Why are PED’s better than television screens or music in the operatory?
PED’s are the best in-chair distraction system for two reasons – patient comfort/utility and practitioner focus. The dental or medical operatory is not an optimal location for regular television viewing. During dental procedures, the practitioner is usually positioned close in front of the patient’s face, and frequently requires the patient to turn their head. The sound of the equipment can also interfere with the program audio. This makes regular television screens, even those placed on the ceiling or integrated into the chair itself, almost useless for in-chair patient distraction and stress relief. Furthermore, many practitioners do not want to be disturbed by the images and sound of a television playing in the background while they work. PEDs provide private, semi-immersive video and audio that allows patients to focus on the audio-visual experience while still participating in their treatment and responding to the practitioner.
Do PEDs interfere with the dentist’s work?
MedPED headsets sit only above the patient’s eyes and are thin and relatively unobtrusive. MedPED has field tested PED units with a number of leading dental practitioners in the US and Canada, and the consensus response has been that the PED interferes very little or not at all with a practitioner’s ability to access all areas of the mouth. A small percentage of negative response was received from practitioners who favor working from behind the patient, but even these practitioners expressed confidence that as the headsets become even smaller and less obtrusive, any interference would disappear.
Can patients still hear and follow the dentist’s instructions?
Yes. MedPED units do not fully cover the eyes, allowing patients to be peripherally aware of their surroundings. The headsets use small bud-type earphones which provide good audio quality, but allow ambient noise such as conversation to filter through.
Can patients use prescription eyeglasses with the headset?
The MedPED headset features individually focusable screens, meaning that the majority of glasses-wearers can take off their glasses and adjust the unit to fit their personal prescription. For viewers with exceptionally strong prescriptions, eyeglasses can usually be worn behind the unit, as long as the removable eyecups are not in use.
Can patients turn off the system if they want?
Yes. The PED can be taken off at any time, like a regular pair of eyeglasses. Alternatively, on models with a drop-down visor, the visor can be flipped up and away from the face while still being worn. The DVD or other media source can also always be turned off at the patient’s request.
Will the unit hurt the patient’s head?
No. The PED unit is light and padded, and should provide little more pressure than a regular set of large sunglasses.
Will patients get motion sickness?
PEDs are only semi-immersive, meaning that when the optional eyecups are not in use, the eye is not fully enclosed by the eyepiece. Clear peripheral vision allows wearers to avoid disorientation or motion sickness in the vast majority of cases. Viewers who are abnormally sensitive to motion sickness can take off the unit if desired at any time.
Can using the PED lessen the stress and fear patients experience in the chair?
Yes. Clinical studies carried out by the American Dental Association and the European Pain Journal showed a significant reduction in patient stress and fear associated with dental procedures when PEDs were used. Over 75% of the test subjects reported that they would choose to use the system again during their next dental procedure.
Will using the PED lessen any physical pain patients experience during a procedure?
No. The ADA and EPJ studies showed no significant reduction in actual pain felt by patients. PEDs are not an alternative to anesthetic or any other pain-reduction techniques.
Is it hygienic to use a public headset?
Yes. all MedPED units can be cleaned by simply wiping exposed surfaces with alcohol. If desired, all areas of the PED that touch a person’s head or face can be covered by disposable hygiene pads, and ear buds use individual, disposable foam speaker covers for each patient.
Does the practice need to install anything in the office or operatory for the system to work?
No. MedPED units are lightweight and portable and require no computer servers, wiring or any other installation. Units come with rechargeable batteries, and can be used or recharged anywhere there is a regular electricity outlet.
Can the dentist use other media sources (game consoles, computers, VCRs) with the headset?
Yes. PEDs can be used like any regular television, and come with all the standard connectors for various media devices. However, the unit currently comes packaged with a high-quality portable DVD player, and at this time MPM Media Content is distributed only in DVD format.
Do the units receive broadcast television?
For a number of reasons, the units do not currently come with internal television receivers. It is not desirable to have patients change channels, or move in the chair or play with the equipment to try and deal with transmission issues during a procedure. Additionally, the DVD subscription ensures that premium, age appropriate, calming programming is always available. Most important, showing broadcast television wastes the opportunity for the practitioner to educate his patient pool about his value-added services.
How much will the system cost?
The current retail price of a headset + DVD player + 12 month media subscription is $499 plus shipping and handling. Additional DVD content is priced at US $10 per quarter per disk. A larger field of view unit (60 inches vs. 42 inches) in the same headset housing will retail at $699 plus S&H.
Will a lease option be available?
The price of the entire set is low enough that heavy demand for leasing is not expected. If such demand becomes apparent, however, MedPED will be glad to arrange lease financing.
What happens if the unit breaks?
All MedPED products, both hardware and media content, are covered by a 12 month warranty, and the DVD player is covered by a 90 day labor warranty. If any part of the product breaks or fails to fully work during the warranty period, it can be returned and a new unit will immediately be shipped to the customer.
What technology advances can customers look forward to?
MedPED is using existing, off the shelf technology to provide a reliable service and quickly build a new market. Once the marketplace is comfortable with the concept, MedPED will offer a wide variety of technological upgrades to the system, including wireless displays, MP4 players, downloadable content refreshment and ever smaller, less obtrusive headset units.
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Do dentists have to buy a media content subscription?
The initial purchase of each MedPED hardware set automatically comes with a one-year subscription to the MPM Media Content Program. Additional subscription fees (for extra disks, technology upgrades, etc.) will be billed quarterly to the customer’s credit card, depending on the level of service and number of disks ordered each quarter. Cancelling the subscription during this period will be subject to a reasonable cancellation fee. After the one year period, practitioners will be able to renew their subscriptions or purchase content on a yearly basis.
Can the dentists choose to buy a media subscription without purchasing a headset unit?
Yes. Because MedPED media content is shipped on standard DVD’s, we are happy to offer media-only subscriptions to practices that already have viewing equipment or wish to buy it elsewhere. Media-only subscriptions will be priced at approximately the standard $10 per disk per quarter rate.
Can the dentists choose the movies and TV shows? How many will there be to choose from?
MedPED’s media agreements allow potentially thousands of programs to be offered to practitioners. However, at first all practitioners will receive a standard package of three 90 minute disks from one of three age categories – Child, Teen and Standard. As the number of customers expands, MPM will invest in bringing more titles to market, allowing practitioners to tailor their DVD/downloaded media library to their specific clientele.
How many disks come with each headset?
Initially, three disks will be included in the customer’s subscription package. These disks will be replaced with three new disks every quarter.
How much content is on each disk?
Each disk contains approximately 90 minutes of content, made up of either a number of television episodes, cartoons or a full-length feature film or other content, depending on the practitioner’s customized media package.
Can the dentist choose to purchase more content with each headset?
Yes. Dentists will be able to order as many copies of as many titles as they wish within the content currently made available by MedPED. Each additional disk will be charged at the same rate of $10 per quarter.
What if the dentist buys more than one unit?
Each unit purchased comes with a minimum three disk content subscription. This is so that even if multiple units are in use at the same time, there will be
a minimum amount of choice guaranteed to the patient. If there are more than three titles to choose from at the time, the dentist can expand their library by ordering different titles for each of the unit subscriptions. Additional titles may be ordered and shared between units at the practitioner’s prerogative.
Will the programs be age and content appropriate?
Yes. MedPED offers titles in three basic age categories – Child, Teen and Standard. Practitioners receive an initial package consisting of three disks from the chosen category, but as the MedPED library expands, practitioners will be able to customize their content packages to more accurately reflect their unique patient pool. Titles will also be selected with the in-chair environment in mind, tending towards calm, soothing and relatively upbeat programming.
Will the programming be in 3-D?
Because they utilize individual screens for each eye, PED’s are uniquely suited to 3-D displays. However, most 3-D programming causes involuntary movement by the viewer, which is something to be avoided in the dental environment. As such, MedPED does not plan to provide 3-D programming as a standard part of the title library.
What if an appointment ends before the program the patient is watching?
The majority of dental appointments are approximately half an hour or less, but some can last up to two hour or more. With this in mind, the majority (approximately two-thirds) of MedPED’s programming will be a half-hour or shorter in length, such as sitcoms or cartoons, whil the remainder will be feature length films. Again, as the MedPED library builds, practitioners will be able to customize their content to reflect their individual practice needs.
Can patients fast forward during the show?
No. It is important that patients stay as still as possible during dental procedures. It is also advantageous for practitioners and patients alike to ensure that the patient sees the procedure presentations and understands all the services the dentist has available.
How often will the media content be updated?
Current plans are to update each disk set every quarter, or approximately every three months. In the future, if content moves from physical disks to downloadable media, the refreshment schedule may change.
How will dentists receive new programs and return old programs?
At first, each set of disks will be shipped with a prepaid return envelope. When the new set arrives, dentists simply use the envelope to return the old disks within a week of receiving their new content. In the future, content may be shipped using secured hard drives, small media players or downloaded from the internet.
What happens if the disks get lost or stolen?
All disks remain the property of MedPED while in the possession of the practitioner. If disks are lost or stolen, or fail to return in the mail, the practitioner will be charged a reasonable replacement fee, approximately equivalent to the cost of purchasing a disk at retail.
How customizable is the media content?
The goal of MedPED is to make each disk as customizable and representative of a dentist’s unique practice as possible. Initially, media content will be as broadly appealing as possible, featuring shows that the majority of patients will find entertaining (i.e. Friends or Looney Tunes) and marketing presentations that will benefit most practitioners (i.e. tooth-whitening). Soon, customers will be able to choose the precise mix of entertainment and education/marketing that works best for them. Ultimately, MedPED will allow practitioners to create their own presentations and insert them into the media.
Will there be advertising on the disks?
Each disk will contain computer animated presentations explaining various value-added services provided by the practitioner, such as tooth whitening and cosmetic veneers. These presentations will be placed in the natural advertising breaks of the television shows, or before a feature film. In addition, MedPED may choose to sell advertising space on the disks to certain third-party advertisers if the opportunity presents itself. In total, the educational/advertising runtime will be limited to an amount less than or equal to the percentage of commercials sold on traditional television stations.
Won’t patients be annoyed about being “forced” to watch marketing messages?
Dental patients are regular consumers of commercial television services, who understand and accept that television is paid for by advertising. Currently, standard broadcast television is the most common in-chair patient entertainment/distraction system, and to our knowledge, no practitioners have reported patients refusing to watch television during a procedure because of the commercials. With MedPED, the only difference is that instead of watching advertisements for cars or soft drinks, patients will see equally short and effective presentations about dental services.
Can dentists and patients use their own DVDs
with the system?
Yes. MedPED DVD players play all normal DVD’s, based upon regional encoding and other standards.
Why will dentists choose to use MPM’s media instead of just buying or renting it from a store?
Because MPM units can play all standard DVD’s, it is expected that practitioners and patients may sometimes use their own disks with the system. However, there are a number of reasons that practitioners should use MedPED’s media content rather than simply buying or renting their own.
Practice marketing – the most important reason to use MedPED’s content is that each time a MedPED video is shown to a patient, the dentist is actively marketing their practice and improving their bottom line. Using disks without marketing presentations is a grossly wasted opportunity for both the practitioner and the patient.
Legality – Some dentists are unaware of this, but it is illegal to use a video purchased or rented from a retail store as part of a commercial business. As such, practitioners could theoretically be sued for infringing the license and copyright of the media company by playing such videos. MedPED content is legally licensed directly from MPM’s media partners for commercial display by the practitioner.
Value and convenience – Premium entertainment content is expensive, and dentists could easily spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars to build an office DVD library. MedPED Media subscription packages cost far less per month even than comparable rental programs, and chosen movies and shows are order by phone or online and shipped directly to the customers office. Any defective or scratched disks can immediately be returned to MPM for a free replacement.
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Why is MedPED better than other systems on the market?
No other company or product provides MedPED’s combination of advanced PED technology, premium licensed entertainment and effective practice marketing. Other patient entertainment or patient education products are on the market, but they are less effective and generally cast thousands of dollars more than MedPED.
How will orders be taken?
Orders will be handled by MedPED distribution partners, or directly from MPM. MPM ordering will be online and by telephone, while ordering from distribution partners will be via that partner’s preferred method.
How will units and media content be shipped?
All MedPED products will be shipped by express air freight, directly to a customer’s practice.
What kind of tech support is available?
Generally, any equipment failure will be handled under the warranty and return program, by returning the unit and immediately receiving a new one. Problems regarding ordering and shipping will be handled by the relevant distributor, while setup or use issues will be handled directly by MedPED Technical Support.
Is a trial period available?
Yes. Like many products sold in the medical and dental markets, MPM will provide a free trial period of seven days for the system. If the customer chooses not to participate within that time, the units and media content can be returned at no charge. After the trial period expires, the purchase will become final and the one-year content subscription will begin.
How long does the media subscription run? Can dentists cancel their subscription?
The media subscription runs for twelve months from the end of the trial period. Customers can cancel their subscription any time during the twelve months, but will be subject to a reasonable cancellation fee. After the end of the subscription, customers are encouraged to extend their subscriptions for additional one-year periods.
How will the product be marketed?
MedPED will rely on distribution partners to market MedPED products through their ongoing sales and marketing activities. MedPED will secondarily market the system directly to practitioners through advertising, targeted personal sales visits and attendance at tradeshows and group activities, without undercutting distribution partners.
MedPED will provide clients with cutting edge head mounted displays. PED specifications are found below:
PED One™
