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Don Hoesterey, thank you for your excellent report to those of us who were prevented from participating in the satellite conference. Every one of the presenters is a "heavy hitter" in Parkinson's research. It was W.C. Koller who first hypothesized about the "neuroprotective benefits" of what later is called Eldepryl. Many of the site moderators have published also. So far, I have heard of one person who "saw" the conference on satellite, by "sneaking under the fence". They were very much impressed with the polish of the production. I'm surprized that APDA and Sandoz have pockets that deep. With the cost of this one production, quarterly conferences could be held by satellite that could reach a half a million with 800 numbers for questions. If you divide whatever the Wednesday production cost, by the 2000 or so who were allowed to come and participate, your seat was worth several thousand dollars. As with anything else, who pays for business excesses? The consumer of course. Do you know envisioned this concept? Do you see a familiar name below? Authors Hubble JP. Pahwa R. Michalek DK. Thomas C. Koller WC. Institution Department of Neurology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City 66160-7314. Title Interactive video conferencing: a means of providing interim care to Parkinson's disease patients. Source Movement Disorders. 8(3):380-2, 1993 Jul. Abbreviated Source Mov Disord. 8(3):380-2, 1993 Jul. Abstract Inequity in health care delivery is attributable to a variety of factors including geographic isolation. Patients living far from major urban centers have limited access to medical specialists. In the instance of Parkinson's disease (PD), optimal assessment and care may depend upon availability of specialty health care providers. In order to broaden health care access, interactive video conference (IVC) units are being developed for medical use. IVC allows a patient at a distant site to be "seen and heard" by a hospital-based physician; simultaneously, the patient can "see and hear" the doctor. To establish the validity of this technology in the evaluation of PD, nine patients were independently examined and scored (UPDRS) by two movement disorder specialists. One examination was performed in-person by the usual physician. The other examination was performed on the same day via IVC over a distance of 350 miles by an examiner previously unfamiliar with the patients. Individual patient scores did not differ based on examiner (Spearman Rho Correlation Coefficients: UPDRS total scores r = 0.933, p < 0.0002; Hoehn and Yahr Scale r = 0.883, p < 0.001). A standardized exit interview was conducted to assess patients' perceptions of this application of video technology. Responses were favorable and virtually all patients viewed this as a means of accessing better health care. We conclude that valid motor assessments of PD patients can be made via IVC. There is another Eldypryl type product that is working its way through trials, it is lazebemide. It is not a Sandoz product. If it is better we will have to wait and see. Competition is good for our pocketbooks. It may be found that "neuroprotective benefits" really exist. John Cottingham [log in to unmask] OR [log in to unmask]