Eventually systems will be able to do the same thing with one ISDN line, which will make it much more affordable, Hyler said.
The OMH staff has been able to do neurological consultations involving movement disorders and full-scale IQ tests. "We're testing the limits of what can and can't be done."
Overall, patients respond well to the technology, he said. Given a reasonable introduction about the experience of talking to a doctor over a television set, patients do well, even when they have major mental disorders. And sometimes children and adolescents do better on the screen than in person.
After the first 30 seconds, it's like you're in the room, Hyler said.
