« For the past two decades, I have been working at a private practice in Quiberon, as well as at the Yves-Lanco Hospital in Belle-Île.

When my partner retired, it was difficult to find a replacement. Everyone is of course aware of the shortage of medical care in underserved areas, and it was nearly impossible to find a physician who would agree to move here.

We therefore established a network, called the MEDEOR network, that allowed us to easily perform what we call « tele-imaging », sending images to others within a team. The most difficult challenge to overcome was ultrasound imaging.

I must admit, I initially had some reservations about tele-ultrasound imaging. But when I tested the MELODY system, the videoconferencing feature, which allows the patient and physician to communicate with each other, completely won me over.

Patients really enjoy it, making the exam seem as though you were right there in the room. It is really quite amazing, I was surprised myself, and now all the patients love it.

I was also shocked at how simple and easy it is to maneuver the probe. From configuring the machine, maneuvering the probe, to communicating with the patient, everything is as if we are right there next to the patient. It is incredibly simple and easy.

It has somewhat revolutionized our notion of tele-imaging since the physician is no longer on-site, and the patient is still able to have a well-performed exam with very good results.

Local proximity is the primary goal of the MEDEOR network. There are large medical centers everywhere, hospitals and clinics, but there are fewer and fewer locally-based imaging facilities.

Our role is to maintain local operations for traditional imaging and ultrasound. And that is without a doubt where MELODY perfectly complements our local strategy.
We have gone from working independently to working collectively. We can ask another colleague for their opinion, which is a totally different way of practicing medicine. It has significantly changed our profession.

Belle-Île is an island right off the coast that has general practitioners, a small rural hospital, and our unit. Before telemedicine, we often used a helicopter for patient transport. Now, we are able to make diagnoses beforehand. This allows us to communicate with specialists on the mainland to decide on a treatment plan if necessary.

In 2016, there will be a dozen or so radiologists located between 6 to 8 different sites. Every day, we treat several hundred patients located at all the different sites throughout our MEDEOR network, just to give you an idea. «