messages across the top of the screen. This feature allows normal/broadcast messages to be displayed as a large scrolling message for viewing from a further distance. Otherwise, new messages get displayed on a text box on the main receiving window. Color and scroll speed of the message being displayed can be customized.

· Private message notification/indicator
Private messages get transmitted initially to the CAI server, and the server notifies the intended station and/or recipient on any station he/she is logged in. The private message can only be retrieved by that intended individual upon logging onto the CAI system and specifying a personal password.

· Multi-user access to private messages without restarting application
Unlike mail or other messaging applications, this application allows all users of CAI to retrieve their private messages from any computer station without restarting the application. The only action users need to do to retrieve their private message(s) is to select their name from the pull down menu(i.e. login), click private message indicator or retrieve button and enter their password.

· User defined Custom system configurations
Adding/deleting users, changing user password, adding/deleting stations, ability to add predefined standard messages for repeated use, Programmable Broadcast messages, change station group names, change scroll text color and speed etc.

As CIEOS continues to grow, they will strive to bring exciting new products to market that further automate the workflow of modern dental practices.

For more information, contact CIEOS directly at: 800-627-3205 or 973-720-9999. Email: info@cieos.com.