Podcast: Identifying 'Ruggedness' For Healthcare Mobile Computing

In this podcast, Ron D'Ambrosio, president and CEO of Glacier Computer, provides Health IT Outcomes's editor in chief Ken Congdon with criteria that will help healthcare facilities distinguish rugged mobile computers from semi-rugged and consumer-grade devices. Ron also provides best practices for selecting the right mix of mobile computing devices for specific healthcare environments/applications. In response to the question of how much more a healthcare facility can expect to pay for a rugged mobile computer over a consumer-grade device, D'Ambrosio says "I don't think you pay more for a rugged device. If you make the right judgment up front, I think overall you're going to pay less. You have to think not only about the cost of the unit, but also the soft costs associated with that purchase. For example, VDC (Venture Development Corporation) says that the actual purchase price is less than 30% of the total cost of ownership of the device."